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Plasmid, Virus or Other? DNA ‘Borgs’ Blur Boundaries.

July 21, 2021

Scientists have reported large DNA structures in some archaea that defy easy categorization.

DNA Has Four Bases. Some Viruses Swap in a Fifth.

July 12, 2021

The DNA of some viruses doesn’t use the same four nucleotide bases found in all other life. New work shows how this exception is possible and hints that it could be more common than we think.

Neurons Unexpectedly Encode Information in the Timing of Their Firing

July 7, 2021

A temporal pattern of activity observed in human brains may explain how we can learn so quickly.

‘Social’ Mitochondria, Whispering Between Cells, Influence Health

July 6, 2021

Mitochondria appear to communicate and cooperate with one another, both within and between cells. Biologists are only just beginning to understand how and why.

How ‘Long COVID’ Keeps Us Sick

July 1, 2021

Other diseases with long-term symptoms can help us understand how COVID can affect us long after the virus itself is gone.

A Lack of COVID-19 Genomes Could Prolong the Pandemic

June 28, 2021

Genomic surveillance of the SARS-CoV-2 virus can help control the current pandemic and prevent future ones. But the process is marred by insufficient data and geographic inequities.

Secret Workings of Smell Receptors Revealed for First Time

June 21, 2021

Researchers have finally seen how some smell receptors bind to odor molecules. The work yields new insights into one of the most mysterious and versatile senses.

How Animals Color Themselves With Nanoscale Structures

June 16, 2021

Animals sculpt the optical properties of their tissues at the nanoscale to give themselves “structural colors.” New work is piecing together how they do it.

DNA Jumps Between Animal Species. No One Knows How Often.

June 9, 2021

The discovery of a gene shared by two unrelated species of fish is the latest evidence that horizontal gene transfers occur surprisingly often in vertebrates.

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