Where simulation and theory converge
For decades, scientists have believed that DNA of short lengths (150 base pairs or fewer) behaves as a relatively stiff rod—able to quiver a bit, but rarely forming a circle or tight angle...
Apr, 01, 2007
Researcher coaxes long strands of DNA into predetermined geometric shapes
Designing nanostructures of DNA just got easier. Paul Rothemund, PhD, a senior research fellow at Caltech has found a way to coax a long strand of DNA into a predetermined geometric shape by mixing...
Jul, 01, 2006
Simplified model catches essential details of how DNA complements find their matches
Until now, scientists have known little about how complementary single strands of DNA court one another before binding to form the classical double helix. But now, molecular dynamics simulations have...
Jan, 01, 2010
Six startups jockey for a place at the table. Who will succeed?
A handful of startups are wagering that genome interpretation is the next big thing.
Why is this business space so hot? “Once you can produce a better faster genome, thanks...
Jun, 20, 2013
How can they help us understand proteins?
Graphs, or networks, have been widely adopted in computational biology, with examples including protein-protein interaction networks, gene regulatory networks, and residue interaction networks in...
Jun, 20, 2013
Gene therapy to correct inherited illnesses hinges on successful delivery of DNA into a person’s cells. Most gene therapists work with viruses to ferry their DNA cargo. Yet the body tends to...
Oct, 01, 2009
Bioinformatics and computational biology have told us a lot about biology—primarily that we know so little. Advances have led to many more unanswered questions, suggesting we know less and less...
Oct, 01, 2007
Despite their identical genomes, cells in the body develop distinct personalities—become neurons or liver cells, for instance—due to differences in gene expression. The mechanism that...
Apr, 01, 2009
There is growing recognition that epigenetics may be just as important as genetics in human health and disease.
In the early 19th century, Jean-Baptiste Lamarck explained evolution as the inheritance of acquired traits; he believed that changes due to behaviors and exposures in one generation could be passed...
Jun, 01, 2010
The complexity and variability of aging itself, along with the fragmented nature of researchers’ current understanding of aging, call for tools that can help scientists dig through mounds of data to find often subtle connections.
Jeanne Louise Calment of Arles, France rode a bicycle until she was 100 years old. When she gave up smoking at age 117, her doctor suspected it was out of pride. (She couldn’t see well enough...
Apr, 01, 2008
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