The DNA packed inside every human cell contains instructions for life, written in billions of letters of genetic code. Every time a cell divides, the complete code, divided among 46 chromosomes, must ...

Every day, billions of cells in your body divide, helping to replace old and injured cells with new ones. And each time this happens, your entire genetic library—your genome, which totals more than 3 ...

Every time a cell divides, it must copy its DNA with extraordinary precision. But this process is constantly challenged by DNA damage. Among the most dangerous lesions are DNA interstrand crosslinks ...

During DNA replication, the unwinding of strands leaves a single strand vulnerable. How does the cell protect these strands from damage? How would you identify the protein that serves as a connector ...

Not all parts of our genetic code are equal, even when they appear to say the same thing. Scientists have discovered that cells can detect less efficient genetic instructions and selectively silence ...

Did you know that many of us have up to 4% neanderthal DNA? Did you know that many of us have up to 4% neanderthal DNA? And that 100% of your DNA may come from outer space? No joke. The biochemistry ...

On a foggy Saturday morning in 1953, a tall, skinny 24-year-old man fiddled with shapes he had cut out of cardboard. They represented fragments of a DNA molecule, and young James Watson was trying to ...

Origins of the code: University of Illinois researchers found that the genetic code’s origins are tied to dipeptide composition, offering clues to life’s earliest evolution. Beyond coding DNA: Most ...