Extreme stress in childhood is toxic to your DNA

TheConversation: The real danger of separating children from parents is not the psychological stress – it’s the biological time bomb. The screaming and crying, the anguish and desolation is gut-wrenching. But the fallout pales in comparison to the less visible long-term effects that are more sinister and dangerous. Separating children from their parents, in a strange land, among strangers, causes the most extreme life stress a child can experience. And it causes profound and irreversible changes in how their DNA is packaged and which genes are turned on and off in the cells of the body, in organs like the pancreas, the lungs, heart and brain – leading to lifelong changes in its structure and function.

The National Institutes of Health plans to expand its Encyclopedia of DNA Elements

NIH: The National Institutes of Health (NIH) plans to expand its Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) Project, which is generating a fundamental genomics resource used by many scientists to study human health and disease. Funded by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of NIH, the ENCODE Project strives to catalog all the genes and regulatory elements - the parts of the genome that control whether genes are active or not - in humans and select model organisms. With four years of additional support, NHGRI builds on a long-standing commitment to developing freely available genomics resources for use by the scientific community.

The Mysterious 98%: Scientists Look to Shine Light on Our Dark Genome

UCSF: After the 2003 completion of the Human Genome Project – which sequenced all 3 billion “letters,” or base pairs, in the human genome – many thought that our DNA would become an open book. But a perplexing problem quickly emerged: although scientists could transcribe the book, they could only interpret a small percentage of it. The mysterious majority – as much as 98 percent – of our DNA do not code for proteins. Much of this “dark matter genome” is thought to be nonfunctional evolutionary leftovers that are just along for the ride. However, hidden among this noncoding DNA are many crucial regulatory elements that control the activity of thousands of genes. What is more, these elements play a major role in diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and autism, and they could hold the key to possible cures.

Super-resolution system reveals mechanics of tiny ‘DNA walker’

Purdue: Researchers have introduced a new type of “super-resolution” microscopy and used it to discover the precise walking mechanism behind tiny structures made of DNA that could find biomedical and industrial applications. The researchers also demonstrated how the “DNA walker” is able to release an anticancer drug, representing a potential new biomedical technology, said Jong Hyun Choi, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Purdue University.

Cancer Cells Hijack DNA Repair Networks to Stay Alive

Pittsburgh: Research by scientists at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) has revealed how cancer cells hijack DNA repair pathways to prevent telomeres, the endcaps of chromosomes, from shortening, thus allowing the tumor to spread. The findings are published today in the journal Cell Reports. The moment a cell is formed, a countdown clock starts ticking that determines how long the cell can live. The clock is the telomere, a series of repeating DNA letters at the ends of each chromosome in the cell.

How much DNA is there on Earth?

Scimex: In a UK study that would put Sesame Street's Count to shame, researchers have attempted to measure the total sum of DNA on Earth. The authors found the final number to be in the 50 trillion trillion trillions (5 followed by 37 zeros), and say that the study can now lead to new research opportunities about life on Earth. The first study to count the sum total of all DNA everywhere on Earth – in the cells of plants, animals and tiny organisms such as bacteria – estimates that it weighs about 50 billion tonnes; enough to fill one billion shipping containers. This is equivalent to 50 trillion trillion trillion (5 followed by 37 zeros) of the fundamental chemical "letters" – known as base pairs – that allow DNA to encode genetic information.

DNA nanotechnology: new adventures for an old warhorse

Curr Opin Chem Biol: As the blueprint of life, the natural exploits of DNA are admirable. However, DNA should not only be viewed within a biological context. It is an elegantly simple yet functionally complex chemical polymer with properties that make it an ideal platform for engineering new nanotechnologies. Rapidly advancing synthesis and sequencing technologies are enabling novel unnatural applications for DNA beyond the realm of genetics. Here we explore the chemical biology of DNA nanotechnology for emerging applications in communication and digital data storage. Early studies of DNA as an alternative to magnetic and optical storage mediums have not only been promising, but have demonstrated the potential of DNA to revolutionize the way we interact with digital data in the future.

Palm-sized portable DNA nano sequencer to detect pathogens

Scimex: In the first analysis of its kind, US researchers were able to use a palm-sized DNA sequencing device to accurately identify a range of closely-related bacteria and viruses within six hours, demonstrating the potential for this technology to be used during outbreaks. The low-cost sequencing device is powered and operated via a USB connection plugged into a laptop, meaning it could potentially be used for on-site clinical analyses in remote locations, negating the need for samples to be sent off to laboratories.

Evolving a Bigger Brain With Human DNA

Duke University. US: The size of the human brain expanded dramatically during the course of evolution, imparting us with unique capabilities to use abstract language and do complex math. But how did the human brain get larger than that of our closest living relative, the chimpanzee, if almost all of our genes are the same?

Could DNA editing lead to designer babies?

NHS. UK: "Rapid progress in genetics is making 'designer babies' more likely and society needs to be prepared," BBC News reports. The headline is prompted by advances in “DNA editing”, which may eventually lead to genetically modified babies (though that is a very big “may”).