Researchers analyzed single-nucleus whole genomes from human prenatal and postnatal cortical tissue obtained via the NIH NeuroBioBank, using a tagmentation-based whole-genome amplification technique to profile individual neurons. The work, titled 'Perinatal elimination of genetically aberrant human cortical neurons,' examines how cells carrying genetic abnormalities are cleared from the cortex around the time of birth.
nature.com
· 2026-10-28
A new genomics study reports that variation in short tandem repeats—stretches of repeated DNA sequence—is associated with gene expression differences across distinct immune cell types. The findings, drawn from large-scale single-cell sequencing data, add tandem repeats to the known catalog of genetic variants that influence how genes are turned on or off in specific cell populations.
nature.com
· 2026-10-28
Researchers report that measuring chromatin accessibility—which regions of DNA are open and available for activity—can reveal disease-associated genetic signals that standard gene expression analysis fails to capture. The findings come from a study published via Nature's research platform, though specific methods and disease models were not detailed in the available text.
nature.com
· 2026-10-07
Cathy Tie, 30-year-old founder of Origin Genomics—a company launched in March to bring gene-edited embryos to IVF clinics—published a commentary in Trends in Genetics urging public funding and new regulatory pathways for germ-line editing research and eventual clinical use. The push follows the 2018 case of He Jiankui, who was imprisoned after creating the first gene-edited babies, and comes despite bans on embryo editing for pregnancy in dozens of countries.
wired.com
· 2026-09-30
A research consortium has published a large-scale multiome dataset profiling gene expression and chromatin accessibility across immune cell types in many individuals, generating single-cell eQTLs and chromatin accessibility QTLs. The dataset is designed to help pinpoint which genetic variants associated with disease actually alter gene regulation in specific immune cell states, building on prior efforts like GTEx, ENCODE and FinnGen.
nature.com
· 2026-09-30
A study published in Nature by Morales and colleagues presents assembled genomes for 103 bat species, including 42 newly generated for the project, covering representatives of every known bat taxonomic family. The dataset gives scientists a broad genomic view of bat diversity and evolutionary history across the order Chiroptera.
nature.com
· 2026-09-23
A Nature paper by Yan et al. used genomics tools to catalog genetic variants, genes and pathways that distinguish the human skeleton from those of chimpanzees, bonobos and gorillas. The work builds on the long-standing idea that human-ape differences arise more from regulatory changes in gene expression than from changes in protein-coding sequences themselves.
nature.com
· 2026-09-23
Researchers compared genomes from over 100 non-human great apes—including bonobos, chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans—against thousands of human genomes to identify DNA substitutions unique and fixed in humans. They applied strict filtering criteria involving sequencing depth, genotype quality and allelic balance, then cross-checked results against archaic human genomes from Neanderthals and Denisovans, producing a curated set of human-specific variants for further functional testing via a massively parallel reporter assay (MPRA).
nature.com
· 2026-09-23
Cell biologist Junyue Cao of Rockefeller University argues that aging follows a structured, stepwise progression rather than being simple molecular wear and tear. Using single-cell genomic tools to track aging in mice across the body, his lab identified distinct stages marked by shifts in molecular signals and cell populations, resembling phases of embryonic development. Cao suggests this programmed decline likely starts before age 30 in humans.
quantamagazine.org
· 2026-09-22
Researchers have managed to culture Asgard archaea, elusive microbes first identified from deep-sea sediment DNA in 2015, allowing direct study beyond genetic sequencing alone. One such culture, dubbed 'Skadi,' was recently transported across the US by a scientist determined to keep it alive and stable for continued research.
nature.com
· 2026-09-16
Google has released AlphaGenome Atlas, a tool that predicts the functional impact of swapping in any of the three alternative bases at every position across the roughly 3-billion-base human genome, amounting to 9 billion base substitutions analyzed. The system focuses heavily on non-coding DNA, which makes up over 97% of the genome and includes regulatory elements that control gene activity alongside leftover viral sequences with no clear function.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-09-09
DeepMind has published the AlphaGenome Atlas, a free online database containing precomputed predictions for every possible single-letter change across the human reference genome—about 9 billion variants. Built on its AlphaGenome model introduced earlier in 2025 and detailed in a January Nature paper, the Atlas lets scientists browse results through a web interface instead of writing code or running the model themselves.
spectrum.ieee.org
· 2026-09-09
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