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Genetics

At 8, Jo Cameron broke her arm and didn't tell anyone for days because she didn't notice. Decades later her doctors found she had osteoarthritis by chance and she underwent surgery to remove the bone in her hand. A few drug store pain killers was all she need to ease her pain.

A Scottish Woman Doesn’t Feel Pain or Stress. Now Researchers Think They Know Why

Genetic analysis revealed that Jo Cameron has a previously unidentified mutation that may affect pain relief, memory and mood

Ewe can't hurry love.

New Research

Healthy Baby Lambs Born Using World’s Oldest Sperm

Ram semen survived 50 years frozen in liquid nitrogen, matched insemination success rate of sperm frozen for just one year

Archaeologists from the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration found this 19th-century clay pipe at the excavation site that contained the DNA of a woman who had connections to the region that is now modern-day Sierra Leone.

DNA From 200-Year-Old Pipe Links Enslaved Woman to Sierra Leone

A new genetic analysis suggests that certain artifacts can help descendants of enslaved people piece together their ancestral heritage

One of a series of images from the Illustrated London News for October 13, 1888 carrying the overall caption, "With the Vigilance Committee in the East End".

New Research

No, We Still Cannot Confirm the Identity of Jack the Ripper

The case for the unmasking is tied to a shawl alleged to have been found next to Ripper victim Catherine Eddowes, but its provenance is uncertain

Astrobatrachus kurichiyana, also known as the "starry dwarf frog," has only been found on a single hill range in India's Western Ghats.

Newly Discovered Starry Dwarf Frogs Are Lone Species of an Ancient Lineage

The newly discovered ‘oddball frog’ species dwells in India’s Western Ghats, one of the hottest of the biodiversity hotspots

A drinking horn made from the horn of an aurochs bull.

Testing the DNA in Museum Artifacts Can Unlock New Natural History, but Is it Worth the Potential Damage?

Museums house a wealth of rare animal specimens, such as arctic clothing, medieval parchment and Viking drinking horns, but DNA testing can be destructive

In theory, all you’d need to do is give a blood sample and his test would indicate whether you have allergies to a certain substance or not.

Teen Inventor Designs Noninvasive Allergy Screen Using Genetics and Machine Learning

Seventeen-year-old Ayush Alag is one of 40 finalists in this year’s Regeneron Science Talent Search

The "London patient" stopped taking his anti-H.I.V. drugs 18 months ago and has been in remission ever since

H.I.V. Has Reportedly Been ‘Cured’ for Only the Second Time Ever

A London man is in long-term remission following a successful bone marrow stem cell transplant

Kitten-sized Lil Bub has extra toes on each paw, no teeth and an undersized jaw that makes her tongue perpetually stick out

Genome Sequencing Offers Clues About Celebrity Cat Lil Bub’s Unusual Appearance

Researchers identified the mutations responsible for the tabby’s extra toes, tiny stature

Illustration shows two sperm fertilizing an egg.

Doctors Identify Very Rare ‘Semi-Identical’ Twins

There is only one other known case of this unusual type of conception, which happens when an egg is fertilized by two sperm

Computer technician Joyce Cade works on a UNIVAC computer at a United States Census Bureau installation in Maryland which was used to tabulate the results of the 1954 Census of Business.

Women’s Contributions to Early Genetics Studies Were Relegated to the Footnotes

While women scientists were frequently “acknowledged programmers” in population genetics research, few of them received full authorship

The complicated tree of human evolution could include extinct species that have not yet been discovered.

Artificial Intelligence Study of Human Genome Finds Unknown Human Ancestor

The genetic footprint of a “ghost population” may match that of a Neanderthal and Denisovan hybrid fossil found in Siberia

Scientists studying bacteria in the gut continue to find evidence of the role these organisms play in human health.

Scientists Find a Possible Link Between Gut Bacteria and Depression

A new study identifies bacteria in the microbiome that could produce neurotransmitters and potentially influence activity in the brain

Common fruit flies are ideal for complex genetic screens because of their short lifespan, relatively small genome and low cost.

Meet Nemuri, the Gene That Puts Flies to Sleep and Helps Them Fight Infection

A team of researchers looked at 8,015 genes and found one that made the insects super-sleepers

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Dr. Jean Bennett & Dr. Katherine High Win $1 Million Sanford Lorraine Cross Award

A rare, blue-eyed coyote

Rare Blue-Eyed Coyotes Spotted in California

Coyotes’ eyes are consistently golden-brown, so researchers have been surprised to learn of five California coyotes with piercing baby blues

New Research

Chickens Might Lay Your Future Prescriptions

Tests show cancer-fighting and immune-boosting proteins can be produced in the egg whites of genetically-modified cluckers

The axolotl genome is the largest set of genetic instructions that has ever been fully sequenced, more than ten times larger than a human genome.

Complete Axolotl Genome Could Reveal the Secret of Regenerating Tissues

The aquatic salamander’s genome is one of the most complex sets of genetic instructions in the world

Nazi official Rudolf Hess delivering a public address in 1937.

DNA Analysis Debunks the Rumor That Rudolf Hess Was Replaced by a Doppelgänger

For decades, rumors have swirled that the Nazi official imprisoned by the British was actually an imposter

Mothers and babies gather for a "Better Baby Contest" in Minnesota in 1920.

‘Better Babies’ Contests Pushed for Much-Needed Infant Health but Also Played Into the Eugenics Movement

Contests around the country judged infants like they would livestock as a motivator for parents to take better care of their children

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