The human genome, an intricate tapestry of genetic information for life, has proven to be a treasure trove of strange features. Among them are segments of DNA that can "jump around" and move within ...

Heterochromatin, sometimes known as the “dark side of the genome,” is a poorly studied fraction of DNA that makes up about half of our genetic material. For more than 50 years scientists have puzzled ...

Around 2015, Katherine Chiappinelli was investigating the mechanism behind a group of drugs approved to treat blood cancers—and showing promise against other cancers—when she made a puzzling discovery ...

Retrotransposons are pivotal in human genome evolution, driving structural variation and regulatory innovation while influencing health and disease.

Ancient viruses are embedded everywhere in the human genome. Estimates range, but it's thought that about eight percent of the human genome could be made up of these ancient retroviruses, which are ...

New research suggests that transposable elements—or so-called “jumping genes”—may help scientists identify tumor-targeting proteins. The study, published Monday (March 27) in Nature Genetics, suggests ...

Around 45 percent of human DNA is made up of transposable elements, or TEs—genetic leftovers from now-extinct viruses that scientists once believed to be “junk DNA.” But that view is changing, and a ...

New research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests that transposable elements in various cancers potentially may be used to harness novel immunotherapies against tumors ...

There are probably around 20,000 genes in the human genome that code for protein, and cells have to transcribe DNA sequences into RNA, which is then processed before it is translated into proteins by ...