Mitochondrial DNA has long been treated as a workhorse record of cellular history, but new research suggests it also hides a subtle and previously overlooked form of damage. By uncovering this cryptic ...

Recent research has shed light on the complex processes that cells use to maintain the quality of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) for inheritance across generations. These processes are particularly ...

Bowhead whales, living over two centuries, defy cancer risks due to exceptional DNA repair, not more tumor suppressors. Researchers found their cells efficiently fix damage, preventing mutations. This ...

One of the biggest challenges in cancer treatment is chemoresistance: Tumors that initially respond well to chemotherapy become resistant over time. When that happens, treatment options are often ...

Naked mole-rats are one of nature's most extraordinary creatures. These burrowing rodents can live for up to 37 years, around ten times longer than relatives of a similar size. But what is the secret ...

Using comparative molecular biology with human cGAS – which actually inhibits DNA repair – the scientists found that the naked mole-rat's enzyme has four key changes that facilitate the important work ...

Naked mole-rats are well known for both their wrinkly appearance and for their unexpectedly long lives. The source of this extended lifespan has been under scrutiny for decades. While many rodents are ...

A clump of proteins seems to be in charge of the level of DNA repair that takes place in our bodies, determining how fast mutations accumulate in our cells over a lifetime – and might thus affect our ...

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 ...

Not all DNA looks like the familiar double helix. Sometimes, parts of our genetic code fold into unusual shapes under certain conditions. One such structure known as a G-quadruplex (G4) looks like a ...