Does DNA cause its own mutations?

Fascinating news: A new study indicates that the DNA molecule itself may influence its own mutation rate. Sequences where the two bases cytosine and guanine occur in tandem (called CpG sites) tend to mutate more often than expected. This is interesting because it indicates that the sequence itself is responsible for the mutations that occur there.

Frozen in time: clues to how genes control the aging process

One of the ways geneticists learn what genes do is to examine cases where they're "broken." With the body and behavior of a baby, one teenaged girl's genes may reveal what causes our bodies to age as we grow. You can read the news story here. To learn more about gene expression, check out Chapter 11 in Genetics for Dummies.

Mitosis in action

In an effort to learn exactly which cells are involved in mitosis, researchers are systematically inactivating genes--a whopping 21,000 of them--one at at time to solve the mystery. In addition, they're filming how cells with inactivate genes divide. This is one of their videos. Note the stop-watch action in the lower right and how long it takes between cell divisions. You can read more about the project, as well as view another video, here.