Mary Prendergast, Rice University For the first time, a Nobel Prize recognized the field of anthropology, the study of humanity. Svante Pääbo, a pioneer in the study of ancient DNA, or aDNA, was awarded the 2022 prize in physiology or medicine for his breathtaking achievements sequencing DNA extracted from ancientRead More →
William Ausich, The Ohio State University Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com. Would it really be possible to get the DNA of dinosaurs and then recreate them? – Lucie R., ageRead More →
The multiplication of genes located in extrachromosomal DNA that have the potential to cause cancer drives poor patient outcomes across many cancer types, according to a Nature Genetics study published Aug. 17, 2020 by a team of researchers including Professors Vineet Bafna and Dr.Paul Mischel of the University of California San DiegoRead More →
Scientists have identified the binding pocket for molecules that can stabilize a key braking mechanism in cancer — opening the door to the development of drugs that target it. A team of scientists led by the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center and Case Comprehensive Cancer Center has identified theRead More →
Chromosomal breaks are the most harmful damage for cells. If they are not repaired, they block the duplication and segregation of chromosomes, stop the growth cycle and cause cell death. These breaks appear frequently in tumour cells and are produced spontaneously during the replication of genetic material. To be ableRead More →
Mice born blind have shown significant improvement in vision after undergoing a new gene therapy developed by a team of Japanese scientists. The results were published on January 24th in Nature Communications. This new method is an alternative strategy of gene supplementation, which involves supplementing the defective gene, such asRead More →
In 1972, the geneticist Susumu Ohno formalized the term “junk DNA” to describe DNA that do not encode protein sequences or non-coding DNA. In 2000, scientists presented the Human Genome Project confirming that around 98% of the human genome had no apparent function. Therefore, only about 2 percent of DNARead More →
Darwin said that humans and monkeys have a common ancestor (around 5-10 million years ago), freaking out creationists by the fact that humans are apes. Therefore, humans sit on the same branch of the evolutionary tree as great ape species, such as chimpanzees, our closest living primate relative. By comparingRead More →
