Genetics | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/genetics/RSS feed for GeneticsenTue, 29 Sep 2026 18:16:27 +0000Anthropic Says Its A.I. Discovered a New Enzyme System That Resembles the Revolutionary Gene-Editing Tool CRISPRhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/anthropic-says-its-ai-discovered-a-new-enzyme-system-that-resembles-the-revolutionary-gene-editing-tool-crispr-180989578/Experts at the company don't know what the newfound system does, so its potential utility in biology—if any—remains unclear. But the work marks a major advancement because the A.I. made this discovery mostly on its ownTue, 29 Sep 2026 18:16:27 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/anthropic-says-its-ai-discovered-a-new-enzyme-system-that-resembles-the-revolutionary-gene-editing-tool-crispr-180989578/Meet the 'Fire Amoeba,' a Newfound Blobby Organism That's Defying Expectations About How Much Heat Complex Life Can Handlehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/meet-the-fire-amoeba-a-newfound-blobby-organism-thats-defying-expectations-about-how-much-heat-complex-life-can-handle-180989557/The newly described species, found in Northern California's Lassen Volcanic National Park, can still reproduce at 145 degrees Fahrenheit and move around at 147 degrees, according to a new studyMon, 28 Sep 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/meet-the-fire-amoeba-a-newfound-blobby-organism-thats-defying-expectations-about-how-much-heat-complex-life-can-handle-180989557/Where Did Bats Originate? Huge Genetic Study May Have Settled the Longstanding Debate and Rewritten the Creatures' Evolutionary Treehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/where-did-bats-originate-huge-genetic-study-may-have-settled-the-longstanding-debate-and-rewritten-the-creatures-evolutionary-tree-180989568/The flying mammals likely arose 65 million years ago in Europe, before spreading to Africa and then the rest of the world, according to the new researchFri, 25 Sep 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/where-did-bats-originate-huge-genetic-study-may-have-settled-the-longstanding-debate-and-rewritten-the-creatures-evolutionary-tree-180989568/Did Thomas Jefferson Father Sally Hemings' Children? After More Than a Decade of Research, the Answer Is Finally Firmly in Handhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/did-thomas-jefferson-father-sally-hemings-children-after-more-than-decade-research-answer-finally-firmly-hand-180989331/A lock of hair, advances in genetic science and a community of descendants all contributed to solving an American mysteryTue, 22 Sep 2026 04:01:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/did-thomas-jefferson-father-sally-hemings-children-after-more-than-decade-research-answer-finally-firmly-hand-180989331/Meet the Adorable and Tiny Tilcayo, the First Brand-New Cat Species Identified in More Than a Centuryhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/meet-the-adorable-and-tiny-tilcayo-the-first-brand-new-cat-species-identified-in-more-than-a-century-180989528/Discovered in a cloud forest in Bolivia, the diminutive felines are smaller than a house cat and covered in large, irregularly shaped rosettesMon, 21 Sep 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/meet-the-adorable-and-tiny-tilcayo-the-first-brand-new-cat-species-identified-in-more-than-a-century-180989528/Part of Your Personality Is Encoded in Your Genes. Huge Analysis Links Characteristics to More Than 1,200 Common Genetic Variantshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/part-of-your-ersonality-is-encoded-in-your-genes-huge-analysis-links-characteristics-to-more-than-1200-common-genetic-variants-180989450/A new meta-analysis pooled data from more than one million people to look at the crossover between DNA and the "Big Five" personality traits: openness to experience, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness and neuroticismFri, 04 Sep 2026 11:37:58 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/part-of-your-ersonality-is-encoded-in-your-genes-huge-analysis-links-characteristics-to-more-than-1200-common-genetic-variants-180989450/Allergic to Dogs? These Gene-Edited Beagles Could Pave the Way to Your Dream Canine Companion That Won't Trigger Sniffleshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/allergic-to-dogs-these-gene-edited-beagles-could-pave-the-way-to-your-dream-canine-companion-that-wont-trigger-sniffles-180989303/Geneticists altered Alfie and Bailey’s DNA so that they don't produce a major allergen. However, canines like them are not currently commercially available, and some experts express ethical concerns about altering the animals' genesTue, 01 Sep 2026 19:12:02 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/allergic-to-dogs-these-gene-edited-beagles-could-pave-the-way-to-your-dream-canine-companion-that-wont-trigger-sniffles-180989303/See the Digitally Reconstructed Face of an Ancient Man Who Witnessed England’s Greatest Upheavalhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-the-digitally-reconstructed-face-of-an-ancient-man-who-witnessed-englands-greatest-upheaval-180989425/The so-called “Conquest Man” was buried in England in 1079, just over a decade into the reign of William the Conqueror. Researchers recently analyzed the skeleton’s DNA and teeth to learn more about himMon, 31 Aug 2026 20:35:48 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-the-digitally-reconstructed-face-of-an-ancient-man-who-witnessed-englands-greatest-upheaval-180989425/An 'Extremely Rare' Half-Male, Half-Female Bird Temporarily Took Up Residence Outside of Chicagohttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/an-extremely-rare-half-male-half-female-bird-temporarily-took-up-residence-outside-of-chicago-180989377/The unusual-looking bobolink is what's called a bilateral gynandromorph. The bird behaved like a male, eventually wooing a mate and raising fledglingsFri, 21 Aug 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/an-extremely-rare-half-male-half-female-bird-temporarily-took-up-residence-outside-of-chicago-180989377/Why Are Some Octopuses So Smart? The Answer Might Lie in a Never-Before-Seen Mutation That Helps Them Accurately Build Proteinshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-are-some-octopuses-so-smart-the-answer-might-lie-in-a-never-before-seen-mutation-that-helps-them-accurately-build-proteins-180989319/Scientists discovered a strange feature in certain octopuses’ ribosomal RNA, molecules that create a 3D scaffold for cellular protein factories. It was found only in shallow-water creatures that have expanded nervous systems and can do complex behaviorsWed, 19 Aug 2026 16:00:10 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-are-some-octopuses-so-smart-the-answer-might-lie-in-a-never-before-seen-mutation-that-helps-them-accurately-build-proteins-180989319/Here's Why These Male Spiders Sacrifice Themselves by Somersaulting Into Females' Fangs While Matinghttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/heres-why-these-male-spiders-sacrifice-themselves-by-somersaulting-into-females-fangs-while-mating-180989337/A new study suggest that even strange, complex animal behaviors can have a relatively simple genetic basisFri, 14 Aug 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/heres-why-these-male-spiders-sacrifice-themselves-by-somersaulting-into-females-fangs-while-mating-180989337/Got a Brawny Build? You Might Be Able to Thank Your Neanderthal Ancestors, According to a New Studyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/got-a-brawny-build-you-might-be-able-to-thank-your-neanderthal-ancestors-according-to-a-new-study-180989306/New research hints that some living people inherited a gene variant from Neanderthals that has made them slightly taller and more muscular than their peersTue, 11 Aug 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/got-a-brawny-build-you-might-be-able-to-thank-your-neanderthal-ancestors-according-to-a-new-study-180989306/Spinal Deformities in Saber-Toothed Cat Fossils Reveal How the Now-Extinct Felines May Have Spent Their Final Dayshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/spinal-deformities-in-saber-toothed-cat-fossils-reveal-how-the-now-extinct-felines-may-have-spent-their-final-days-180989237/Researchers studied saber-toothed cat vertebrae found in the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles. They identified a surprisingly high number of deformations, including signs of spinal nerve tumors, hinting at a dwindling population suffering the consequences of inbreedingMon, 10 Aug 2026 15:36:44 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/spinal-deformities-in-saber-toothed-cat-fossils-reveal-how-the-now-extinct-felines-may-have-spent-their-final-days-180989237/Traces of Two Extinct 'Ghost' Ancestors Were Found Hiding in Modern Human DNA, Hinting at Our Extremely Complex Family Treehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/traces-of-two-extinct-ghost-ancestors-were-found-hiding-in-modern-human-dna-hinting-at-our-extremely-complex-family-tree-180989250/Researchers used a new method to investigate past interbreeding with Homo sapiens that doesn't require ancient DNA. The technique identified areas of living humans' genomes that came from unknown hominins, including one from a 1.8-million-year-old lineageFri, 07 Aug 2026 15:34:44 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/traces-of-two-extinct-ghost-ancestors-were-found-hiding-in-modern-human-dna-hinting-at-our-extremely-complex-family-tree-180989250/After Receiving a Custom Experimental Medicine, a Teen With a Rare Genetic Disorder Walked on His Own for the First Timehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/after-receiving-a-custom-experimental-medicine-a-teen-with-a-rare-genetic-disorder-walked-on-his-own-for-the-first-time-180989230/The patient's genetic disorder causes frequent seizures and developmental delays. His progress, along with that of another boy who received a similar personalized treatment, highlights the promise—and challenges—of tailor-made drugsMon, 03 Aug 2026 17:31:49 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/after-receiving-a-custom-experimental-medicine-a-teen-with-a-rare-genetic-disorder-walked-on-his-own-for-the-first-time-180989230/