Genetics

Dogs: more complicated than you ever imagined.

Ruff News: Man’s Best Friend May Have Been Domesticated Twice

Where did Fido come from? It’s complicated

Light- and dark-colored peppered moths. The black variety is thought to have evolved to camouflage moths on sooty surfaces during the Industrial Revolution.

New Evidence Shows Peppered Moths Changed Color in Sync With the Industrial Revolution

Scientists used “jumping genes” as a time machine to track down changes in moths’ appearance

Dorset Horn sheep are one of eight heritage livestock breeds currently living at SVF. The gene bank currently contains 30 breeds.

For One Day Only, Visit the Farm and Cryogenics Laboratory Trying to Save Endangered Livestock Breeds

Enjoy a farm tour, cryogenics demonstration and a heritage-breed beef burger at Newport, Rhode Island's Swiss Village Farm

Poverty doesn't just affect a child's chances for the future—it appears to change poor kids' very DNA.

Poverty Linked to DNA Changes That Could Lead to Mental Illness

Could a better understanding of the biomarkers of lower socieconomic status help raise kids out of poverty?

In his book The Gene: An Intimate History, Siddhartha Mukherjee discusses family, cancer, and the meaning of genetic normalcy.

Siddhartha Mukherjee Follows Up Biography of Cancer With “An Intimate History” of Genetics

The Pulitzer Prize winner calls his latest not a sequel, but a prequel to his bestseller

New Report Says Genetically Engineered Crops Are Safe—But It's Complicated

The National Academies of Science looked at over 900 studies on GMOs. Here are the five things you need to know

Historians Identify 35 Descendants of Leonardo da Vinci

Using historical documents and genealogical detective work, researchers have reconstructed 15 generations of Leonardo's family tree

Scientists Are Searching Out “Genetic Superheroes” to Cure Diseases

Out of almost 600,000 people, 13 seem to have mutations that prevent deadly diseases from being expressed

Figure from the Neanderthal Museum in Mettmann, Germany

New Study Details Interbreeding of Ancient Humans With Evolutionary Cousins

Genetic analysis shows multiple periods of inbreeding—trysts that may have given ancient humans the genetic tools they needed to survive

U.S. astronaut Scott Kelly (right) and his twin brother Mark attend a press conference ahead of NASA's "Year in Space" mission at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in 2015.

A Brief History of Twin Studies

As NASA dives into the data from astronaut twins, take a look back at the famous, and infamous, results we've seen from this popular research tool

The great pond snail is helping scientists make great leaps in their understanding of asymmetries in the animal kingdom.

Snail Shells Add a New Twist to the Mystery of Animal Asymmetries

After more than a century of searching, scientists have discovered a gene in snails that may control asymmetries inside many animals

Mutations in mitochondria (marked in blue) can lead to serious genetic diseases.

U.S Panel Deems "Three Parent Babies" Ethical to Test

Mitochondrial replacement therapy could help prevent genetic diseases

“One out of every four deer that you see on your lawn or in the woods is infected with malaria,” says Ellen Martinsen.

One in Four U.S. Deer Is Infected With Malaria

Scientists suspect the undetected blood parasite has been present in the animals ever since they arrived across the Bering Land Bridge

A human embryo at the four-cell stage.

British Scientists Get Permission to Genetically Modify Human Embryos for Research

The scientists plan to use genetic engineering techniques to study infertility

A girl in Vietnam puts flowers on her father’s grave in 1972

Vietnam Turns to DNA to Identify the Remains of Those Lost in the War

Technological advances in DNA analysis will make this massive effort possible

A piebald horse is usually called a pinto or paint in the U.S.

Geneticists Figured Out How Animals Get Their White Spots

The answer could help people with certain genetic conditions and diseases

In 1938, Hans Asperger, a pediatrician at the University of Vienna, described numerous children he observed as “autistic.”

The Early History of Autism in America

A surprising new historical analysis suggests that a pioneering doctor was examining people with autism before the Civil War

Deep Earth creepy crawlies, mushrooms making rain, and a Maya city buried in ash are just a few highlights from this year's collection of science stories.

Cool Science Stories You May Have Missed in 2015

Quantum spookiness, a Maya city buried in ash and more in this year’s surprising science

Say hello to your faithful friend Demodex folliculorum.

Your Hair Mites Are So Loyal Their DNA Reflects Your Ancestry

Mite DNA could hold clues to ancient human migrations and future skin health

Genetically-Modified Mosquitoes Could Help Fight Malaria

Two research groups offer two different solutions to one big problem

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