DNA
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Nanotechnology
Diversifying DNA origami: Generative design tools rely on grammatical rules to find optimal shapes
(A) The grammar rules in this work include triangulation of surface meshes. The distance d and rotation angle θ are user-defined values. (B) Grammar rules are randomly sampled and applied to evolve the design solution sn during the generation process. Credit: Nucleic Acids Research (2024). DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkae1268 As the name suggests, DNA origami is a fabrication technique in which researchers…
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Other Sciences
Ancient DNA sheds light on hidden European migrations of the first millennium AD
The paper identifies three waves of migration across Europe. Credit: Leo Speidel, Francis Crick Institute A study led by the Francis Crick Institute, using a more precise method of analyzing ancestry using ancient DNA, has revealed that there was a wave of human migration across Europe in the first millennium AD. Researchers can piece together how people moved around the…
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Biology
Foreign DNA ‘slips’ through bacterial defenses, promoting antibiotic resistance
Credit: Nature (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07994-w A new study from Tel Aviv University has revealed how bacterial defense mechanisms are disabled, allowing efficient transfer of genetic material between bacteria. Researchers believe this discovery could pave the way for the development of tools to address the antibiotic resistance crisis and facilitate more effective genetic engineering methods for medical, industrial and environmental purposes.…
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Biology
A new twist: Molecular machines that loop chromosomes also twist DNA
A drawing of the double helix structure of DNA. The four coding units (A, T, C, G) are color-coded pink, orange, purple, and yellow. Credit: NHGRI Scientists at Delft University of Technology’s Kavli Institute and IMP Vienna Biocenter have discovered new properties of the molecular motors that shape our chromosomes. Six years ago, they discovered that these so-called SMC motor…
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Biology
Study reveals unknown role of RNA in DNA damage repair
Francesca Storici and her research team have discovered the surprising role of RNA in DNA repair, an insight that could lead to better treatments for cancer and other diseases. Credit: Chris McKechnie A multi-institutional team of researchers led by Georgia Tech’s Francesca Storrisi has discovered a previously unknown role for RNA. Their insights could transform our understanding of genetic health…
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Science
New DNA evidence rewrites long-told stories about the people of ancient Pompeii
This image provided by the Pompeii Archaeological Park shows mint number 25, made in 1929 from the Villa dei Mysteri in Pompeii. Credit: Provided by MIC, Pompeii Archaeological Park via AP When a volcanic eruption buried the ancient city of Pompeii, the last desperate moments of its inhabitants were preserved in stone for centuries. Observers see stories such as a…
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Science
Artificial receptor made from coronavirus DNA opens new avenues for research
Effects of binding epitopes on receptor function. Credit: Nature (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-08121-5 A team of microbiologists and virologists from Wuhan University, in collaboration with colleagues from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the University of Washington, and Humabs BioMed SA, have discovered that coronavirus DNA can be used to create receptors that can be attached to cell membranes. . Human or…
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Chemistry
Chemists develop chiral DNA catalyst for asymmetric catalysis
Schematic diagram illustrating the development of new strategies for synthesizing diverse DNA catalysts, making DNA catalysis accessible to those without specialized skills. Credit: Journal of the American Chemical Society Chemists at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have developed a method to create a variety of chiral deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) catalysts by fusing DNA repair and biorthogonal chemistry, providing a…
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Chemistry
Chemists discover new way to organize DNA in single-celled organisms
Conventional histone proteins form nucleosomes. Credit: Nature Communications (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-52337-y It has only recently been discovered that single-celled organisms (bacteria and archaea) also have histones – proteins that make up DNA. Now, PhD student Samuel Schwab from Leiden University has found that histones in these organisms are much more diverse than previously thought. Schwab and his colleagues describe more…
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Science
Researchers sequence oldest human DNA ever from South Africa
DNA double helix. Credit: Public Domain Researchers have reconstructed the genomes of two humans found in South Africa that lived about 10,000 years ago, providing a better understanding of the conditions in which people in the region lived, the study authors announced Sunday. Victoria Gibbon, professor of biological anthropology at the University of Cape Town (UCT), said the genetic sequence…
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