Genetics

Ask Smithsonian: Are Cats Domesticated?

There is little genetic difference between a tabby and a wild cat, so scientists think the house cat is only domestic when it wants to be

Light micrograph of a two-celled human zygote (the earliest stages of the embryo)

Gene Editing in Human Embryos Ignites Controversy

Chinese researchers have published the results of using a new gene-editing tool on human embryos

An Aedes aegypti mosquito stops for a quick bite.

Genes Make Some People More Attractive to Mosquitoes

Certain body odors appear to entice the pesky bloodsuckers—and those smells may be hereditary

Why Syria’s Protecting Seeds From Its War

When civil war broke out in Syria, scientists saved more than 80 percent of a priceless trove of seeds

NASA’s Twin Study May Never Be Published

Privacy concerns could stymie NASA’s study of Scott and Mark Kelly

In the Argentine village of San Antonio de los Cobres, some people have a genetic mutation that helps them cope with the high levels of arsenic present in their drinking water.

Centuries of Poison-Laced Water Gave These People a Tolerance to Arsenic

Some citizens of a remote village in the Andes have a genetic adaptation that allows them to quickly process high levels of arsenic, a new study shows

The tropical fire ant is the first known ant to travel the world by sea.

How 16th Century Trade Made Fire Ants an Early Global Invader

By inadvertently stowing away in Spanish ships, one pesky little insect quickly spread throughout much of the world

Revolution Bioengineering is working to genetically engineer petunias that continuously change from pink to blue and back again.

Would You Like to Grow Color-Changing Flowers?

A Colorado company is working to genetically engineer petunias that change colors throughout the day

The Great Barrier Reef Is Doing So Badly, Scientist Are Testing Genetic Modification to Help It Survive

As the health of the Great Barrier Reef declines, scientists are hoping “assisted evolution” might keep its coral alive

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

A male houbara bustard putting on an infinitely sexy "booming" display to impress the ladies.

Old Male Bustards Have Less Desirable Sperm

Male birds don’t just lose their female-wooing prowess as they age, but also their ability to sire healthy chicks

Why We Can Thank Bats for Bedbugs

Scientists have proven through genetics that bats were the first hosts to the pesky parasite before passing them on to ancient humans

Earthwork Portrait of Genghis Khan

Ten Other Men Left Genetic Legacies So Huge They Rival Genghis Khan's

A new study shows that 10 other men founded large Y-chromosome lineages

Naked mole rats are likely contenders for the most hideously adorable creature on Earth - but also one of the longest lived.

The Secret to a Long Life: Be Cooperative and Live Underground

Naked mole rats enjoy exceptionally long, healthy lives, and there's more than good genes at work

Non-GMO E. coli bacteria

These New GMOs Need Artificial Compounds to Live

It’s genetic engineering with the safety on

Neuroscientists Found Eight Genes That Govern Human Brain Size

A consortium of neuroscientists compared medical data from over 30,000 people and found genetic mutations that may cause parts of the brain to be smaller

Toystory the Bull Fathered 500,000 Cows Before He Died

Toystory, a Wisconsin “dream bull,” had more than half a million offspring at last count and is the stuff of legend.

The Academy's live Lexias pardais with gynandromorphism

A Museum’s Butterfly Emerged Half Male, Half Female

The rarity is like a natural experiment that tells scientists how genes and hormones interact to produce different sexes

An Asian tiger mosquito in action.

Could GM Mosquitoes Pave the Way for a Tropical Virus to Spread?

Modified insects designed to stop dengue fever could make it easier for another disease-carrying species to take root

A bowhead whale is the longest-living mammal on earth

How a 200-Year-Old Whale Might Help Us Live Longer

Scientists have sequenced the genome of the world’s oldest-living mammal in search of the keys to longevity

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