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.
A tendency to be disliked? How genetics relate to peer rejection in school
The following is an excerpt. A lack of friends and poor peer relationships can have a damaging effect on children’s ...
700,000-year-old horse genome shatters record for sequencing of ancient DNA
The following is an excerpt. By piecing together the genetic information locked inside a frozen, fossilized bone, scientists have deciphered ...
The key to female longevity is in the genes
The following is an excerpt. Across countries and species, females live longer than males. It’s true in Canada, where a ...
‘Don’t touch my junk DNA!’ says gene signal sequence
The following is an edited excerpt. Almost all of the human genome is made of noncoding, or "junk" DNA, that ...
Neuroscience: Big promises, big problems
Neuroimaging is widely regarded as the key to understanding everything we do -- but is this wrong? ...
Two genetic code tweaks 500 million years ago caused evolutionary jump
The following is an excerpt. Modern day reproductive systems are the result of changes in two letters of genetic code ...
Ancient horse genome sequenced: Ancient humans next?
Researchers have assembled a draft of the genome of nearly 700,000-year-old horse. Can they do it for pre-neandertal humans? ...
We’re carrying evolution’s excess baggage – why can’t we let go?
The following is an excerpt. For 150 years or so, biologists have studied the human body for the vestiges of ...
DNA tests estimate that Prince William is 0.3 to 0.8 percent Indian
Researchers have found that Prince William, heir to the throne, likely carries a small amount of Indian DNA ...
No, this is not how the human face might look in 100,000 years
One artist’s vision of what humanity will look like in 100,000 years includes huge eyes and foreheads. Apparently, we’re all ...
Scientists identify mutations associated with intelligence for first time
In the first study of its kind that has generated a reproducible result, researchers report on ten variations in DNA ...
Centenarian genetics: The search for longevity-enhancing biotech
People who live past age 100 develop diseases at much later ages than the rest of us. Scientists are working ...
The biology of identity
Are your talents, traits, and insecurities so deeply embedded in your genes that they’re basically inevitable? ...
The forecast on the race, genetics, and intelligence debate
The following is an editorial summary. It is often said that race is a social fact and a biological fiction ...
What makes us human: genetics, culture or both?
The following is an edited excerpt. Was there a single trigger that kickstarted the human revolution? Undoubtedly genetic mutation played ...
Ask a geneticist: Race and IQ?
This Q&A with a geneticist offers a crash-course in genetics, race, and intelligence for the curious layperson ...
Researchers feud over Jewish genes
The following is an excerpt. Are Jews genetically homogenous? Though it’s certainly been a loaded question historically, the quandary has ...
Scientists sequence genome of ‘sacred lotus,’ which likely holds anti-aging secrets
The following is an excerpt. A team of 70 scientists from the U.S., China, Australia and Japan today reports having ...
Microbiome: How the bacterial genes in our gut impact us
For every human cell that is intrinsic to our body, there are about 10 resident microbes ...
Predicting the IQ of future people
The following is an excerpt of a longer story. Jason Richwine was forced to resign from the Heritage Foundation by ...
Probing the genetics of intelligence
The following is an excerpt of a longer story. Researchers in China will scour the genomes of 1,600 super-smart people in ...
Mosses make two different plants from the same genome
The following is an excerpt of a longer story. One of the most astonishing secrets in biology is this: every ...
Genetics continues to garner attention as conservation tool
Genetics continues to make headlines in conservation efforts, even if it's not the species-saving panacea some hope for ...
Genetic genealogy sleuthing: A guide
The following is an excerpt of a longer story. Personal genomics companies that type SNPs genome-wide can identify blocks of ...
Deconstructing Nature’s “plant without junk DNA” story
The following is an edited excerpt of a longer story. A paper released in Nature this week had all the elements of ...
A minimalist genome: Sometimes “junk” DNA really is junk
Whether or not "junk" DNA is actually useful has been a topic of debate. A new paper in Nature examining ...
Jewish researcher attacks DNA evidence linking Jews to Israel
Geneticist Eran Elhaik claims most Jews can trace their ancestry to the Caucusus and Eastern Europe, despite overwhelming evidence of ...
