Scientists Just Rewrote Our Understanding of Epigenetics
14th February 2025
Scientists have uncovered a new way that cells control their genes — and it may rewrite our understanding of “epigenetics.”
Epigenetics is a form of DNA modification that doesn’t affect the DNA sequence itself. Instead, it describes when chemical groups attach to specific genes, thus switching those genes on or off, or else changing the 3D shape of chromosomes.
Now, in a study published Jan. 17 in the journal Cell, scientists have uncovered a whole new method of gene regulation that involves epigenetic tweaks made to both DNA and its molecular cousin RNA, at the same time.