Genomics is the study of an organism's complete set of DNA, offering a deep dive into the biological instructions that shape life. This field explores how genetic information influences traits, health, and evolution, moving beyond single genes to understand the complex interplay within entire genomes. From uncovering the roots of disease to mapping biodiversity, genomics provides the foundational data for many modern medical breakthroughs.

At Gist.Science, we process every new preprint in this category as it appears on bioRxiv, ensuring you stay ahead of the curve. Each paper is accompanied by both a clear, plain-language overview and a detailed technical summary, making cutting-edge research accessible to everyone regardless of their background. Below are the latest papers in genomics, freshly summarized and ready for you to explore.

🧬 genomics

Complete Telomere-to-Telomere Assembly of the Y Chromosome in the Chinese Quartet

This study presents the first complete, gapless telomere-to-telomere assembly of the Y chromosome (CQ-chrY) for the father of the Chinese Quartet, integrating multi-platform sequencing data to resolve complex repetitive regions and provide a high-quality paternal haplotype resource for advancing East Asian genomic standards.

Wang, B., Wan, S., Zhang, P., Zhang, Y., Wang, X., Dong, L., Ye, K., Yang, X.2026-04-16
🧬 genomics

CSI-SSU: Phylogenetic contamination screening of genomic datasets, demonstrated on the Protist 10,000 Genomes (P10K) database

The authors present CSI-SSU, a scalable command-line tool that utilizes SSU phylogenetic placement and bacterial BUSCO searches to screen genomic assemblies for contamination and validate taxonomic identities, as demonstrated by its application to 2,960 assemblies from the Protist 10,000 Genomes (P10K) initiative.

Porfirio-Sousa, A. L., Jones, R. E., Brown, M. W., Lahr, D. J. G., Tice, A. K.2026-04-15
🧬 genomics

Lineage-specific CK2α deletion reshapes the transcriptome of hematopoietic stem cells toward an immune-primed state

This study demonstrates that lineage-specific deletion of the catalytic subunit CK2α in hematopoietic stem cells triggers a tissue-context-dependent transcriptional reprogramming toward an immune-primed state characterized by inflammatory signaling and altered cell-cell communication, mediated by specific immune-associated transcription factors.

Valensi, H., Rajaiah, R., Shanmugam, M., Muhammad, D., Golla, U., Mercer, K., Karampuri, A., Dovat, S., Behura, C. G., U (…)2026-04-15
🧬 genomics

MetaMuse: A Multi-Agent AI System for Biomedical Metadata Curation and Harmonization

MetaMuse is a modular multi-agent AI framework that autonomously extracts, validates, and standardizes unstructured biomedical metadata using a three-stage architecture of Curator, Arbitrator, and Normalizer agents, achieving over 95% accuracy while ensuring data integrity through conservative handling of ambiguous evidence.

Mittal, E., Litman, E., Myers, T., Agarwal, V., Gopinath, A., Kassis, T.2026-04-15
🧬 genomics

Effects of introgressed Neanderthal alleles on present-day brain morphology

By analyzing MRI data from nearly 40,000 UK Biobank participants, this study reveals that while Neanderthal alleles causing major neuroanatomical divergence were largely purged, a subset of tolerated introgressed variants continues to subtly shape present-day human brain morphology and influence susceptibility to neuropsychiatric disorders.

Zeloni, R., Amaolo, A., Morez Jacobs, A., Zapparoli, E., Akl, Y., Shafie, M., Huerta-Sanchez, E., Pizzagalli, F., Prover (…)2026-04-14
🧬 genomics

Palaeogenomics-informed inferences of European dog admixture enables scalable dingo conservation

By leveraging pre-colonial palaeogenomes to correct biases in existing methods, this study establishes a scalable framework for accurately estimating European dog admixture in dingoes, thereby revealing ancient population structures and enabling more effective, regionally informed conservation management.

Ravishankar, S., Nguyen, N. C., Taufik, L., Michielsen, N. M., Bergström, A., Tobler, R., Fordham, D., Brüniche-Olsen (…)2026-04-11
🧬 genomics

Living by the sea: chromosome-scale genome assembly and salt gland transcriptomes provide insights into ion regulatory mechanisms in the saline-tolerant mosquito Aedes togoi

This study presents a chromosome-scale genome assembly and salt gland transcriptome analysis of the saline-tolerant mosquito *Aedes togoi*, revealing novel genomic features and identifying key ion-transport mechanisms that enable its larvae to thrive in hyper-saline coastal environments.

Chiang, J., Khodikian, E., Phelan, O., Parra, A. K., Peach, D. A. H., Durant, A. C., Matthews, B. J.2026-04-11