Archaeology
How Humans’ Ability to Digest Milk Evolved from Famine and Disease
A landmark study is the first major effort to quantify how lactose tolerance developed
Genetics30 articles archived since 1845
Genetics
‘Frog Skin’ Cell Type Found in Mammal Mouths
Salivary glands make unexpected use of tiny ionocytes, essential to frogs and fish
Epidemiology
Why is Monkeypox Evolving So Fast?
The virus circulating in the current outbreak has mutated 50 times in the past four years
Genetics
Genomic Sequencing Is Critical to Our Understanding of COVID
With infections still surging, the U.S. needs to invest in this technology to prepare for the next variants
Epidemiology
COVID Variants Found in Sewage Weeks before Showing Up in Tests
A technique that detects coronavirus strains circulating in a community could become an early-warning system
Reproduction
New Abortion Laws Could Make Prenatal Genetic Screening Harder to Do
States that outlaw abortions after a certain number of weeks could make it difficult or impossible to terminate a pregnancy because of a serious genetic disorder
Animals
Sequencing Cat Genomes Could Help Breed Healthier Kitties
A study of more than 11,000 felines reveals the benefits of genetic testing before breeding
Archaeology
Ancient Women’s Teeth Reveal Origins of 14th-Century Black Death
A medieval cemetery yields DNA evidence of the deadly pandemic bacterium’s Central Asian ancestor
Genetics
How Parachute Frogs Took to the Sky
Broad-webbed feet help them glide through rain-forest canopies
Biochemistry
‘Superworms’ Eat—and Survive on—Polystyrene
Identifying the gut microbes in plastic-munching beetle larvae illuminates bacteria that could help degrade plastic waste
Genetics
Stress Management Helped Wolves Become Dogs
Genetic mutations related to production of the stress hormone cortisol may have played a role in the process of canine domestication
Genetics
Insights from Pregnancy Could Help Fight Cancer
The placenta’s invasion of the uterus holds clues to cancer resistance
Ethics
Scientists Must Consider the Risk of Racist Misappropriation of Research
The Buffalo massacre shooter contorted genetic studies to support his hateful views
Genetics
Science Must Not Be Used to Foster White Supremacy
It’s scientists’ responsibility to reveal the inherent biases of studies used to disparage Black people and other groups
Health Care
What Genetics Can—and Cannot—Reveal about an Individual’s COVID Risk
Genome-wide association studies can sleuth out genetic markers that raise or lower COVID risk, but they miss social factors
Genetics
Dogs’ Personalities Aren’t Determined by Their Breed
A new genetic study shows generalizing breeds as affectionate or aggressive doesn’t hold up
Genetics
A Single Gene in One Species Can Cause Other Species to Go Extinct
This “keystone” variant of a gene could make or break a food web in an experimental system
Genetics
Completing the Human Genome Sequence (Again)
The Telomere-to-Telomere consortium just sequenced the tricky final 10 percent of the essentially complete human genome
Genetics
Airborne DNA Can Reveal Earth’s Biodiversity
Genetic material in the air holds clues to nearby wildlife, studies reveal
Genetics
Desert Plants’ Adaptations Help Them Thrive
Genes found in the flora could help crops and biofuels survive more drastic extremes
