Experiments explain the events behind molecular 'bomb' seen in cancer cells

Since scientists have begun sequencing the genome of cancer cells, they have noticed a curious pattern. In many different types of cancers, there are cells in which a part of a chromosome looks like it has been pulverized, then put back together incorrectly, leading to multiple mutations. For years, this phenomenon puzzled scientists. But new research from The Rockefeller University suggests an explanation for this strange molecular explosion that serves as a precursor to cancer.