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molecular biology

Latest Articles

The Joy of Why

Untangling Why Knots Are Important

By Steven Strogatz
April 6, 2022
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Steven Strogatz explores the mysteries of knots with the mathematicians Colin Adams and Lisa Piccirillo.

An artist’s 3D illustration of chromosomes splitting and fusing together.
genomics

Secrets of Early Animal Evolution Revealed by Chromosome ‘Tectonics’

By Viviane Callier
February 2, 2022
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Large blocks of genes conserved through hundreds of millions of years of evolution hint at how the first animal chromosomes came to be.

2021 in Review

The Year in Biology

By John Rennie
December 21, 2021
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The detailed understanding of brains and multicellular bodies reached new heights this year, while the genomes of the COVID-19 virus and various organisms yielded more surprises.

Illustration of DNA that represents how only a small part of the genome encodes proteins.
explainers

The Complex Truth About ‘Junk DNA’

By Jake Buehler
September 1, 2021
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Genomes hold immense quantities of noncoding DNA. Some of it is essential for life, some seems useless, and some has its own agenda.

Electron microscopy of T4 bacteriophages.
molecular biology

DNA Has Four Bases. Some Viruses Swap in a Fifth.

By Jordana Cepelewicz
July 12, 2021
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The DNA of some viruses doesn’t use the same four nucleotide bases found in all other life. New work shows how this exception is possible and hints that it could be more common than we think.

neuroscience

Secret Workings of Smell Receptors Revealed for First Time

By Jordana Cepelewicz
June 21, 2021
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Researchers have finally seen how some smell receptors bind to odor molecules. The work yields new insights into one of the most mysterious and versatile senses.

Video of a swimming Paramecium bursaria, with its Chlorella endosymbionts.
molecular biology

RNA Brakes May Stabilize a Cellular Symbiosis

By Max Kozlov
June 2, 2021
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In some symbiotic partnerships, an RNA-based mechanism may sabotage the growth of greedy hosts.

An illustration representing the genomic mobility of transposons.
genomics

Scientists Catch Jumping Genes Rewiring Genomes

By Max Kozlov
May 12, 2021
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Transcription factors that act throughout the genome can arise from mashups of transposable elements inserted into established genes.

Illustration of DNA spooling around the histones in a classic nucleosome, with diverse animal life in the background.
molecular biology

DNA’s Histone Spools Hint at How Complex Cells Evolved

By Viviane Callier
May 10, 2021
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New work shows that histones, long treated as boring spools for DNA, sit at the center of the origin story of eukaryotes and continue to play important roles in evolution and disease.


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