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Genomics

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World’s Simplest Animal Reveals Hidden Diversity

September 12, 2018

The first animal genus defined purely by genetic characters represents a new era for the sorting and naming of animals.

Salamander’s Genome Guards Secrets of Limb Regrowth

July 2, 2018

With a fully sequenced genome in hand, scientists hope they are finally poised to learn how axolotls regenerate lost body parts.

Theory Suggests That All Genes Affect Every Complex Trait

June 20, 2018

The more closely geneticists look at complex traits and diseases, the harder it gets to find active genes that don’t play some part in them.

How Many Genes Do Cells Need? Maybe Almost All of Them

April 19, 2018

An ambitious study in yeast shows that the health of cells depends on the highly intertwined effects of many genes, few of which can be deleted together without consequence.

Q&A

A Statistical Search for Genomic Truths

February 27, 2018

The computer scientist Barbara Engelhardt develops machine-learning models and methods to scour human genomes for the elusive causes and mechanisms of disease.

How Cells Pack Tangled DNA Into Neat Chromosomes

February 22, 2018

For the first time, researchers see how proteins grab loops of DNA and bundle them for cell division. The discovery also hints at how the genome folds to regulate gene expression.

New Model Warns About CRISPR Gene Drives in the Wild

November 16, 2017

Two new papers urge caution in using powerful genome-editing technology against invasive species: Models show that aggressive gene drives can’t be contained in the wild.

A Zombie Gene Protects Elephants From Cancer

November 7, 2017

Elephants did not evolve to become huge animals until after they turned a bit of genetic junk into a unique defense against inevitable tumors.

Genetics Spills Secrets From Neanderthals’ Lost History

September 18, 2017

How many Neanderthals were there? Archaeology and genetics have given very different answers. A new study reconciles them and reveals the lost history of these ancient people — including an early brush with extinction.

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