Genetics
Aging Is Linked to More Activity in Short Genes Than in Long Genes
A detailed examination of gene activity in various organisms, including humans, reveals a new hallmark of the aging process
Genetics62 articles archived since 1845
Sex & Gender
Scientists Created Male and Female Cells from a Single Person
Cells with XX or XY chromosomes provide researchers with a new tool to study how differences in sex chromosomes can influence health and development
Genetics
DNA from Extinct Human Relative May Have Shaped Modern Papuans’ Immune System
DNA from Denisovans, an extinct human species, that was found in the genomes of Indigenous Papuans may mold their immune system
Genetics
World’s Oldest DNA Discovered, Revealing Ancient Arctic Forest Full of Mastodons
Two-million-year-old DNA, the world's oldest, reveals that mastodons once roamed forests in Greenland’s far northern reaches
Evolution
Chances of Finding COVID-Causing Virus Ancestor ‘Almost Nil,’ Virologists Say
A genome analysis finds SARS-CoV-2 and bat coronaviruses shared an ancestor just a few years ago, but extensive recombination has muddied the picture
Genetics
Why Elephants Don’t Get Cancer
Elephants use 20 copies of a key cancer-fighting gene—and humans just have one
Genetics
How the Ancient Viral DNA in Our Genome Affects Disease and Development
Human endogenous retroviruses make up 8 percent of the human genome. Researchers are studying how active they are
Anthropology
Discoveries about Ancient Human Evolution Win 2022 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
Svante Pääbo’s work on sequencing the DNA of Neandertals and Denisovans, which won the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, revealed surprising interbreeding among human species...
Genetics
Strange Tree Fern Has a Surprisingly Enormous Genome
A new study explores how the flying spider-monkey tree fern might hoard chromosomes
Genetics
Quantum Tunneling Makes DNA More Unstable
The freaky physics phenomenon of quantum tunneling may mutate genes
Genetics
Blind Cave Fish May Trade Color for Energy
Pasty cave fish seem to repurpose a melanin-making molecule to better survive famine
Genetics
See How Scientists Put Together the Complete Human Genome
For the first time, researchers have sequenced all 3,117,275,501 bases of our genetic code
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
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
