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A skull is seen on the forest floor; above it, magnified and in circles, are a blow fly, bacteria, and a carrion beetle.
Science Experiments from the Afterlife
Forensic anthropologists, microbiologists, and entomologists study donated cadavers to determine how human bodies decompose.
Science Experiments from the Afterlife
Science Experiments from the Afterlife

Forensic anthropologists, microbiologists, and entomologists study donated cadavers to determine how human bodies decompose.

Forensic anthropologists, microbiologists, and entomologists study donated cadavers to determine how human bodies decompose.

mitochondrial DNA

Infographic showing the multifaceted role of mitochondria
Infographic: Mitochondria, the Cellular Processors
Danielle Gerhard, PhD | Dec 4, 2023 | 1 min read
Following decades of being called “the powerhouse of the cell,” researchers recently proposed a new description that reflects the multifaceted roles of mitochondria.
Genomic data. Dna test infographic, molecule structure genetic sequencing chart and chromosome architecture genealogy diagram, vector concept stock illustration
Unearthing Hidden Family Secrets: Tracing the Lineage of a Centuries-Old Grand-Mummy
Iris Kulbatski, PhD | Dec 13, 2022 | 3 min read
Researchers show how a toxic therapy helped identify a mummy using preserved DNA.
illustration of DNA strands
Mitochondrial DNA Sneaks into Nuclear Genome
Holly Barker, PhD | Oct 17, 2022 | 3 min read
Genetic material pilfered from mitochondria may seal cracks in our genetic code, a study suggests.
illustration of purple mitochondrion within a cell
Rogue Mitochondria Turn Hermaphroditic Snails Female: Study
Patience Asanga | May 19, 2022 | 3 min read
The accidental finding marks the first time a phenomenon called cytoplasmic sterility, known to occur in plants, has been found in animals.
illustration of a mitochondrian inside a cell
Could Dad’s Mitochondrial DNA Benefit Hybrids?
Alejandra Manjarrez, PhD | Jan 20, 2022 | 7 min read
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.
shrew
Researchers Identify 14 New Shrew Species 
Chloe Tenn | Jan 5, 2022 | 2 min read
The discovery, made on the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia, constitutes an exceptionally high number of new mammals to be described in a single paper.
mummy
Scratchy Scalps Help Glue Together Pieces of an Ancient Past
Chloe Tenn | Dec 29, 2021 | 3 min read
Scientists find human DNA preserved in lice cement from the heads of South American mummies.
Bryan Sykes, Ancestral Genetics Expert, Dies at 73
Lisa Winter | Jan 12, 2021 | 3 min read
Sykes sequenced famous ancient remains, such as Ötzi and Cheddar Man, and was one of the first researchers to use mitochondrial DNA to trace genetic lineages.
CRISPR, TALENs, ZFNs, gene editing, base editing, mitochondria, DNA, mtDNA
New Gene Editing Tool Corrects Mutations in Mitochondrial DNA
Amanda Heidt | Jul 9, 2020 | 3 min read
An enzyme pulled from toxic bacteria can enter the organelle and perform single-nucleotide DNA swaps.
Infographic: A Gene Editor for Plant Mitochondrial DNA
Ruth Williams | Mar 1, 2020 | 1 min read
New TALEN-based tools enable the organelle’s genome to be targeted and modified.
Gene Editing Reaches Plant Mitochondria
Ruth Williams | Mar 1, 2020 | 3 min read
Modified gene editing machinery enables targeted disruptions of mitochondrial genes in rice and rapeseed plants.
Infographic: How the Mitochondrial and Nuclear Genomes Interact
Viviane Callier | Nov 1, 2019 | 3 min read
From regulating each other’s gene expression to encoding different parts of the same proteins, the two genome types in every eukaryotic cell are far from independent.
The Two Genomes in Every Eukaryotic Cell
Viviane Callier | Nov 1, 2019 | 10+ min read
Interactions between mitochondrial and nuclear genomes have further-reaching effects on physiological function, adaptation, and speciation than previously appreciated.
The First Modern Humans Came from What Is Now Botswana: Study
Kerry Grens | Oct 28, 2019 | 2 min read
Mitochondrial DNA and other factors place our ancestors in southern Africa 200,000 years ago.
Opinion: The Central Dogma of Mitochondrial Genetics Needs Rewriting
John D. Loike | Dec 12, 2018 | 3 min read
The recent discovery of 17 people who have inherited maternal and paternal lines of mitochondrial DNA has major ramifications for medical and ancestry research.
Fathers Can Pass Mitochondrial DNA to Children
Anna Azvolinsky | Dec 4, 2018 | 4 min read
Researchers identify unique cases in which people inherited mitochondrial DNA not just from their mother but also from their father.
Gene Editing Treats Mitochondrial Disorders in Mice
Catherine Offord | Sep 25, 2018 | 2 min read
Researchers used TALENs and zinc finger nucleases to correct disease-causing mutations.
Circulating Mitochondrial DNA Alerts Immune System to Danger
Katarina Zimmer | Mar 1, 2018 | 2 min read
In response to short DNA fragments, lymphocytes release mitochondrial DNA that helps trigger an immune response.
Enzyme Required for Mitochondrial Genome Destruction
Abby Olena, PhD | Mar 22, 2017 | 3 min read
Mitochondrial DNA polymerase is necessary for the destruction of paternal mtDNA in fruit fly sperm, scientists show.
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