DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the hereditary material found in nearly all living organisms. It carries the genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth, and reproduction of all ...

A map of DNA with the double helix colored blue, the landmarks in green, and the start points for copying the molecule in red. David Gilbert/Kyle Klein, CC BY-ND David Gilbert / Kyle Klein, CC BY-ND ...

In our bodies, there are trillions of cells. From white blood cells to skin cells, each type has its own specific function which helps us perform tasks and survive. But what makes up these cells and ...

Scientists at Purdue University and the University of Minnesota have solved the three-dimensional structure of the central component of a biological "motor" that powers the DNA packaging system in a ...

In the middle of the 20th century, accumulating data suggested that DNA carries life’s genetic information. Biochemists around the world raced to determine its structure. The competition led to some ...

Sixty years after the discovery of DNA's spiraling, ladderlike structure first hinted at the mechanism by which life copies itself, one of the Nobel Prize medals honoring this achievement is up for ...

DNA is often likened to a blueprint. The particular sequence of As, Cs, Gs, and Ts in DNA provides information for building an organism. What’s not captured by this analogy is the fact that our DNA ...

Franklin was no victim in how the DNA double helix was solved. An overlooked letter and an unpublished news article, both written in 1953, reveal that she was an equal player. Lore has it that the ...

The first crystal structure of an alternative DNA shape from the insulin gene has been revealed by a UCL-led research team. DNA is widely accepted to be formed of two strands that wind around one ...

A new study published in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology reveals how the fundamental enzyme called DNA polymerase delta operates during DNA replication, making a copy of the genetic code that ...

A piece that aired on NPR this week about the discovery of DNA's structure neglected to mention the significant contribution of Rosalind Franklin to that scientific milestone. And now some important ...