Revealing DNA behavior in record time

26-Aug-2024 - “DNA, RNA and proteins are the key players to regulate all processes in the cells of our body,” Leiden Professor John van Noort explains. “To understand the (mis-)functioning of these molecules, it is essential to uncover how their 3D structure depends on their sequence and for this it is ...

Music and Genomes: Beethoven’s Genes Put to the Test

What the Exceptional Composer’s DNA Tells Us About Genetics

28-Mar-2024 - To what extent are exceptional human achievements influenced by genetic factors? This question, dating back to the early days of human genetics, seems to be easier to address today as modern molecular methods make it possible to analyze DNA of individuals throughout history. But how reliable are ...

Researchers fully sequence the Y chromosome for the first time

30-Aug-2023 - What was once the final frontier of the human genome — the Y chromosome — has just been mapped out in its entirety. Led by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), a team of researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and many other organizations used ...

Detecting a vast diversity of rainforest animals by swabbing their DNA from leaves

Monitoring wildlife species present in specific areas is a critical first step to estimating the risk of transmission of infectious diseases to humans

23-Aug-2023 - In a new study, an international research team shows that the very cotton buds, which we all got to know so intimately during the COVID-19 pandemic, are a valuable tool to map biodiversity. This was the result of an international research team led by scientists at the Helmholtz Institute for One ...

Genome sequencing in record time: now it only takes days instead of years

Software assembles complete genome sequences on-demand

23-Feb-2023 - National Institutes of Health researchers have developed and released an innovative software tool to assemble truly complete (i.e., gapless) genome sequences from a variety of species. This software, called Verkko, which means “network” in Finnish, makes the process of assembling complete genome ...

Molecular archeology: 1200-year-old DNA sequences from Madagascar lead to the discovery of an extinct tortoise

Genetic analyses reveal the lost world of giant tortoises in the western Indian Ocean

13-Jan-2023 - An international research team led by Senckenberg scientist Uwe Fritz has succeeded in sequencing the genetic material of up to 1200-year-old tortoise finds from the western Indian Ocean. This led to the discovery of a tortoise species from Madagascar that went extinct in the Middle Ages and ...

Discovery of world’s oldest DNA breaks record by one million years

Two-million-year-old DNA has been identified for the first time - opening a ‘game-changing’ new chapter in the history of evolution

16-Dec-2022 - Microscopic fragments of environmental DNA were found in Ice Age sediment in northern Greenland. Using cutting-edge technology, researchers discovered the fragments are one million years older than the previous record for DNA sampled from a Siberian mammoth bone. The ancient DNA has been used to ...

New drug candidates identified in bacteria

Bacteria show great promise as a source of active ingredients

17-Feb-2022 - Using computer-​based genome analysis, researchers at ETH Zurich have now discovered a new class of natural products that might one day serve as antibiotics. Animals, plants, fungi and bacteria – each and every organism carries a whole armoury of chemical compounds that enable it to interact with ...

Piecing together the full picture of the genome

Revolutionary new DNA sequencing method enables unparalleled rapid, accurate, and efficient analysis while preserving the full picture of a genome

17-Jun-2021 - A team of international researchers from the Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the Max Planck Society developed a new DNA sequencing method that provides fast and efficient tracking of genetic information. Their new technique called haplotagging now enables scientists to quickly and precisely ...

What the new pangenome reveals about bovine genes

New genes and functionalities discovered

28-May-2021 - When researchers at ETH Zurich compared the reference genomes between several breeds of domestic cattle and closely related wild cattle, they discovered genes with previously unknown functions. Modern genetic research often works with what are known as reference genomes. Such a genome comprises ...