New insights into how bacteria manage DNA
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 13-Jun-2026 21:15 ET (14-Jun-2026 01:15 GMT/UTC)
New analytical methods developed at Baylor College of Medicine and collaborating institutions have increased our understanding of how bacteria manage DNA. The methods enabled researchers to uncover how the sequence, physical shape and flexibility of DNA guide the activity of an enzyme called DNA gyrase, which used to get all the credit for managing DNA. Their work uncovers that certain attributes of DNA are major players in this game. The study, which appeared in Nature Communications, has implications for antibiotic design.
Caring for a family member with dementia can feel like losing a loved one who is still alive, but a new study suggests that revisiting memories together through a simple digital tool can help ease that grief and even strengthen the patient-caregiver bond. Weill Cornell Medicine and University of Southern California investigators have developed and tested the web-based platform, Living Memory Home for Dementia Care Pairs (LMH-4-DCP), in a pilot trial published April 22 in JAMA Network Open.
Published in Nature, the study includes 128 complete genomes and reveals over one million new genetic variants, uncovering a unique genetic diversity with implications for evolution and health.
For the first time, the team has characterized the final migratory wave to South America, 1,300 years ago, and revealed the origin of these populations, with Y-chromosomal ancestry (“Ypykuéra”).
A web tool designed to spark reminiscence could help people with dementia and their caregivers feel more connected to each other and less impacted by feelings of pre-death grief, according to a clinical trial co-led by USC and Weill Cornell Medicine published in JAMA Network Open.
With features such as photo albums, autobiographical questions, and journaling prompts, the Living Memory Home for Dementia Care Pairs (LMH-4-DCP) website is a customizable virtual space that facilitates collaborative and interactive reminiscence therapy for both dementia patients and caregivers, said lead author Francesca Falzarano, assistant professor at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology.