Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Genetics

Cool Finds

Historians Identify 35 Descendants of Leonardo da Vinci

Using historical documents and genealogical detective work, researchers have reconstructed 15 generations of Leonardo’s family tree

New Research

Scientists Are Searching Out “Genetic Superheroes” to Cure Diseases

Out of almost 600,000 people, 13 seem to have mutations that prevent deadly diseases from being expressed

Figure from the Neanderthal Museum in Mettmann, Germany

New Research

New Study Details Interbreeding of Ancient Humans With Evolutionary Cousins

Genetic analysis shows multiple periods of inbreeding—trysts that may have given ancient humans the genetic tools they needed to survive

U.S. astronaut Scott Kelly (right) and his twin brother Mark attend a press conference ahead of NASA's "Year in Space" mission at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in 2015.

A Brief History of Twin Studies

As NASA dives into the data from astronaut twins, take a look back at the famous, and infamous, results we’ve seen from this popular research tool

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

Mutations in mitochondria (marked in blue) can lead to serious genetic diseases.

New Research

U.S Panel Deems “Three Parent Babies” Ethical to Test

Mitochondrial replacement therapy could help prevent genetic diseases

“One out of every four deer that you see on your lawn or in the woods is infected with malaria,” says Ellen Martinsen.

One in Four U.S. Deer Is Infected With Malaria

Scientists suspect the undetected blood parasite has been present in the animals ever since they arrived across the Bering Land Bridge

A human embryo at the four-cell stage.

New Research

British Scientists Get Permission to Genetically Modify Human Embryos for Research

The scientists plan to use genetic engineering techniques to study infertility

A girl in Vietnam puts flowers on her father’s grave in 1972

Cool Finds

Vietnam Turns to DNA to Identify the Remains of Those Lost in the War

Technological advances in DNA analysis will make this massive effort possible

A piebald horse is usually called a pinto or paint in the U.S.

New Research

Geneticists Figured Out How Animals Get Their White Spots

The answer could help people with certain genetic conditions and diseases

In 1938, Hans Asperger, a pediatrician at the University of Vienna, described numerous children he observed as “autistic.”

The Early History of Autism in America

A surprising new historical analysis suggests that a pioneering doctor was examining people with autism before the Civil War

Deep Earth creepy crawlies, mushrooms making rain, and a Maya city buried in ash are just a few highlights from this year's collection of science stories.

Cool Science Stories You May Have Missed in 2015

Quantum spookiness, a Maya city buried in ash and more in this year’s surprising science

Say hello to your faithful friend Demodex folliculorum.

New Research

Your Hair Mites Are So Loyal Their DNA Reflects Your Ancestry

Mite DNA could hold clues to ancient human migrations and future skin health

New Research

Genetically-Modified Mosquitoes Could Help Fight Malaria

Two research groups offer two different solutions to one big problem

The IVF pups were more than 30 years in the making.

New Research

These Baby Beagles Are the First Dogs Born by In Vitro Fertilization

After more than 30 years, scientists have figured out how to create healthy puppies in the lab

The cute-yet-contentious tardigrade

New Research

Tardigrades Stir Up Controversy and Showcase Science in Action

Rival scientists quickly challenge recently published research about water bears’ mysterious genomes

Programming organisms in the Ginkgo Bioworks Foundry

A Boston Biotech Company Is Engineering New Smells

A team at Ginkgo Bioworks is designing organisms that emit specific scents and flavors

Say hello to the tardigrade, an extreme gene machine.

New Research

Water Bears Are the Master DNA Thieves of the Animal World

Foreign genes from bacteria, fungi and plants may have bestowed these animals with their ability to tolerate boiling, freezing and the vacuum of space

Trending Today

Five Things to Know About the Genetically Engineered Salmon Approved by the FDA

Sustainable seafood or “Frankenfish”?

There's a dinosaur in every chicken.

New Research

Genetic Tweaks Are Revealing the Dinosaur Traits in Living Chickens

A Yale paleontologist is blending fossil studies and bird genes to trace the ways dinosaurs transformed into today’s feathered flocks

Page 31 of 38