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Thursday, January 8, 2026
TopicDNA

Topic: DNA

US biologists win Nobel in Medicine for microRNA discovery. Here’s how it prevents diseases like cancer

Victor Ambros & Gary Ruvkun won the prize Monday. MicroRNAs are a class of tiny, non-coding RNAs that regulate gene activity. A small worm was the silent hero behind the milestone.

CBI to seek AIIMS help on DNA to build watertight case in Kolkata rape-murder

Expert opinion will help the agency ascertain if main accused Sanjay Roy was the only one to commit the crime or whether there were others.

New criminal laws are betting on DNA fingerprinting. India must prepare to offset risks

DNA fingerprinting involves creating a profile of an individual’s genetic make-up. This throws up various legal, quality control, privacy, and human rights issues.

Scientists find naturally existing DNA editing tool in all life, say it increases scope beyond CRISPR

IS110 is a jumping gene that acts as a bridge between bits of unconnected DNA, and exists naturally in humans. The RNA bridge can also be programmed, find two Nature studies.

SubscriberWrites: The marvel of CRISPR: Revolutionizing genetic science

CRISPR is like high-tech pair of scissors that can cut & edit DNA at specific locations, enabling correction of genetic defects, insertion of new genes, or removal of problematic sequences.

MIT scientists develop new tool for long-term DNA storage — Jurassic Park-inspired amber-like polymer

ScientiFix, our weekly feature, offers you a summary of the top global science stories of the week, with links to their sources.

Why did Beethoven lose his hearing? A lock of hair holds the key

Beethoven had a penchant for cheap wine sweetened with lead, an international team of researchers found high levels of lead in his hair. Findings published in letter in Clinical Chemistry.

How does our brain form long-term memories? By breaking & repairing DNA, US study finds

The study published in Nature & conducted by scientists from Albert Einstein College of Medicine shows bad experiences cause DNA to break and repair, helping form long-term memory.

A massive genetic study tells us about Indians’ ancestry & perplexing presence of Neanderthals in it

Indian genome closer to Iranian farmers & steppe herders than Africans. Most significant contact between ancestral Indians & Africans was 50,000 years ago, finds preprint UC Berkeley study.

‘India largest genetic lab in the world’ — what completion of India Genome Project means

Completion of Genome India Project was announced at 38th Foundation day celebrations of Dept of Biotechnology. Initiative to conduct sequencing of 10,000 genomes was launched in 2020.

On Camera

How artificial intelligence is reshaping terrorism and state security risks

Terrorist groups are increasingly using AI for propaganda, recruitment and attacks, forcing states to rethink security strategies.

2025 marked key point in India’s power sector: Clean energy surge pushed coal power into rare decline

Coal-based power generation fell 3% in 2025 while renewable capacity surged to 40% of India’s installed power mix, according to India Power Sector Review 2025 by CREA.

Bangladesh-Pakistan look to expand ties to defence procurement as Dhaka shows ‘interest’ in JF-17s

Pakistan military said it has assured Bangladesh of fast-tracked delivery of Super Mushshak trainer aircraft during high level defence meet held Tuesday.

A year-end Mea Culpa in National Interest—The Army-Islam combo doesn’t kill democracy

Many of you might think I got something so wrong in National Interest pieces written this year. I might disagree! But some deserve a Mea Culpa. I’d deal with the most recent this week.