As newborn neurons migrate through the developing brain, they face a biological paradox: the tight spaces they must navigate inevitably damage their DNA, causing double-strand breaks. According to research released today, what makes this process work is the brain's built-in damage response. Scientists discovered that developing neural tissue can repair these breaks almost instantaneously, suggesting that rather than being a flaw to overcome, DNA damage during migration may be a necessary part of healthy brain wiring. It's an elegant solution to a fundamental constraint of brain development.

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