Articles tagged as DNA | Smithsonian Magazine

Cool Finds

Dog Owners Beware, DNA in Dog Poop Could Be Used to Track You Down

A Chicago apartment building is trying out a new scheme to catch four-legged offenders and their humans

March 30, 2016

What a Tiny Fish Can Tell Us About How Humans Stood Upright

What is the root of why our ancestors gained the power to walk on two feet and chimpanzees didn’t?

April 2016

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

New Research

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

February 25, 2016

New Research

Here’s the Latest on Penguins

From invasive “fairies” to huddling chicks, penguins are the perfect pick-me-up

February 5, 2016

White rhinos graze in Nakuru National Park, Kenya.

Future of Conservation

Five Ways to Fight Wildlife Crime in the Digital Age

From GPS-tagged eggs to smartphone apps, these emerging technologies could help give endangered species a chance at survival

February 2, 2016

The first Denisovan tooth that was discovered in 2008

New Research

DNA from a Huge Tooth Confirms a New Ancient Cousin

The Denisovans may have co-existed and interbred with Neanderthals and Homo sapiens

November 17, 2015

Cool Finds

This Ear Was Made With Vincent Van Gogh’s DNA

What secrets have been whispered into this creepy, living copy of the most famous ear in art history?

November 10, 2015

The Russian Imperial Family, as photographed in 1911. The Russian Orthodox Church has not recognized the remains of Maria (second from left) and Alexei (second from right), despite DNA analysis.

A new DNA analysis aims to end speculation about the last Romanovs—but hasn’t the mystery already been solved?

November 6, 2015

The Rise of DIY Genetic Testing

Some people are skipping the doctor’s office and using the internet to order and interpret their own DNA tests

October 13, 2015

Estela de Carlotto, president of Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo. de Carlotto’s grandson was recovered 36 years after he was abducted and adopted by another family.

A national genetic bank and novel identification techniques have helped identify over 100 children abducted during Argentina’s “Dirty War”

September 3, 2015

New Research

How Elephant Poop is Helping Nab Ivory Poachers

Scientists match DNA in seized tusks to elephant dung to map where poaching is taking place

June 22, 2015

In a recent ad campaign, portraits of litterers made from DNA taken from tossed cigarettes, coffee cups and condoms were posted in public places around Hong Kong.

DNA Testing Could Identify Litterbugs and Dog Poop Miscreants

Anonymous crimes may not be quite so anonymous anymore

May 6, 2015

New Research

This Mysterious Plant Doesn’t Have Time for Junk DNA

Utricularia gibba has less DNA, but more genes

February 24, 2015

New Research

Is DNA the Solution for Permanent Data Storage?

New study uses “synthetic fossils” to store data for the ages

February 17, 2015

New Research

Scientists Identify a “DNA Clock” That May Help Predict Mortality

New studies on changes to DNA that occur over a lifetime offer insight into an individual’s likelihood of early death

February 3, 2015

But his racist comments have created a surge of pushback

December 2, 2014

Moai on the slopes of the Rano Raraku volcano of Easter Island

New Research

Ancient Easter Islanders Likely Sailed Back And Forth to South America

The 4,600-mile roundtrip couldn’t have been easy—even for people who had already migrated from Polynesia in wooden outrigger canoes

October 29, 2014

Diver Susan Bird works at the bottom of Hoyo Negro, a large dome-shaped underwater cave on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. She carefully brushes the human skull found at the site while her team members take detailed photographs.

New Research

DNA From 12,000-Year-Old Skeleton Helps Answer the Question: Who Were the First Americans?

In 2007, cave divers discovered remains that form the oldest, most complete and genetically intact human skeleton in the New World

May 15, 2014

A scientist examines a 1500-year-old tooth from a Justinian plague victim in the lab.

Bubonic Plague Family Tree Sheds Light on the Risk of New Outbreaks

The Black Death and the Justinian Plague arose separately from the same pathogen. Could a new strain emerge in the future?

January 28, 2014

New Research

Two Pints of Water Can Contain the DNA of Thousands of Fish

Two pints of water from a 1.2 million gallon tank were all that was needed to identify 13,000 fish

January 20, 2014