Researchers led by electrical engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a better way to perform the comparative analysis of entire genomes. This approach can be used to study relationships between different species across geological time scales. This new approach is poised to unlock discoveries regarding how evolution has shaped present-day genomes and also how the tree of life is organized. The new method, named CASTER, is described in a paper published in Science on 23 January 2025. 

Treating hair loss may be as simple as developing therapies to flip a molecular “switch,” according to a new study by researchers from Penn State; the University of California, Irvine; and National Taiwan University.

Cornell University and NVIDIA researchers team up to build better appearance models for biological iridescence using bird feathers.

In a joint experimental-theoretical work, a team of researchers, including theorists from UC San Diego, have shown for the first time that heat transfer in the form of infrared radiation can influence chemical reactions more strongly than traditional convection and conduction methods.

Researchers at Tufts University revealed a possible molecular mechanism explaining how the DNA repeats are broken and then expanded in the Huntington’s disease gene, pointing to a component of the immune system that is targeted to fighting viruses, but may be interfering with DNA repair in the brain

Engineering and medical researchers at Penn have developed a groundbreaking framework that can determine the best and most computationally optimized distribution strategy for COVID-19 vaccinations in any given community. Published in PLOS One, this study addresses one of the most critical challenges in pandemic response — how to prioritize vaccination efforts in communities with individuals of different risk levels when supplies are scarce and the stakes are high.

Scientists led by a Macquarie University team have completed construction of the final chromosome in the worlds’ first synthetic yeast genome following more than a decade of work, opening new possibilities for creating resilient, engineered organisms.