Rumble in the genome: Unlocking the secrets of the tiny RNAs that keep self-serving, harmful genes in check

Developmental biologist Eric Lai, Ph.D., and his lab at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) have been studying hotbeds of biological conflict, except instead of battles between outside invaders and internal defenders, they’ve uncovered an evolutionary battle of the sexes fought using a group of recently emerged genes. This conflict between the X and Y chromosomes plays out in a hidden struggle between “selfish” genetic actors and the small strands of RNA that keep them in check.