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 ...

Plasmids, small circular DNA molecules found in bacteria, may contain antibiotic-resistance genes and have the ability to replicate independently. Bacteria can transfer these plasmids to one another, ...

The human genome has to be carefully organized so it will fit inside of the nuclei of cells, while also remaining accessible to the cellular machinery that works to express the right genes at the ...

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DNA's iconic double helix does more than "just" store genetic information. Under certain conditions it can temporarily fold into unusual shapes.

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 ...