The findings will likely help elucidate the effects of chromosome fusions, which can cause disease but have also contributed to evolution.

DNA passed to and from all kinds of organisms, even across kingdoms, has helped shape the tree of life, to a large and undisputed degree in microbes and also unexpectedly in multicellular fungi, plants, and animals.

Though scientists don’t yet know much about it, a newly described process called erebosis might have profound implications for how the gut maintains itself.

Research finds that a dog’s behavior has little to do with its genes.

The discovery could add weight to the hypothesis that the building blocks of life on Earth originally came from space, but some scientists note the possibility of contamination.

Studies have found that organisms can inherit mitochondria from male parents in rare instances, and both theoretical and experimental work hint that this biparental inheritance is more than just a fluke.

A study reveals a connection between the loss of enzymes responsible for removing methyl groups from DNA, nucleic acid knots, and cancer development in mice.

Detailed analyses of cohesin’s movements indicate how this protein complex hauls chromatin fibers to package DNA into loops.

The hinge region of cohesin pulls DNA to two head regions, like a person’s hand-to-hand motion of pulling on a rope.

Scientists find human DNA preserved in lice cement from the heads of South American mummies.

Genes lacking a particular structure known as CpG islands tend to go haywire in older cells, a study finds, potentially contributing to key facets of aging. But it’s not yet clear if the relationship is causal.

Seeman is best known for establishing the field of DNA nanotechnology.

Buildup of a DNA-repair protein in brain cells spurs shut-eye in the fish, a study finds, and similar results in mice suggest the mechanism is widespread in animals.