Ancestry & Evolution
The desire to understand our origins is primal. By examining our DNA over successive generations through the evolutionary process of inherited characteristics of human and animal populations–as well as from those species from which humans share a common ancestry–we can decipher our individual and collective past and develop medical innovations for the future.
Below is the complete archive of related articles sorted by date.
Ancient Kennewick man Native American, not European, DNA shows
In July 1996, two college students were wading in the shallows of the Columbia River near the town of Kennewick, ...
Database of ancient human DNA opened for global public access
Medical and other researchers and science teachers around the world will be able to compare ancient DNA from humans from ...
How did humans first learn to use tools?
Chimpanzees and bonobos are the two closest living relatives of the human species - the ultimate tool-using ape. Yet, despite ...
Mitochondrial medicine: Pushing the limits of resuscitation
Mitochondria are the power plants of the cell. Along with understanding the role of mitochondria in causing damage to the ...
Moms’ genes pass fatal flaws onto sons more than daughters
Men are doomed by their mothers - because women pass on genetic flaws which may explain why males die sooner, ...
Preventing brain disease by eating brains? Science doesn’t support sensationalized reporting
Is there a genetic cure for dementia? Recent news reports of a mutation that can protect against a deadly form ...
Can genetics shed light on history?
When it comes to questions of demographic change genetic insights are key, and present data in a way that allows ...
Evidence mounts of ancient Jewish roots of Beta Israel Ethiopian Jewry
Many historians are convinced that Ethiopian Jews are medieval converts from Christianity. But mounting genetic evidence, and new scholarly research, ...
New show ‘Becoming Us’ explores family complexities when parents transition gender
Anchored by an instantly likable teen, "Becoming Us" uses a screen that often subdivides into video blogs, FaceTime chats and ...
America is experiencing its worst bird flu outbreak ever: Why aren’t we more concerned?
Which epidemic has caused Americans greater anxiety: the Ebola outbreak, which began last year in Africa and has killed thousands ...
Cooked food may have given humans evolutionary edge in intelligence
The human brain is an exceptionally hungry organ—an energy-guzzling appliance if ever there was one. As you sit still and ...
Modern Europeans descended from mingling of distinct migratory groups
Two teams of scientists — one based at the University of Copenhagen and one based at Harvard University — have ...
Papua New Guinea community shows genetic resistance to mad cow, other brain conditions
Research involving a former brain-eating tribe from Papua New Guinea is helping scientists better understand mad cow disease and other so-called prion ...
Sorry, Jurassic Park fans: Scientists focusing de-extinction genetics on saving living species
De-extinction is based on the concept that extinction need not be forever. One way to save those animals and plants ...
Who’s your (ancestral) daddy? Family tree genetics might link everyone to King David
Companies claiming to pinpoint your ancestral village of origin or relationship with famous historical figures are likely telling you the ...
Genes may have helped Russians survive WWII siege
In September 1941, German troops and Finnish allies encircled Leningrad, trapping 3 million residents in the Baltic city famed for ...
Are you smarter than a Neanderthal?
Neanderthals have really struggled to shake the view of being rather dim-witted, grunting brutes since they were first described back ...
New findings appear to bridge gap in origin of first life on Earth
How did life on Earth begin? It's been one of modern biology's greatest mysteries: How did the chemical soup that ...
Triceratops’s newly discovered cousin displays unique evolutionary history
They call him “Hellboy,” and it’s easy to see why. Had you been there when it lived 68 million years ...
‘My genes made me do it: An excuse for infidelity that your spouse shouldn’t believe
Media have a tendency to hype studies that link individual genes to behavioral effects. Recent news surrounding connections between the ...
Government approval next step in GM revival of American chestnut
Until recently, the best strategy for saving the American chestnut has involved creating hybrids with the smaller and less impressive—but ...
De-extinction aspirations walk line between noble and selfish
The conceit of Beth Shapiro's disturbing and thoughtful new book, How to Clone a Mammoth, is that it is a ...
Endangered fish surprises biologists with apparent ‘virgin’ reproduction
Desperate times call for desperate measures, which may explain why some critically endangered smalltooth sawfish are reproducing asexually in the wild. The smalltooth ...
Three parent babies: Parent #3’s impact may go beyond mitochondria
New research shows mitochondrial and nuclear DNA interact throughout a person’s lifetime. What does that mean for parents seeking mitochondrial ...
Saving extinct and endangered species will benefit humans, too
The Sixth Extinction is upon us, and this time the depopulation of the planet is Man’s fault. But the upside ...
How every living European is related to Charlemagne, and why this is entirely unremarkable
Sometimes I get asked if I’m related to the great physicist Ernest Rutherford. His discoveries about the atomic nucleus gave ...
Mystery of the shrinking Y chromosome solved
Several genes have been lost from the Y chromosome in humans and other mammals but essential Y genes are rescued ...
