https://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/genetics/RSS feed for GeneticsenWed, 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/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/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-create-the-first-detailed-smell-map-of-odor-sensors-in-the-mouse-nose-and-sniff-out-some-surprises-180988639/In two new studies, researchers used genetic techniques to upend a longstanding assumption that nerve cells with scent detectors were randomly arranged. They don’t know whether the same spatial organization is found in human nosesWed, 29 Apr 2026 20:59:40 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-create-the-first-detailed-smell-map-of-odor-sensors-in-the-mouse-nose-and-sniff-out-some-surprises-180988639/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-fda-approves-the-first-ever-gene-therapy-for-deafness-which-aims-to-restore-hearing-in-kids-with-a-rare-inherited-condition-180988635/The agency's decision is based on results from a clinical trial in which the treatment improved hearing in 80 percent of the pediatric participants. However, Deaf community advocates worry about the push to cure hearing lossWed, 29 Apr 2026 17:44:40 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-fda-approves-the-first-ever-gene-therapy-for-deafness-which-aims-to-restore-hearing-in-kids-with-a-rare-inherited-condition-180988635/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-new-big-database-of-dna-from-indigenous-americans-shakes-up-scientific-theories-about-human-settlement-of-south-america-180988628/Genomic data provides evidence for a previously unknown wave of migration, with Indigenous groups living in central and southern Mexico spreading into South America and the Caribbean starting around 1,300 years agoTue, 28 Apr 2026 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-new-big-database-of-dna-from-indigenous-americans-shakes-up-scientific-theories-about-human-settlement-of-south-america-180988628/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-the-1-in-50-million-split-color-lobster-caught-off-the-coast-of-massachusetts-its-carrying-two-sets-of-genetic-information-180988615/The unusual-looking crustacean is two-toned, with a line dividing its body into an orange side and a brown side. This can happen when two fertilized, unlaid lobster eggs touch—causing one to absorb the otherMon, 27 Apr 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-the-1-in-50-million-split-color-lobster-caught-off-the-coast-of-massachusetts-its-carrying-two-sets-of-genetic-information-180988615/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/did-neanderthals-have-language-new-research-suggests-they-had-the-genetic-hardware-for-it-like-humans-180988620/Specific genomic regions that seem to play a role in human language development evolved hundreds of thousands of years ago, before humans and Neanderthals diverged from a common ancestor, a new study findsMon, 27 Apr 2026 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/did-neanderthals-have-language-new-research-suggests-they-had-the-genetic-hardware-for-it-like-humans-180988620/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/what-killed-the-neanderthals-new-research-suggests-a-lack-of-genetic-diversity-may-be-partially-to-blame-180988612/When the climate cooled, the population of Neanderthals shrank. Most that lived between 60,000 and 40,000 years ago were descended from the same lineage and had very similar DNAFri, 24 Apr 2026 14:04:18 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/what-killed-the-neanderthals-new-research-suggests-a-lack-of-genetic-diversity-may-be-partially-to-blame-180988612/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/humans-are-still-evolving-natural-selection-has-favored-genes-linked-to-red-hair-and-less-male-pattern-baldness-a-study-suggests-180988563/A massive study of ancient and modern DNA from thousands of West Eurasian people has identified nearly 500 genetic variants that evolution has selected for or against in recent historyWed, 22 Apr 2026 17:34:32 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/humans-are-still-evolving-natural-selection-has-favored-genes-linked-to-red-hair-and-less-male-pattern-baldness-a-study-suggests-180988563/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/large-invasive-rodents-are-wreaking-havoc-in-california-new-research-suggests-someone-deliberately-introduced-them-180988554/Genetic testing revealed that nutria living in California since 2017 are most closely related to a population in central Oregon—too far for the creatures to have traveled on their ownThu, 16 Apr 2026 16:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/large-invasive-rodents-are-wreaking-havoc-in-california-new-research-suggests-someone-deliberately-introduced-them-180988554/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/what-is-a-shark-a-new-genetic-analysis-throws-a-wrench-into-our-understanding-of-the-oceans-predators-180988501/Some shark species might belong to their own distinct lineage, which is separate from all other sharks, rays and skates, according to a new studyWed, 08 Apr 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/what-is-a-shark-a-new-genetic-analysis-throws-a-wrench-into-our-understanding-of-the-oceans-predators-180988501/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-engineered-tobacco-plants-to-produce-five-mind-altering-psychedelic-compounds-180988488/The substances have been used by Indigenous peoples for thousands of years, but they've recently become popular as possible therapeutics for mental health conditionsTue, 07 Apr 2026 15:58:12 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-engineered-tobacco-plants-to-produce-five-mind-altering-psychedelic-compounds-180988488/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-say-this-600-year-old-grape-seed-is-genetically-identical-to-modern-varieties-used-to-make-pinot-noir-180988437/Researchers analyzed grape seeds dating to between 2300 B.C.E. and 1500 C.E., including one particularly intriguing sample found in the toilet of a medieval hospital in FranceThu, 26 Mar 2026 17:43:27 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-say-this-600-year-old-grape-seed-is-genetically-identical-to-modern-varieties-used-to-make-pinot-noir-180988437/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/contrary-to-popular-belief-some-doodle-crossbred-dogs-may-have-more-behavioral-problems-than-their-purebred-parents-180988380/Pet owners often pick "designer dogs" because they think they’ll be easier to train and friendlier with kids than purebreeds. A new study suggests that's not always the caseFri, 20 Mar 2026 20:45:16 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/contrary-to-popular-belief-some-doodle-crossbred-dogs-may-have-more-behavioral-problems-than-their-purebred-parents-180988380/