Kim et al. investigated the function of the SMC (structural maintenance of chromosomes) complex condensin in the organization of the fission yeast genome. The yeast condensin protein Cut14 localized ...

One hundred fifty years ago, Dmitri Mendeleev created the periodic table, a system for classifying atoms based on the properties of their nuclei. This week, a team of biologists studying the tree of ...

A living cell is able to neatly package a big jumble of DNA into chromosomes while preparing for cell division. For over a century, scientists have been puzzled for decades on how the process works.

The paper M. Ganji et al., “Real-time imaging of DNA loop extrusion by condensin,” Science, doi:10.1126/science.aar7831, 2018. How does a human cell neatly pack ...

The most accurate quantitative model yet for understanding the role of condensin during cell division is also visually stunning. A team of scientists from UT Austin have developed the most accurate ...

Stress can make you wish life had a pause button. Single-celled organisms like yeast actually have this option. Faced with a lack of food or other stressors, baker’s yeast can enter a “paused,” energy ...

The first theoretical model of condensin, a molecular machine involved in packing and unpacking chromosomes, accurately reproduces all known experiments with just two parameters. To scrunch a ...

New findings shed light on how chromosomes manage the various pushing and pulling forces generated when cells divide. Specifically, researchers show that chromosomes resist being punctured by the ...

Senescence, a phenomenon in which cells cease to divide and grow, can be caused by everything from natural DNA damage to treatment with chemotherapy. However, several mechanisms allow for cells to ...

Our cells perform a marvel of engineering when it comes to packing information into small spaces. Every time a cell divides, it bundles up an amazing 4 meters of DNA into 46 tiny packages, each of ...

It's so impressive: a living cell is able to neatly package a big jumble of DNA, over two meters in length, into tidy, tiny chromosomes while preparing for cell division. For over a century, it has ...