A team of scientists at the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences (LMS) has uncovered a previously unknown mechanism that controls how genes are switched ‘on’ and ‘off’ during embryonic development.

Transposable elements are stretches of DNA that can move around the genome. Many of these DNA sequences originate from long ago, when viruses inserted their genetic material into our ancestors' ...

Researchers have gained new insights into the mechanism behind the spatial organization of DNA within the cells of early embryos. When an embryo is first formed after fertilization, each cell has the ...

In a new study published in Genes & Development, research led by Dr. Lila Allou at the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences (LMS) in London and Professor Stefan Mundlos at the Max Planck Institute for ...

All cells contain the same DNA but must turn specific genes ‘on’ and ‘off’ – a process known as gene expression – to create different body parts. The cells in your eyes and arms harbour the same genes ...

Cell division during the early stage of embryo development is a trade-off between speed and accuracy; the cells need to ...

The sperm and the egg cell's nuclei compete for size directly after fertilization and this is necessary for proper embryonic ...

Ancient viruses are embedded everywhere in the human genome. Estimates range, but it's thought that about eight percent of the human genome could be made up of these ancient retroviruses, which are ...

How can we explain the morphological diversity of living organisms? Although genetics is the answer that typically springs to mind, it is not the only explanation. By combining observations of ...