A nanopore sequencing device is typically used for sequencing DNA and RNA.Credit: Anthony Kwan/Bloomberg/Getty With its fast analyses and ultra-long reads, nanopore sequencing has transformed genomics, transcriptomics and epigenomics. Now, thanks to advances in nanopore design and protein engineering, protein analysis using the technique might be catching up. “All the pieces are there to start … Read more
Scientists sampled genomic data from 279 graves at a cemetery in Rákóczifalva, Hungary, where people of the medieval Avar culture were buried.Credit: Institute of Archaeological Sciences, Eötvös Loránd University Múzeum, Budapest, Hungary Most people know about the Huns, if only because of their infamous warrior-ruler Attila. But the Avars, another nomadic people who subsequently occupied … Read more
In “The Structure of Scientific Revolutions,” physicist and philosopher Thomas Kuhn introduced the concept of a paradigm shift, which he used to describe a fundamental change in the basic framework of thinking in natural sciences. Throughout history, however, such paradigm shifts have occurred not just in natural sciences but across the entire spectrum of human … Read more
Data will soon be able to be stored in DNA. French startup Biomemory has already shipped a DNA storage device to the general public. Now the DNA Data Storage Alliance, a technology affiliate of the Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA), has unveiled the first specifications for storing vendor and CODEC information within a DNA data … Read more
When a long-term memory forms, some brain cells experience a rush of electrical activity so strong that it snaps their DNA. Then, an inflammatory response kicks in, repairing this damage and helping to cement the memory, a study in mice shows. The findings, published on 27 March in Nature1, are “extremely exciting”, says Li-Huei Tsai, … Read more