Z_1_17 — Environmental Epigenetics & Toxicogenomics

Environmental epigenetics examines how chemical exposures, nutritional states, and ecological stressors modify gene expression without altering DNA sequence — through DNA methylation, histone modifications, and non-codin

Z_1_04 — Gene Expression and Regulation

Gene expression regulation — the molecular mechanisms controlling when, where, and how much each gene is active — is the central process that enables a single genome to produce ~200 distinct cell types, orchestrate embry

Z_1_18 — Junk DNA & the ENCODE Controversy: Function, Noise, and the Human Genome

The term "junk DNA" — coined by Susumu Ohno (1972) to describe non-coding DNA sequences in eukaryotic genomes that appeared to have no functional role — ignited one of the most contentious debates in modern genomics: how

Z_1_19 — Non-Coding RNA and Gene Regulation

Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) — RNA molecules that are transcribed from the genome but do not encode proteins — have emerged as central regulators of gene expression, challenging the classical "one gene–one protein" paradigm

Z_1_15 — Long Non-Coding RNA: The Dark Matter of the Transcriptome

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) — RNA transcripts longer than 200 nucleotides that do not encode proteins — represent one of the most surprising and rapidly expanding frontiers of molecular biology. The human genome encod

Z_1_00 — Genome Structure Organization: Subfolder Summary

Z_1_14 — Chromatin Remodeling: Epigenetic Architecture of the Genome

Chromatin remodeling — the dynamic restructuring of the protein-DNA complex (chromatin) that packages eukaryotic genomes — is a central mechanism of gene regulation and a cornerstone of epigenetics. In eukaryotic cells,

Z_4_13 — Membrane Biology: Lipid Bilayers, Rafts, and Cellular Boundaries

Biological membranes — the lipid bilayer structures that define cells and compartmentalize their interiors — are fundamental to all life on Earth. Every cell is bounded by a plasma membrane that separates the interior (c

Z_4_18 — Protein Misfolding and Prion Diseases

Prion diseases — transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) — are fatal neurodegenerative disorders caused by the misfolding and self-propagating aggregation of a normal cellular protein (PrPᶜ) into a pathological

Z_4_17 — Non-coding RNA Networks: Regulation Beyond the Genome

Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) — RNA molecules that are not translated into protein but perform functional roles in the cell — have emerged since the late 1990s as a vast and previously unsuspected layer of biological regulati

Z_4_23 — Memory as Physical and Molecular Phenomenon

What is a memory made of? The question has driven neuroscience from Santiago Ramón y Cajal's 1894 hypothesis that learning strengthens connections between neurons, through Donald Hebb's 1949 postulate that "neurons that

Z_4_10 — Signal Transduction: How Cells Communicate

Signal transduction — the molecular mechanisms by which cells detect, interpret, and respond to external signals (hormones, growth factors, neurotransmitters, cytokines, environmental cues) — is one of the central organi

Z_4_16 — Phase Separation in Cell Biology: Membraneless Organelles and Biomolecular Condensates

Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) is the biophysical process by which proteins and nucleic acids demix from the surrounding cytoplasm or nucleoplasm to form concentrated, membrane-free droplets called biomolecular co

Z_4_15 — Molecular Motors: Kinesin, Dynein, and Myosin

Molecular motors — protein machines that convert the chemical energy of ATP hydrolysis into directed mechanical work — are the engines of cellular life, responsible for transporting cargo within cells, driving cell divis

Z_4_19 — Exosome Signaling and Intercellular Communication

Exosomes are small (30–150 nm) membrane-bound extracellular vesicles (EVs) released by virtually all cell types, carrying a cargo of proteins, lipids, mRNAs, microRNAs (miRNAs), and other nucleic acids that can be taken

Z_4_14 — RNA Interference: Gene Silencing by Small RNAs

RNA interference (RNAi) — the process by which small double-stranded RNA molecules silence gene expression by targeting complementary messenger RNA (mRNA) for degradation or translational repression — is one of the most

K_3_02 — Embodied Cognition

Embodied cognition is a broad research program challenging the classical cognitive science view that the mind is essentially a computer processing abstract symbols in the brain. Instead, embodied cognition holds that thi

K_3_19 — Electrical Synapses and Gap Junctions in Consciousness

Most neuroscience focuses on chemical synapses, but the brain also uses electrical synapses formed by connexin-36 gap junctions — direct cytoplasmic channels that pass ions and small molecules between neurons. These prov

K_3_10 — Fetal and Infant Consciousness

The question of when consciousness emerges during human development — whether prenatally, at birth, or gradually through infancy — is one of the most consequential in consciousness studies, with direct implications for f

K_3_01 — Machine Consciousness — Can AI Be Aware?

The question of machine consciousness — whether artificial systems can be genuinely aware rather than merely simulating awareness — stands at the intersection of philosophy of mind, neuroscience, and computer science. Jo