The new experimental assay can help scientists find the precise locations of repair of DNA damage caused by UV radiation and common chemotherapies. The invention could lead to better cancer drugs or improvements in the potency of existing ones.

The switchgrass exhibited mosaic symptoms—splotchy, discolored leaves—characteristic of a viral infection, yet tested negative for known infections. Deep sequencing, a new technology, revealed the plants were infected with a new virus in the genus mastrevirus, the first of its kind found in North America.

A new scientific advance could turn us all into universal blood donors.

Studying fruit fly larvae, Janelia scientists have mapped the entire neural circuit involved in combining vibration and pain sensations used in triggering an escape behavior.

Kyle Lampe, an assistant professor of chemical engineering in the University of Virginia’s School of Engineering and Applied Science, is growing cells in three-dimensional hydrogels, an environment closer than petri dishes to how cells grow on their own. He can control the hydrogel’s softness or stiffness, and by raising the cells in a three-dimensional solution, the cells react more closely to how they would in nature

Time to bust myth that anyone–including athletes–can outrun a bad diet

Lysosomes are the garbage disposals of animal cells. As the resources are limited in cells, organic materials are broken down and recycled a lot — and that’s what lysosomes do. Detecting problems with lysosomes is the focus of a new set of fluorescent probes developed by researchers at Michigan Technological University. The Royal Society of Chemistry published their work in January.

Cheese, though high in saturated fat, could help lower cholesterol and help explain the “French paradox.”

Salk scientists discover a single protein that energizes both muscles and the brain.

MicroRNA (miRNA) play an important role in controlling different processes that occur in cells through gene regulation. These small molecules are able to regulate many cellular processes by reducing target amounts in the cells. There are more than 1,900 locations in the human genome that are known to produce these miRNA molecules.

A pair of genetics researchers at Iowa State University found striking patterns in the building blocks of DNA in a wide variety of species, according to their recently published paper.

Two prominent researchers at UC Davis are under a microscope for their work in stem-cell biotechnology. The pair from University of California, Davis was awarded close to $4 million in funding to improve biotechnology intended for physicians studying stem cell treatments.