Cancer’s strongest gene switches push DNA into damaging overdrive, creating repeated breaks and repairs that may fuel tumor ...

Sunburns and aging skin are obvious effects of exposure to harmful UV rays, tobacco smoke and other carcinogens. But the effects aren't just skin deep. Inside the body, DNA is literally being torn ...

Extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA) is a unique form of circular DNA that exists outside of normal chromosomes. Found exclusively in tumor cells, it often carries cancer-promoting genes (oncogenes) and is ...

Deep beneath the shifting sea ice of the Arctic Ocean, a massive marine mammal moves slowly through waters that remain near ...

A previously unknown type of DNA damage in the mitochondria, the tiny power plants inside our cells, could shed light on how our bodies sense and respond to stress. The findings of the UC ...

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American The life-giving sun can be quite rough on ...