DNA twitches during transcription to bring distant regions in contact and enhance gene expression, according to Stanford researchers who devised a new way to label individual, nonrepetitive DNA sequences.

Humans in Europe and Asia evolved to have shorter bones and an increased risk of osteoarthritis, a trade-off that may have helped them in colder climates, Stanford researchers say.

Ribosomes, which make proteins, are startlingly variable in their composition and associations. This variability confers on them the ability to regulate genes, confounding previous ideas, Stanford researchers say.

Stanford researchers have identified more than 20 mouse lemurs with genetic traits for conditions such as heart disease and eye problems, making the tiny primates potentially useful for understanding diseases in humans.

Alpha cells can convert to insulin-producing beta cells in mice when just two genes are blocked, a new Stanford study shows. A similar mechanism may occur in people with diabetes.

The developmental biologist was honored for helping to decode how Wnt signaling proteins affect embryonic development, cancer and the activity of tissue-specific adult stem cells that repair damage after injury or disease.

A microballoon that fits inside a fruit fly intestine could help scientists understand the forces or nutrients responsible for signaling the intestine to grow or shrink in response to food.

Researchers have found nearly 50 helpful prions in yeast and comparable proteins in humans, suggesting that this dreaded protein type can boost survival and plays a role in evolution.

New research shows that cranial neural crest cells can be infected by the Zika virus, causing them to secrete high levels of cytokines that can affect neurons in the developing brain.

A Stanford-led national collaboration to procure and analyze human pancreatic tissue from deceased donors illustrates how the organ’s function changes as we age, and could point the way toward new diabetes treatments.