Embryonic stem (ES) cells are pluripotent stem cells that can produce all cell types of an organism. ES cells proliferate rapidly and have been thought to experience high levels of intrinsic ...

Humans and baker's yeast have more in common than meets the eye, including an important mechanism that helps ensure DNA is copied correctly, reports a pair of studies published in the journals Science ...

The DNA packed inside every human cell contains instructions for life, written in billions of letters of genetic code. Every time a cell divides, the complete code, divided among 46 chromosomes, must ...

Homologous recombination is a DNA repair mechanism that counteracts double-stranded breaks in DNA. Researchers at Kindai University have recently revealed how the Sae2 protein coordinates with the ...

MSK researchers are shedding new light on G-quadruplexes, a type of secondary DNA structure that can cause DNA replication to stall. The structures are a potential therapeutic target in cancer. Image ...

Scientists have captured the first detailed 'molecular movie' showing DNA being unzipped at the atomic level -- revealing how cells begin the crucial process of copying their genetic material.

If the engines of DNA replication stay in high gear all the time, they eventually stall or even break down. Fortunately, these engines, which consist of protein complexes, have what could be called ...

Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have identified key factors in the mechanism behind DNA repair in our bodies. For the first time, they showed that the "proofreading" portion of the DNA ...

For James Watson, DNA was everything — not just his life's work, but the secret of life itself. Over his long and storied career, Watson arguably did more than any other scientist to transform a ...

His decoding of the blueprint for life with Francis H.C. Crick made him one of the most important scientists of the 20th century. He wrote a celebrated memoir and later ignited an uproar with racist ...