Geneticists have sought to understand the impact of genetic mutations, and what drives and maintains changes in DNA. Researchers have now reconstructed the evolution of a set of genes, and the ...

The DNA mutations that drive evolution are generally thought to be fairly random, but a new study suggests there’s some order to the chaos. Comparing the genomes of hundreds of plants grown in a lab, ...

The RAS family commonly drives the growth and survival of human cancers. Mutations in KRAS, NRAS, and HRAS occur in approximately 20% of all human cancers, including solid tumors, such as pancreatic, ...

This produces point mutations in the DNA, which are mostly harmless but can sometimes lead to genetic disorders. In the new study, the Surrey researchers discovered that some of these modifications ...

A hallmark of Parkinson's disease is the buildup of Lewy bodies—misfolded clumps of the protein known as alpha-synuclein. Long before Lewy bodies form, alpha-synuclein can interfere with neurons' ...

Although previously thought to be neutral, research in yeast suggests that synonymous point mutations may have strongly nonneutral effects. A group of researchers from the University of Michigan (MI, ...

A Scottish woman in her 70s has lived a life without pain and fear. New research pinpoints unique mutations in her DNA. Reading time 3 minutes Scientists are starting to crack the mystery behind one ...

Our DNA is compacted and arranged into chromosomes, most of which are shaped like X’s. The ends of the chromosomes' arms are protected with caps known as telomeres. Telomeres are made up of highly ...

A graph-based computational tool for detecting previously invisible genetic mutations has been developed. Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA; USA) and the University of ...

Cancer cells carry thousands of mutations, but not all mutations are created equal. Some make tumors highly visible to the ...

Banana and plantain are among the world's major food crops, and considered as the poor man's fruit crop in tropical and subtropical countries. The world's total banana and plantain production ranks ...