Why We Get Cancer: Mutations Might Not Be Always the Cause
Researchers find that mutations are not the only drivers of tumor formation and that epigenetic alterations could be involved too.
genome
Mining DNA for Disease Prediction: The polygenic risk score
by Alex Yenkinfigures by Allie Elchert
Long before the completion of the Human Genome Project, scientists knew that many common diseases had a genetic component. However, there was debate about the architecture of these genetic effects: were there a…
Mutation Madness: How and why SARS-CoV-2 keeps changing
by Sophia Swartzfigures by Shreya Mantri
The first reports of a mysterious, pneumonia-like illness surfaced in early December 2019. Fast-forward to 2021, and the culprit—SARS-CoV-2, a virus a thousand times smaller than a speck of dust—has sickened…
Tuataras: The First Vertebrates Found to Have Two Mitochondrial Genomes
A New Zealand reptile carries an extra set of genes in its mitochondria that may help it adapt to cold temperatures.
Not Just Your Ordinary Lizard: The Unique Genome of the Tuatara
Dinosaurs rose and fell, but one foot-long scaly creature -- the tuatara -- persisted. Recently, the first tuatara genome was sequenced, unlocking insights into the evolution of other reptiles, birds, dinosaurs, and even our own mammalian lineage.
The Computer Science behind DNA Sequencing
by Alex Cabral
figures by Sean Wilson
In 2003, with the completion of the Human Genome Project, the entire human genome was sequenced for the first time. The sequencing cost nearly $1 billion and took 13 years to complete. Today, the human genome can be…