Genetics

New Research

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

January 27, 2015

New Research

These New GMOs Need Artificial Compounds to Live

It’s genetic engineering with the safety on

January 22, 2015

New Research

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

January 22, 2015

Trending Today

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.

January 15, 2015

Cool Finds

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

January 9, 2015

New Research

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

January 8, 2015

New Research

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

January 6, 2015

New Research

Bad Hangover? Blame It (Partly) On Your Parents

Susceptibility to hangovers is partly due to genetics

December 12, 2014

New Research

Scientists Finally Figure Out the “Big Bang” of Bird Evolution

The genomes of 45 birds contributed to the most in-depth bird evolutionary tree ever created

December 11, 2014

New Research

Richard III’s DNA Analysis Reveals Cuckoldry in the Family

Researchers can trace the monarch’s maternal lineage to modern relatives, but not the male side

December 2, 2014

Trending Today

James Watson Will Be the First Nobel Laureate to Sell His Medallion

But his racist comments have created a surge of pushback

December 2, 2014

Why Are You a Picky Eater? Blame Genes, Brains and Breast Milk

The complicated science behind picky eating is giving experts plenty of food for thought

November 25, 2014

New Research

How Cats Transformed From Wild Animals to Cuddly Companions

Genetically, there’s not that much separating feline pets from jungle beasts

November 11, 2014

Cool Finds

Left-Handed People Have Less Specialized Brains

Diversity means flexibility, even if being left-handed can be super annoying

November 4, 2014

Anthropocene

Ten Species That Are Evolving Due to the Changing Climate

From tropical corals to tawny owls, some species are already being pushed to evolve—but adaptation doesn’t guarantee survival

October 24, 2014

Cool Finds

Newest King Tut Theory: He Suffered Severe Disorders From Inbreeding

Problems included a club foot that prevented him from walking unaided

October 22, 2014

New Research

Why the Alpaca Has No Humps

The camel cousin evolved fluff instead of fat because it was able to linger in an evolutionary slow lane, suggest newly sequenced genomes

October 21, 2014

New Research

Five Surprises That Emerged From Monarch Butterfly Genomes

Sequencing 101 butterfly genomes has revealed a few of the monarch’s secrets, including some keys to its epic annual migration

October 2, 2014

Anthropocene

Six Weird Ways Humans Are Altering the Planet

From deep holes to flying sheep, some signs of human activity might really perplex geologists in the far future

September 30, 2014

Trending Today

The USDA Approved a New GM Crop to Deal With Problems Created by the Old GM Crops

Weeds became resistant to the herbicide partner of older genetically modified crops

September 25, 2014