Epigenetics News

October 6, 2025

Top Headlines

It’s Not Just Genes — Parents Can Pass Down Longevity Another Way

Oct. 6, 2025 — Scientists studying tiny roundworms have uncovered how the secrets of a long life can be passed from parents to their offspring — without changing DNA. The discovery shows that when certain cellular structures called lysosomes change in ways that ...

This “Chaos Enzyme” May Hold the Key to Stopping Cancer Spread

Oct. 4, 2025 — A Weill Cornell Medicine team has found that triple-negative breast cancer depends on the enzyme EZH2 to spread. By silencing key genes, EZH2 drives chaotic cell divisions and fuels metastasis. Blocking EZH2 restored stability and prevented cancer ...

Miscarriages, Down Syndrome, and Infertility All Linked to This Hidden DNA Process

Sep. 28, 2025 — Human fertility hinges on a delicate molecular ballet that begins even before birth. UC Davis researchers have uncovered how special protein networks safeguard chromosomes as eggs and sperm form, ...

When Cancer Cells Feel Squeezed, They Become More Dangerous

Sep. 22, 2025 — New research shows that cancer cells don’t just grow; they adapt when stressed. When squeezed inside tissues, they transform into more invasive, drug-resistant versions of themselves. A protein called HMGB2 helps flip this dangerous switch, giving ...

Exercise May Actually Reverse Your Body’s Aging Clock

Aug. 31, 2025 — New research suggests that exercise may not just make us feel younger—it could actually slow or even reverse the body’s molecular clock. By looking at DNA markers of aging, scientists found that structured exercise like aerobic and strength ...

The Hidden DNA Organizer Linking Fertility and Cancer

Aug. 26, 2025 — Scientists at Kyoto University have uncovered a hidden protein complex that organizes DNA in sperm stem cells, a discovery that reveals surprising ties between fertility and cancer. When this protein, called STAG3, is missing, sperm stem cells ...

Three-person DNA IVF Stops Inherited Disease—eight Healthy Babies Born in UK First

July 18, 2025 — In a groundbreaking UK first, eight healthy babies have been born using an IVF technique that includes DNA from three people—two parents and a female donor. The process, known as pronuclear ...

Fasting Twice a Week Could Be a Game-changer for Type 2 Diabetes

July 15, 2025 — A new study comparing three popular diets—intermittent fasting, time-restricted eating, and continuous calorie cutting—found that all can help people with type 2 diabetes lose weight and lower blood sugar. But one diet stood out: the 5:2 ...

Pregnancy’s 100-million-year Secret: Inside the Placenta’s Evolutionary Power Play

July 6, 2025 — A group of scientists studying pregnancy across six different mammals—from humans to marsupials—uncovered how certain cells at the mother-baby boundary have been working together for over 100 ...

Iron Overload: The Hidden Culprit Behind Early Alzheimer’s in Down Syndrome

June 21, 2025 — USC researchers have uncovered a hidden driver behind the early and severe onset of Alzheimer's in people with Down syndrome: iron overload in the brain. Their study revealed that individuals with ...

Cold Sore Virus Hijacks Human Genome in 3D--and Scientists Found Its Weak Spot

June 20, 2025 — Cold sore-causing HSV-1 doesn't just hijack cells it reconfigures the entire architecture of our DNA to aid its invasion. Researchers discovered that it actively reshapes the 3D structure of the ...

The Hidden Dna Repair System That Could Transform Cancer Treatment

June 7, 2025 — A powerful new discovery reveals that Nup98 a protein once thought to only ferry molecules through the nucleus plays a vital role in safeguarding the most vulnerable areas of DNA. By forming droplet-like 'bubbles' around damaged DNA within dense ...

Latest Headlines

updated 10:54am EDT

Nature’s Anti-Aging Hack? Jewel Wasp Larvae Slow Their Biological Clock

Aug. 7, 2025 — Scientists discovered that jewel wasp larvae that undergo a developmental "pause" live longer and age more slowly at the molecular level by nearly 30%. This slowdown is tied to conserved biological ...

Machine Learning Algorithm Brings Long-Read Sequencing to the Clinic

May 30, 2025 — SAVANA uses a machine learning algorithm to identify cancer-specific structural variations and copy number aberrations in long-read DNA sequencing data. The complex structure of cancer genomes means ...

Findings on the Protein That Forms Loops in the Human Genome

May 30, 2025 — Cohesin is a protein that forms a ring-shaped complex which wraps and alters the DNA molecule shape. It moves through the DNA and creates specific loops in the genetic material which determine the ...

A High-Fat Diet Sets Off Metabolic Dysfunction in Cells, Leading to Weight Gain

May 29, 2025 — Researchers find high-fat diets set off metabolic dysfunction in cells, leading to weight gain, but these effects can be reversed by treatment with ...

Wilms Tumors: How Genes and Imprinting Pave the Way for Cancer

May 27, 2025 — A biobank for pediatric kidney tumors plays a key role in identifying hereditary causes of Wilms tumors. New insights gained with its help enable better risk assessment for affected families and ...

Study Discovers DNA Switch That Controls TB Growth, and Could Help Unlock Its Antibiotic Resistance Secrets

May 26, 2025 — The bacteria that cause tuberculosis (TB) may have an 'on-off switch' that lets them pause and restart growth, according to a new study. The research ...

Newfound Mechanism Rewires Cellular Energy Processing for Drastic Weight Loss

May 22, 2025 — Scientists have uncovered a startling metabolic twist: mice engineered to lack the amino acid cysteine, and fed a cysteine-free diet, shed nearly a ...

