https://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/genetics/RSS feed for GeneticsenTue, 30 Jun 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-did-neanderthals-go-extinct-inbreeding-probably-wasnt-to-blame-for-their-demise-in-northwestern-europe-a-study-suggests-180989032/In contrast to those who resided in Siberia, Neanderthals who lived in what's now Belgium and France shortly before the species vanished seem to have been genetically diverse and healthyTue, 30 Jun 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-did-neanderthals-go-extinct-inbreeding-probably-wasnt-to-blame-for-their-demise-in-northwestern-europe-a-study-suggests-180989032/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-used-ai-to-redesign-a-microbes-machinery-to-function-without-a-key-ingredient-of-life-180988802/Although the researchers did not create an entire cell that could function without a crucial building block, the findings represent a big step in synthetic biology and provide a glimpse at how Earth’s earliest organisms may have livedWed, 27 May 2026 15:46:47 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-used-ai-to-redesign-a-microbes-machinery-to-function-without-a-key-ingredient-of-life-180988802/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-detect-an-elusive-giant-squid-and-many-other-surprising-marine-animals-off-western-australia-thanks-to-dna-in-the-water-180988812/Mucus, feces, skin and other shed tissue allowed researchers to investigate which creatures have been swimming in two deep-sea canyons without having to observe or catch themTue, 26 May 2026 20:31:59 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-detect-an-elusive-giant-squid-and-many-other-surprising-marine-animals-off-western-australia-thanks-to-dna-in-the-water-180988812/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/groundbreaking-dna-analysis-identifies-13-million-living-relatives-of-colonial-marylands-earliest-settlers-180988778/Experts compared DNA from 49 skeletons buried in a cemetery in St. Mary's City to genetic data shared by 11.5 million 23andMe users. They also identified what may be the remains of the colony's second governorThu, 21 May 2026 14:49:03 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/groundbreaking-dna-analysis-identifies-13-million-living-relatives-of-colonial-marylands-earliest-settlers-180988778/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/gentoo-penguins-may-actually-be-four-different-species-scientists-say-revealing-theyre-not-quite-winners-of-climate-change-after-all-180988769/A new study indicates that the adaptable birds evolved into distinct lineages as isolated populations shifted to match their environmental conditions over time. The work has implications for how conservationists assess threats to gentoosWed, 20 May 2026 19:09:30 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/gentoo-penguins-may-actually-be-four-different-species-scientists-say-revealing-theyre-not-quite-winners-of-climate-change-after-all-180988769/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/de-extinction-company-says-it-hatched-chicks-from-artificial-eggs-paving-the-way-for-resurrecting-dodos-and-other-bygone-birds-180988766/Colossal Biosciences announced that 26 live baby chickens have emerged from 3D-printed honeycomb structures. But the company does not plan to detail the system in a paper, and its mission has faced criticismTue, 19 May 2026 20:09:04 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/de-extinction-company-says-it-hatched-chicks-from-artificial-eggs-paving-the-way-for-resurrecting-dodos-and-other-bygone-birds-180988766/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-relaxation-of-listening-to-a-song-or-drawing-a-picture-may-actually-slow-cellular-aging-new-research-show-180988734/According to a new study, people who are exposed to art on a weekly basis are about a year younger "biologically" than those exposed only once or twice per yearWed, 13 May 2026 20:39:43 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-relaxation-of-listening-to-a-song-or-drawing-a-picture-may-actually-slow-cellular-aging-new-research-show-180988734/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/potatoes-didnt-just-feed-ancient-indigenous-communities-in-the-andes-the-tasty-tubers-also-reshaped-peoples-dna-180988732/A new study finds that Indigenous Andeans living in what is now Peru have extra copies of a gene called AMY1, which helps the body digest starchTue, 12 May 2026 21:13:28 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/potatoes-didnt-just-feed-ancient-indigenous-communities-in-the-andes-the-tasty-tubers-also-reshaped-peoples-dna-180988732/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-fall-of-the-roman-empire-was-less-a-clash-of-civilizations-and-more-an-opportunity-to-mix-and-mingle-a-new-genetics-study-shows-180988699/Researchers who analyzed genomes from early medieval graves in modern-day Germany hypothesize that people from the former Roman Empire formed families with Germanic people soon after the empire fellFri, 08 May 2026 15:54:58 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-fall-of-the-roman-empire-was-less-a-clash-of-civilizations-and-more-an-opportunity-to-mix-and-mingle-a-new-genetics-study-shows-180988699/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/nearly-half-of-italys-wolves-are-part-dog-now-thanks-to-hybridization-is-that-a-threat-to-the-species-180988682/Wolf-dog hybrids are growing far more common in Italy, raising scientists’ concerns for the future of the wolvesWed, 06 May 2026 11:30:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/nearly-half-of-italys-wolves-are-part-dog-now-thanks-to-hybridization-is-that-a-threat-to-the-species-180988682/