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A new look at prolonged radiation exposure

A new study from MIT scientists suggests that the guidelines governments use to determine when to evacuate people following a nuclear accident may be too conservative. The study, led by Bevin Engelward...

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Researchers achieve RNA interference, in a lighter package

Using a technique known as “nucleic acid origami,” chemical engineers have built tiny particles made out of DNA and RNA that can deliver snippets of RNA directly to tumors, turning off genes expressed...

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Genetic 911: Cells’ emergency systems revealed

Toxic chemicals wreak havoc on cells, damaging DNA and other critical molecules. A new study from researchers at MIT and the University at Albany reveals how a molecular emergency-response system...

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Searching genomic data faster

In 2001, the Human Genome Project and Celera Genomics announced that after 10 years of work at a cost of some $400 million, they had completed a draft sequence of the human genome. Today, sequencing a...

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Researchers build a toolbox for synthetic biology

For about a dozen years, synthetic biologists have been working on ways to design genetic circuits to perform novel functions such as manufacturing new drugs, producing fuel or even programming the...

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New nanoparticles shrink tumors in mice

By sequencing cancer-cell genomes, scientists have discovered vast numbers of genes that are mutated, deleted or copied in cancer cells. This treasure trove is a boon for researchers seeking new drug...

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Deciphering the language of transcription factors

Transcription factors are proteins that bind to DNA to promote or suppress protein production. Since almost all diseases involve disruption of the protein-production process, transcription factors are...

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MIT team builds most complex synthetic biology circuit yet

Using genes as interchangeable parts, synthetic biologists design cellular circuits that can perform new functions, such as sensing environmental conditions. However, the complexity that can be...

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Evolution: It’s all in how you splice it

When genes were first discovered, the canonical view was that each gene encodes a unique protein. However, biologists later found that segments of genes can be combined in different ways, giving rise...

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Cardiac development needs more than protein-coding genes

When the human genome was sequenced, biologists were surprised to find that very little of the genome — less than 3 percent — corresponds to protein-coding genes. What, they wondered, was all the rest...

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Research update: Imaging fish in 3-D


Zebrafish larvae — tiny, transparent and fast-growing vertebrates — are widely used to study development and disease. However, visually examining the larvae for variations caused by drugs or genetic...

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A new piece to the autism puzzle

Most cases of autism are not caused by a single genetic mutation. However, several disorders with autism-like symptoms, including the rare Fragile X syndrome, can be traced to a specific mutation....

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Neuroscientists identify a master controller of memory

When you experience a new event, your brain encodes a memory of it by altering the connections between neurons. This requires turning on many genes in those neurons. Now, MIT neuroscientists have...

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The mathematics of taste

The design of aromas — the flavors of packaged food and drink and the scents of cleaning products, toiletries and other household items — is a multibillion-dollar business. The big flavor companies...

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Metabolic errors can spell doom for DNA

Many critical cell functions depend on a class of molecules called purines, which form half of the building blocks of DNA and RNA, and are a major component of the chemicals that store a cell’s energy....

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Stem cells could drive hepatitis research forward

Hepatitis C, an infectious disease that can cause inflammation and organ failure, has different effects on different people. But no one is sure why some people are very susceptible to the infection,...

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Prions play key role in yeast survival and evolution

Misfolded proteins called prions are best known for causing neurodegenerative disorders such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and mad cow disease. However, a new study by scientists at MIT’s Whitehead...

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Eric Lander wins Dan David Prize

Eric Lander, director of the Broad Institute and a professor of biology at MIT, is among the recipients of the 2012 Dan David Prize — a prestigious Israeli award for achievements having an outstanding...

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What lies ahead for science and science writing?

The MIT Graduate Program in Science Writing turns 10 this year, and this Saturday saw many of the program’s 61 alumni back on campus to catch up and reminisce with fellow graduates, professors and...

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Study shows unified process of evolution in bacteria and sexual eukaryotes

Bacteria are the most populous organisms on the planet: They thrive in almost every known environment, adapting to different habitats by means of genetic variations that provide the capabilities...

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