One of the challenges of working with ancient DNA samples is that damage accumulates over time, breaking up the structure of the double helix into ever smaller fragments. In the samples we've worked ...

For successful cell division, chromosomal DNA needs to be packed into compact rod-shaped structures. Defects in this process can lead to cell death or diseases like cancer. A new study has shown how ...

As the cell proceeds through the stages of cell division (from left to right: interphase, prometaphase, metaphase, and anaphase), chromosomes become progressively more compact through a combination of ...

Sophisticated techniques offer insights into the unusual features of the inactive X chromosome in female mammalian cells RIKEN cell biologists have provided an unprecedented glimpse into the ...

Some chromosomes, such as B chromosomes, can increase their inheritance rate to their own advantage. These extra chromosomes are found in many plants, animals, and fungi and rely upon various ...

Agrobacterium tumefaciens magnified 15,000 times in an image captured earlier this year with a scanning electron microscope at Iowa State University's Roy J. Carver High Resolution Microscopy Facility ...

Among the many marvels of life is the cell's ability to divide and thus enable organisms to grow and renew themselves. For this, the cell must duplicate its DNA – its genome – and segregate it equally ...

Chromosomal rearrangements, such as chromosome segment inversions, may affect the epigenetic landscape as well as gene expression. Different kinds of chromosome segment inversions have been found in ...