How much of our genome really matters? Some argue that because most of our DNA is active, it must be doing something important. Others say even random DNA would be highly active. This has now been put ...

Here’s a fun fact about your DNA, only 2% of it contains actual genes! The rest of the 98%, which is often referred to as “junk DNA” was long thought to do nothing essential. But scientists now know ...

Researchers have revealed that so-called “junk DNA” contains powerful switches that help control brain cells linked to Alzheimer’s disease. By experimentally testing nearly 1,000 DNA switches in human ...

When most of us think of DNA, we have a vague idea it's made up of genes that give us our physical features, our behavioral quirks, and keep our cells and organs running. But only a tiny percentage of ...

A tiny percentage of our DNA—around 2%—contains 20,000-odd genes. The remaining 98%—long known as the non-coding genome, or so-called 'junk' DNA—includes many of the "switches" that control when and ...

A new study from the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences (LMS) in London, UK reveals how ancient viral DNA once written off as "junk" plays a crucial role in the earliest moments of life. The research, ...

Bryan Rindfuss explores humans’ obsession with collecting and keeping objects in his latest exhibition. Credit: Courtesy Image / Bryan Rindfuss Bryan Rindfuss’ current exhibition “Junk Culture,” which ...

Transposable elements are stretches of DNA that can move around the genome. Many of these DNA sequences originate from long ago, when viruses inserted their genetic material into our ancestors’ ...

WIRED spoke with DeepMind’s Pushmeet Kohli about the recent past—and promising future—of the Nobel Prize-winning research project that changed biology and chemistry forever. To understand what the ...