
refget v2.0 links the hidden dictionaries of DNA
Technology and innovation The GA4GH standard refget quietly helps decipher millions of genomes sequenced worldwide, and it just got better.
2023
technology-and-innovation
Technology and innovation The GA4GH standard refget quietly helps decipher millions of genomes sequenced worldwide, and it just got better.
2023
technology-and-innovation
Lab Matters EMBL Rome group leader Jamie Hackett receives EUR 2 million for the ModLogic project, aimed at understanding how chromatin modifications impact gene activity.
2023
lab-matters
Science EMBL researchers now understand the function of an elusive small DNA in bacteria and have developed a tool that can be used to better understand what might ‘switch on’ bacterial immune defences.
2022
science
Science Researchers have discovered the mechanism by which a family of DNA motor proteins packages loosely arranged strands of DNA into compact individual chromosomes during cell division.
2022
science
Lab Matters, Perspectives Ewan Birney discusses the input of both genetics and our environment in making us who we are
2022
lab-mattersperspectives
Science Genomes are made up of thousands of individual pieces – genes – which are expressed at different levels. Researchers at EMBL have shed light on how the placement of a gene affects its expression, as well as that of its neighbours.
2022
science
Alumni EMBL alum Lara Urban has developed mobile DNA approaches to monitor impacts upon biodiversity in remote areas of New Zealand and elsewhere.
2021
alumni
Picture of the week This colourful image shows biological information flow in action: It’s a supramolecular assembly of DNA, RNA and proteins, observed directly inside a bacterial cell while turning genetic information into protein.
2021
picture-of-the-week
Lab Matters One of EMBL’s newest group leaders, Olivier Duss, will explore how RNA folds into functional structures and how it works with proteins to control a diverse range of activities in the cell.
2021
lab-matters
Science EMBL scientists and collaborators help reveal the process by which enormous quantities of DNA are folded into cells.
2020
science
Picture of the week Bacterial cells are embedded in microfluidic droplets in oil. The fluorescence indicates the presence of the targeted DNA strain with the help of a characteristic DNA sequence.
2020
picture-of-the-week
Science A study conducted by the Hackett group at EMBL Rome has identified key factors controlling the complex system of gene regulation during early embryo development, shedding new light on the mechanisms behind these events and on their evolutionary implications. Their findings are published in Nature…
2020
science
Science Today we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the first draft of the entire human genome.
2020
science
Science DNA damage caused by chemical mutagens is not repaired immediately and can create more genetic diversity in tumours.
2020
science
Science Scientists at EMBL Rome unveil the mechanism behind the most studied epigenetic modification.
2020
science
Science Researchers from EMBL Grenoble have developed a way to visualise large RNAs in 3D using biochemical and structural biology techniques.
2020
science
Science DNA mutations are caused by a combination of DNA damage and repair, shows study by EMBL-EBI and collaborators.
2020
science
Science EMBL researchers investigate the role of a histone protein in regulating gene expression
2020
science
Science EMBL co-leads most comprehensive study of genetic causes of cancer
2020
science
Science Analysis of whole cancer genomes gives key insights into the role of the non-coding genome in cancer
2020
science
Picture of the week DNA is present in each cell of our body. If all the DNA from one human cell was removed and aligned in a single strand, it would in theory add up to a total length of about two metres. In order to fit into the nucleus of a cell, DNA has to be compressed by […]
2019
picture-of-the-week
Picture of the week All mammalian life starts with the fusion of egg and sperm, resulting in the creation of a single cell called a zygote. This develops into an embryo through a series of cell divisions, in which the number of cells doubles at each step. Todays’ Picture of the Week was taken by Manuel Eguren of the…
2019
picture-of-the-week
Science The mystery of how condensin maintains the integrity of the genome during cell division.
2019
science
Lab Matters The team at ELLS use Lego to teach children the fundamentals of DNA.
