Unique mutations in the H5N1 strain enhance replication in human cells and cause severe disease in mice. The virus has spread from birds to mammals, including dairy cows, and infected humans, with one ...

Mutations that might help bird flu viruses cross to humans are present in many of the strains of the H5N1 virus currently causing mass outbreaks in wild birds – although more genetic changes would be ...

Researchers headed by a team at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) have created what they claim to be the largest atlas of post-zygotic mutations (PZMs) in healthy human tissue. They generated ...

Traditional biochemical methods of studying human gene mutations are often laborious and costly. Now bioengineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a new simple approach to ...

Helen Branswell covers issues broadly related to infectious diseases, including outbreaks, preparedness, research, and vaccine development. Follow her on Mastodon and Bluesky. You can reach Helen on ...

In 1992, Judith Frydman, PhD, discovered a molecular complex with an essential purpose in all of our cells: folding proteins correctly. The complex, a type of "protein chaperone" known as TRiC, helps ...

In a recent study published in Nature Biotechnology, researchers explored the causes of cancer by mapping somatic mutation rates across the human genome. Study: Genome-wide mapping of somatic mutation ...

As language models learn to interpret words in a sentence, protein language models learn how amino acids work together within a protein. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest sci-tech news ...

Over a decade, scientists compared the genomes of 240 mammals to see how humans are the same — and different. By Carl Zimmer It has been 20 years since scientists put together the first rough draft of ...

Tiny genetic alterations could help the bird flu virus enter cells in the upper respiratory tract, the C.D.C. said. But there is no sign that mutations are widespread in nature. By Benjamin Mueller ...