A closer look at cancer cells with extra chromosomes uncovered surprising traits linked to faster-growing, more dangerous tumors, pointing to potential new indicators of disease severity. Cancer cells are notorious for breaking the rules of biology. One of the most dramatic violations occurs when a cell suddenly doubles its entire genetic library, creating a chromosome-packed [...]
New findings suggest cell size could sharpen cancer prognosis.
New chromosome-level evidence suggests Medicago evolution followed a more complex, and surprising path, than previously thought. A long-standing puzzle in plant evolution is starting to come together. Scientists have used a powerful imaging technique to trace how chromosome numbers changed in Medicago, a group that includes alfalfa, one of the world’s most important forage crops. [...]
Loss of the Y chromosome in aging men is widespread and increasingly linked to serious diseases, challenging assumptions that the Y has little biological importance beyond sex determination. As men age, some of their cells gradually lose the Y chromosome. For a long time, researchers assumed this change had little medical importance because the Y [...]
Most people alive today carry fragments of Neanderthal DNA in their genome. Now scientists are gaining a more intimate understanding of the ancient encounters that put it there.
The Y chromosome doesn’t seem to do much except determine sex – but its loss in older men might be linked to heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer’s.
Even as cells split, the genome quietly holds on to its structure and its memory. Before a cell can split into two, it must first copy all of its chromosomes so that each daughter cell receives a complete set of genetic instructions. For a long time, scientists believed that during this process, the genome temporarily [...]