Beyond Hormones: Researchers Define X and Y Chromosome Contributions to Height

May 22, 2025 — A new study provides new insight into height differences between adult men and women, demonstrating that Y chromosome genes contribute more to height ...

'Barcodes' Written Into Our DNA Reveal How Blood Ages

May 22, 2025 — A study explains how age reshapes the blood system. In both humans and mice, a few stem cells out-compete their neighbors and gradually take over blood production. The loss of diversity results in a ...

Enzyme Identified as an Important Tumor Inhibitor in T-Cell Lymphomas

May 16, 2025 — Lymphomas belong to the group of malignant diseases of the immune system and mainly affect the organs of the lymphatic system. Anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) belongs to the subgroup of ...

99 Trials Later, Fasting Ties Traditional Diets in Weight-Loss Showdown

June 19, 2025 — Intermittent fasting might not be a miracle solution, but it stands shoulder to shoulder with traditional calorie-cutting when it comes to shedding pounds and improving metabolic health. A major new ...

How Rearranged Genes Drive Kidney Cancer Progression

May 15, 2025 — Scientists report that they have learned how certain combinations of rearranged genes can promote the progression of a rare type of kidney ...

Marsupial Research Reveals How Mammalian Embryos Form

May 14, 2025 — Researchers have revealed insight into why embryos erase a key epigenetic mark during early development, suggesting this may have evolved to help form a ...

Postpartum Depression and Bonding: Long-Term Effects on School-Age Children

May 14, 2025 — Postpartum maternal mental health and mother-to-infant bonding are well-established as critical factors in a child's psychosocial development. However, few studies have explored the combined ...

Data Collection Changes Key to Understanding Maternal Mortality Trends in the US, New Study Shows

Apr. 28, 2025 — A new study offers fresh insight into trends in maternal mortality in the United States. For the first time, the study disentangles genuine changes in health outcomes from shifts caused by how deaths ...

In Down Syndrome Mice, 40Hz Light and Sound Improve Cognition, Neurogenesis, Connectivity

Apr. 25, 2025 — A new study provides new evidence that sensory stimulation of a gamma-frequency brain rhythm may promote broad-based restorative neurological health ...

Apr. 23, 2025 — Researchers have discovered that expansion of mutant blood cells, a phenomenon linked to aging, can be found in cancerous tumors, and this is associated with worse outcomes for ...

Metabolic Syndrome Linked to Increased Risk of Young-Onset Dementia

Apr. 23, 2025 — Having a larger waistline, high blood pressure and other risk factors that make up metabolic syndrome is associated with an increased risk of young-onset dementia, according to a new study. ...

Parts of Our DNA May Evolve Much Faster Than Previously Thought

Apr. 23, 2025 — Scientists have cracked open some of the most mysterious corners of our DNA, revealing that parts of the human genome mutate at a far faster pace than previously imagined. By studying four ...

How DNA Self-Organizes in the Early Embryo

Apr. 23, 2025 — An international research team has provided a detailed insight into how the spatial organization of genetic material is established in the cell nucleus of early embryos within the first hours after ...

Researchers Use Machine Learning to Engineer 'Bespoke Enzymes' for Gene Editing

Apr. 22, 2025 — Genome editing has advanced at a rapid pace with promising results for treating genetic conditions -- but there is always room for improvement. A new paper showcases the power of scalable protein ...

Shining a Light on DNA: A Rapid, Ultra-Sensitive, PCR-Free Detection Method

Apr. 22, 2025 — Researchers have developed a light-induced DNA detection method that enables rapid, PCR-free genetic analysis. Their technique offers ultra-sensitive mutation detection in just five minutes, reducing ...

Our DNA Is at Risk of Hacking, Warn Scientists

Apr. 16, 2025 — According to new research next-generation DNA sequencing (NGS) -- the same technology which is powering the development of tailor-made medicines, cancer diagnostics, infectious disease tracking, and ...

New Tool for Cutting DNA: Promising Prospects for Biotechnology

Apr. 14, 2025 — Scientists at INRS have identified a family of enzymes, known as Ssn, that can make targeted cuts in single-stranded DNA—a feat never before achieved. This discovery not only fills a major gap in ...

New Strategy May Enable Cancer Monitoring from Blood Tests Alone

Apr. 11, 2025 — A new, error-corrected method for detecting cancer from blood samples is much more sensitive and accurate than prior methods and may be useful for monitoring disease status in patients following ...

Better Tools When Searching for Genetic Causes of Asthma

Apr. 10, 2025 — A new study combines genetic data and improved computational tools to look more closely at GWAS results for both adult-onset and childhood-onset asthma. The research identified many genetic variants ...

Protein Necessary for Fruit Fly Fertility

Apr. 9, 2025 — Researchers have found a new role for the transcription factor (proteins that regulate the transcription, or copying, of genes). In the fruit fly, this transcription factor, named Traffic Jam, ...

Groundbreaking Study Reveals Changes in Brain Cell Composition and Gene Activity in Tourette Syndrome

Apr. 8, 2025 — In the first comprehensive, cell-by-cell analysis of brain tissue from individuals with Tourette syndrome, researchers have pinpointed exactly which cells are perturbed and how they malfunction, ...

Pancreatic Cells 'Remember' Epigenetic Precancerous Marks Without Genetic Sequence Mutations

Apr. 4, 2025 — Scientists say they have found a pattern of so-called epigenetic 'marks' in a transition state between normal and pancreatic cancer cells in mice, and that the normal cells may keep at ...

How a Critical Enzyme Keeps Potentially Dangerous Genes in Check

Mar. 28, 2025 — The new study reveals a remarkable way that cells keep us safe from transposable elements (TEs) gone wild. The researchers found that cells have taken advantage of an entire protein network to ...