Genetics

Humans' CMAH gene mutation may enable them to exhibit higher endurance over long periods of exercise

Human Gene Mutation May Have Paved the Way for Long-Distance Running

Mice with engineered versions of the CMAH gene exhibited 30 percent better endurance than those without

Lines of cocaine.

Genetic Skin Graft Helps Mice Kick Cocaine Habit

A new treatment using CRISPR helps reduce cocaine cravings in mice, and it may be able to treat human addiction in the future

Gene Editing Treats Muscular Dystrophy in Dogs

CRISPR gene editing has relieved symptoms of a canine version of Duchenne muscular dystrophy in four puppies, raising hope for humans

The corn variety Sierra Mixe grows aerial roots that produce a sweet mucus that feeds bacteria. The bacteria, in turn, pull nitrogen out of the air and fertilize the corn. If scientists can breed this trait into conventional corn, it could lead to a revolution in agriculture.

The Corn of the Future Is Hundreds of Years Old and Makes Its Own Mucus

This rare variety of corn has evolved a way to make its own nitrogen, which could revolutionize farming

A Unique Enzyme Gives Bermuda Fireworms Their Glow

A new study reveals the secret to the invertebrates’ dazzling mating ritual

Birds don’t fly across wide Amazonian rivers like the Rio Negro.

How Amazon Rivers Play a Role in the Evolution of Birds

Rivers are natural boundaries for evolving populations. But scientists don't agree whether they create new species or just help maintain them.

Liang Bua cave on Flores Island, where Homo floresiensis remains were discovered in 2003. Nearby is a village where the pygmies live.

A New Genetic Study Suggests Modern Flores Island Pygmies and Ancient Hobbits Are Unrelated

The island dwarfism effect seems to have occurred independently in each population, thousands of years apart

Fathers can communicate their priorities through a growing fetus, which can express a set of paternal instructions that increase future care from mothers.

How Dad's Genes Can Prepare Mom for Parenthood

Even fathers who don’t provide childcare to their offspring have a way of securing their kids’ futures—by ramping up mom’s hormones

Could spider plants alert you of carbon monoxide, or even the flu, lurking in your home?

Could Houseplants Keep Tabs on the Health of Your Home?

Researchers at the University of Tennessee look at the possibility of using plants as biosensors to detect dangers like mold or radon

Scientists don full-body suits to minimize contamination and disturbance of the precious artifacts uncovered in the 1617 church in Jamestown, Virginia, where a new skeleton awaits identification.

A Jamestown Skeleton is Unearthed, but Only Time—and Science—Will Reveal His True Identity

Jamestown Rediscovery archeologists use new technology to uncover the bones of one of the first English colonists

The science behind the uptick in cheetah births includes a new fecal hormone method to determine pregnancy in the animals.

Zoo Announces Another Seven Adorable Cheetah Cubs Are Born

With wild populations threatened, emerging and new techniques in the breeding science is growing ever more critical

Humans and other animals share large amounts of genetic material, making geneticists rethink the traditional notion of inheritance.

Genes That Jump Between Species Could Rewrite Our Understanding of Evolution

Horizontal movement of genetic material is widespread across animals, challenging traditional notions of inheritance

Two tacos, extra ghost pepper sauce, please!

Tree Shrews Love Hot Peppers Because They Don't Feel the Burn

A genetic mutation prevents Chinese tree shrews from feeling the heat of capsaicin, making them the only other mammal besides humans that enjoys hot foods

A male bee releasing its seminal fluid at the USDA bee lab in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The male does not survive the process.

Is the Key to Saving Pollinators … Honey Bee Semen?

In the hopes of preserving their genetic diversity, entomologists are collecting and freezing this valuable fluid

An African yellow house bat.

Two New Yellow-Bellied Bats May Have Been Found in Kenya

Genetic analysis of 100 bats revealed two previously unknown lineages

Koala populations are expected to drop by 50 percent over the next 20 years

Newly Mapped Koala Genome Unlocks Secrets of Marsupial’s Diet, Susceptibility to Chlamydia

The cuddly creatures can survive on a diet of high-toxin eucalyptus leaves thanks to detoxifying genes

This scrotal male certainly isn't sheepish.

The Earliest Mammals Kept Their Cool With Descended Testicles

But if free-swinging sperm sacs are the norm, then why did undescended ones evolve four separate times?

Genetic revelations are shifting the story of the Cuban crocodile and raising questions about the right way to conserve it.

The Quest to Preserve the Last of Castro's Crocodiles

Breeders are trying to save a 'pure' Cuban crocodile—but out in the wild, divisions between species are increasingly murky

The first insect found trapped in ancient amber wasn’t a mosquito, but an overstuffed weevil.

Jurassic Park's Unlikely Symbiosis With Real-World Science

The 1993 film showed both the promise and misconceptions that surround ancient DNA

We now know that velociraptors were closer to dog-sized than horse-sized, meaning full-grown Blue should be closer to these dimensions. Also: FEATHERS.

Five Ways Real Science Would Make the New <i>Jurassic World</i> So Much Better

It appears that <i>Fallen Kingdom</i> has not evolved alongside 21st century research

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