2019
lab-matters
Events Professor Tim Lewens challenges the human genome’s unique place in bioethics
2019
events
Picture of the week EMBL is a world-leading organisation for life science research. Its scientists work in diverse research fields spanning the whole of molecular biology. While the molecules the researchers are working on are often microscopic and impossible to see with the naked eye, one research topic clearly…
2019
picture-of-the-week
Science Scientists develop technology to measure how ATP concentration affects protein solubility in cells
2019
science
Science New search engine allows researchers to identify antibiotic resistance genes or mutations in real time
2019
science
Lab Matters EMBL’s GeneCore steps up to discover the facts and settle disputes
2018
lab-matters
Science EMBL scientists gain mechanistic insights into how cellular signalling controls gene regulation
2018
science
Science EMBL scientists discover how a component of the cohesin ring binds DNA
2018
science
Science EMBL researchers develop method that simplifies the isolation of DNA- and RNA- protein complexes
2018
science
Science EMBL group leader Jan Korbel reflects on his scientific origins and current research
2018
science
Events Thanos Halazonetis discusses the EMBO/EMBL Symposium: DNA Replication: From Basic Biology to Disease
2018
events
Science Researchers from Delft University and EMBL crack the mystery of condensin’s neat DNA loop extrusion
2018
science
Science EMBL researchers uncover how a key enzyme that helps cells make new proteins starts its work
2018
science
Science New EMBL group leader investigates the mystery of heritable gene silencing
2018
science
Science EMBL scientists unveil how 3D chromatin structure affects RNA splicing
2017
science
Science EMBL scientists superimpose structures of two-metal-ion enzymes and reveal new potential drug targets
2017
science
Science New research shows how pores form in the membrane that surrounds a cell’s nucleus
2017
science
Science EMBL researchers and collaborators unravel how chromosomes form
2017
science
Science In a nutshell: Looping and unlooping DNA adjusts readout from gene and spread of regulation throughout the genome When a gene forms a loop, its output increases, as the transcription machinery that reads it is trapped into moving only along that gene When the gene loop is undone, transcription…
2012
science
Science As any rock-climber knows, trailing a long length of rope behind you is not easy. A dangling length of rope is unwieldy and hard to manoeuvre, and can get tangled up or stuck on an outcropping. Cells face the same problem when dragging chromosomes apart during cell division. The chromosomes are…
2011
science
Science What are the bare essentials of life, the indispensable ingredients required to produce a cell that can survive on its own? Can we describe the molecular anatomy of a cell, and understand how an entire organism functions as a system? These are just some of the questions that scientists in a…
2009
science
Science Embryonic development is like a well-organised building project, with the embryo’s DNA serving as the blueprint from which all construction details are derived. Cells carry out different functions according to a developmental plan, by expressing, i.e. turning on, different combinations of genes.…
2009
science
Science For many years, the mosquitoes that transmit malaria to humans were seen as public enemies, and campaigns to eradicate the disease focused on eliminating the mosquitoes. But, as a study published today in Science shows, the mosquitoes can also be our allies in the fight against this common foe,…
2009
science
Science Our genome is constantly under attack from things like UV light and toxins, which can damage or even break DNA strands and ultimately lead to cancer and other diseases. Scientists have known for a long time that when DNA is damaged, a key enzyme sets off a cellular ‘alarm bell’ to alert the…
2009
science
Science What makes a human different from a chimp? Researchers from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory’s European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) have come one important step closer to answering such evolutionary questions correctly. In the current issue of Science they uncover…
2008
science
Science UK-based researchers at the Medical Research Council Functional Genomics Unit in Oxford and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory’s European Bioinformatics Institute in Cambridge have revealed the genetic makeup of the one of the world’s strangest mammals. They have analysed the DNA…
2008
science
Science The ENCyclopedia Of DNA Elements (ENCODE), an international research consortium organised by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), today published the results of its exhaustive, four-year effort to build a “parts list” of…
2007
science
Science Microorganisms make up more than a third of the Earth’s biomass. They are found in water, on land and even in our bodies, recycling nutrients, influencing the planet’s climate or causing diseases. Still, we know surprisingly little about the smallest beings that colonise Earth. A new…
2007
science
Science Species evolve at very different rates, and the evolutionary line that produced humans seems to be among the slowest. The result, according to a new study by scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory [EMBL], is that our species has retained characteristics of a very ancient ancestor…
2005
science
Science Achieving equality between the sexes can be a challenge even for single cells. Since evolution began removing bits of male DNA to create the ‘Y’ chromosome, males have had a single copy of certain key genes on the X chromosome, whereas females have two. Normally this would lead females…
2005
science
Lab Matters The world’s three leading public repositories for DNA and RNA sequence information have reached 100 gigabases (100,000,000,000 bases; the ‘letters’ of the genetic code) of sequence. Thanks to their data exchange policy, which has paved the way for the global exchange of many types…
2005
lab-matters
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