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Methylated DNA
Stress Increases Biological Age, But Recovery Can Revert It
A new study relying on DNA methylation clocks suggests that the biological age of mouse and human cells can fluctuate in response to stressful events.
Stress Increases Biological Age, But Recovery Can Revert It
Stress Increases Biological Age, But Recovery Can Revert It

A new study relying on DNA methylation clocks suggests that the biological age of mouse and human cells can fluctuate in response to stressful events.

A new study relying on DNA methylation clocks suggests that the biological age of mouse and human cells can fluctuate in response to stressful events.

DNA methylation

Epigenetic Marks May Cause Brain Tumor Formation
Jennifer Zieba, PhD | Sep 19, 2023 | 3 min read
Scientists established an epigenetic mouse model for glioma, providing insight into how epigenetics can initiate cancer.
Bladder epithelial tissue, where cell junctions are shown in green and nuclei in blue. This was grown in vitro from cells taken from mice with chronic cystitis.
Bladder ‘Memory’ Influences Urinary Tract Infection Recurrence in Mice
Alejandra Manjarrez, PhD | Apr 12, 2023 | 3 min read
Urinary tract infections leave permanent epigenetic marks in the mouse bladder epithelium, reprogramming its response to subsequent infections, a study finds.
Chromatogram peaks of a DNA sequencing analysis.
Brush Up: What Is Bisulfite Sequencing and How Do Researchers Use It to Study DNA Methylation?
Deanna MacNeil, PhD | 4 min read
Prior to DNA methylation sequencing, researchers treat their samples with sodium bisulfite to distinguish methylated cytosine from unmethylated cytosine.
Artist’s rendition of red SARS-CoV-2 coronaviruses floating near blue strands of DNA.
COVID-19 Infections May Reshape Genetic Landscape
Holly Barker, PhD | Mar 30, 2023 | 3 min read
SARS-CoV-2 infection triggers structural changes in the host cell’s DNA, which provide a molecular explanation for long COVID, a new study suggests. 
Infographic showing transposable elements in cancer
Infographic: Transposable elements in cancer
Diana Kwon | Mar 1, 2023 | 1 min read
Jumping genes are let loose in cancerous cells, with multiple effects on cell health.
The Epigenetic Origins of Allergy and Asthma
The Scientist Speaks Ep. 15 - The Epigenetic Origins of Allergy and Asthma
The Scientist’s Creative Services Team | 1 min read
Epigenetic marks acquired from environmental exposures throughout life influence human health and may even transcend generations.
Composite image showing genes radiating from tumor cells
Jumping Genes’ Role in Cancer
Diana Kwon | Mar 1, 2023 | 8 min read
Transposons may be key players in how tumors develop and spread, but they also keep cancer at bay in some circumstances.
a trio of infant mice, two brown mice on the ends and one white mouse in the middle
Mice Pass Epigenetic Tweaks to Pups
Katherine Irving | Feb 17, 2023 | 5 min read
An engineered methylation pattern persisted for four generations of mice, demonstrating transgenerational epigenetic inheritance can occur in mammals.
A younger-looking mouse next to an older-looking one
Epigenetic Manipulations Can Accelerate or Reverse Aging in Mice
Alejandra Manjarrez, PhD | Jan 12, 2023 | 4 min read
Repairing damaged DNA appears to drive aging by causing the loss of epigenetic information, but restoring that information reverses such effects, a study finds.
Illustration from the epigenetics and the genome infographic
Infographic: How Epigenetic Marks Can Change the Genome
Katarina Zimmer | Nov 1, 2022 | 2 min read
Although epigenetic changes were long thought to largely act on the genome, rather than as part of it, research is now showing that these patterns can, directly or indirectly, change the genetic code.
Cellular DNA and epigenetics
Do Epigenetic Changes Influence Evolution?
Katarina Zimmer | Nov 1, 2022 | 10+ min read
Evidence is mounting that epigenetic marks on DNA can influence future generations in a variety of ways. But how such phenomena might affect large-scale evolutionary processes is hotly debated.
A cross-section of a mouse hypothalamus, where cells of the arcuate nucleus are shown in bright green at the bottom.
Methylation in Young Brains May Be Key to Obesity: Mouse Study
Alejandra Manjarrez, PhD | Oct 19, 2022 | 4 min read
Epigenetic events, such as methylation, during early brain development in mice occur in genomic regions associated with BMI in humans, according to a new study.
Illustration showing epigenetic changes
Infographic: Questions Linger About Epigenetic Inheritance
Catherine Offord | Apr 4, 2022 | 3 min read
Some studies suggest that associations between the health of children and the experiences of their parents or grandparents may be due to epigenetic mechanisms, but confounding factors challenge this interpretation.
Illustration showing two hands join, father or mother with child
Does Human Epigenetic Inheritance Deserve a Closer Look?
Catherine Offord | Apr 4, 2022 | 10+ min read
The concept of epigenetic inheritance has long been controversial. Some researchers hope that new data on cross-generational effects of environmental exposures will help settle the debate.
health care provider standing in front of gynecology stirrups holding swabs for Pap smear
DNA Methylation Could Predict Ovarian, Breast Cancers
Anna Napolitano, PhD | Feb 11, 2022 | 5 min read
A pair of new studies finds that analyzing material from a Pap smear can reveal tumor risk in distant parts of the body, potentially allowing early interventions.
Four pregnant women sitting in chairs
Epigenetic Changes to Placenta Correlate with Maternal Depression
Chloe Tenn | Feb 1, 2022 | 2 min read
An epigenome-wide association study found more than a dozen methylation changes in placental DNA that correlated with expectant mothers’ self-reports of depression and stress during their pregnancy.
A view of the nucleus of a cell with DNA in blue, RNA in pink, and associated proteins in yellow and purple
DNA Methylation Influences Replication and Genome Organization
Abby Olena, PhD | Sep 22, 2021 | 3 min read
A study links the loss of DNA methylation across the genome—as is common in cancer—to the disruption of the 3-D compartments that organize the genome and to the timing of DNA replication.
Long-Lived Trees’ Epigenetic Mutations Serve as a Molecular Clock
Jef Akst | Mar 1, 2021 | 2 min read
Cells found in different branches of a tree have different patterns of DNA methylation, changes in which accumulate over time.
Genetic Reprogramming Restores Vision in Mice: Study
Max Kozlov | Dec 6, 2020 | 5 min read
Researchers repaired what is otherwise irreversible damage in the animals’ ocular neurons, by activating transcription factors ordinarily used to generate induced pluripotent stem cells.
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