Genome-editing is helping us understand hereditary cancers better

The International Agency for Research on Cancer’s estimates of the burden of 36 cancers in 185 count...

Rapa Nui genomes restore the real history of an old, troubled people

The volcanic island of Rapa Nui has long been shrouded in mystery. European sailors first arrived on...

Gene of thrones: genomes of rulers reveal how empires rose and fell

Empires of old are shrouded in mystery and are the subject of intense historical investigation. Give...

Scientists find bacteria living in microwave ovens

Microorganisms have mastered the art of surviving on the earth. They are found practically in all ni...

Zombies in our genes helped us evolve, and could help battle cancers

Viruses are ubiquitous entities that have long plagued humans, often presenting in pesky, self-limit...

Searching for LUCA, the first life-form from which all other life descended

The origin of life on the earth is one of the world’s most enduring mysteries. There are a number of...

How jumping genes and RNA bridges promise to shake up biomedicine

The year was 1948. It had only been about half a century since scientists had rediscovered Gregor Me...

Ancient genomes reveal the legacies of human sacrifice and mediaeval epidemics

People’s practice of burying human remains throughout modern history echoes diverse cultural, spirit...

The bacteria that write new genes to cope with infections

Amid the unprecedented challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, a once obscure enzyme found it...

X chromosome revival in older women ups autoimmune disease risk

In mammals, the females have two copies of the X chromosome while the males carry a single copy. The...

The ‘genomic accordion’ mpox viruses use to evolve, infect humans

Poxviruses have long been a cause of fear as well as curiosity for humankind. One particularly infam...