STR Abacus

Proposed Cover Art

Publication:

Patterns of de novo tandem repeat mutations and their role in autism.

Nature, 589, p. 246–250 (2021)

The paper discusses a connection between a higher number of mutations at short tandem repeats (STRs) and the likelihood of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

In the proposed cover art, an abacus is depicted as a metaphor for the counting process of STR units. DNA strains / rods where more beads have been counted (or moved to the left) are highlighted in ochre, indicating a higher number of repeat copies of the STR within that genome.