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.
Claim Ashkenazi Jews are descendants of pagan Khazars who converted in Middle Ages confirmed as myth
The claim that today’s Ashkenazi Jews are descended from Khazars who converted in the Middle Ages is a myth, according ...
Fly gene may explain human language evolution
The evolution of language in humans continues to perplex scientists and linguists who study how humans learn to communicate. Considered ...
Reverse reefer madness? Schizophrenia genes predict heavy pot use
Does marijuana smoking cause psychosis? Or could psychosis drive pot smoking? If you believe the panned and parodied 1936 film ...
Genetic evidence points toward prosperity to explain dramatic expansion of Ashkenazi Jewry
Many people looking at Jewish population history have boggled at the idea of a small group expanding to a few ...
Wade’s genetics of race overestimates evolution’s impact on human culture
In his latest book, Nicholas Wade, a longtime science journalist, argues that evolution by natural selection created human races with ...
Later childbirth related to longer life for moms
Women who naturally conceive their last child after age 33 tend to live longer than those who have their final ...
Turning foe friendly: Domestication of infectious disease
With the shortage of antibiotics and resistant infections on the rise, evolutionary biologists might provide alternative for curbing infections disease ...
Herpes viruses infected our ancient ancestors
About two-thirds of people are infected with one of two herpes simplex viruses, oral (HSV-1) or genital (HSV-2). New research ...
As much mystery surrounds Neanderthals’ evolution as their demise
The emergence of Neanderthals is just as mysterious as their disappearance about 30,000 years ago. A study of skulls from ...
Earliest case of irrigation-loving parasite found in Fertile Cresent
The law of unintended consequences may have a longer history than we thought. At a Neolithic settlement in the region ...
23andMe to work with FDA for approval
23andMe, the health and ancestry startup, is slowly but surely moving along in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's regulatory ...
Genetics and beer consumption raise risk of mosquito bites
Blood type, metabolism, exercise, shirt color and even drinking beer can make individuals especially delicious to mosquitoes. You come in ...
Changing climates, mixing genes: Global warming may cause an increase in animal hybrids
A warming climate is shrinking many species' (e.g. polar bears, Bicknell's thrushes) habitats, to their detriment. It's also forcing many ...
Step toward gene screening in the doctor’s office also reality check
Clinical Genome and Exome Sequencing, CGES, is an exciting step forward in human medicine that should also be taken with ...
Birds evolved pattern recognition to spot cuckoo’s planted eggs
New pattern recognition software has shed light on the evolutionary arms race between cuckoos and the birds they target. Cuckoos ...
Genetics of sex get some special attention
Sex is everywhere in nature. Whether it’s a male bird singing to mark his territory or a tiny yeast cell ...
Metabolic map shows how genes control enzymes in each individual
Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (WCMC-Q) scientists have drafted a metabolic map of the human body that shows how ...
Enter the ‘grolar bear’: Warming habitats means chances for inter-species mating
In the last 40 years, the Arctic has warmed by about 3.5 degrees Fahrenheit, more than twice the overall global ...
Little genetic variation alongside human behavior at fault for passenger pigeon extinction
The passenger pigeon is the poster species for human-caused extinction. From a population of between three and five billion in ...
Children and Hispanics at highest risk for fatty liver disease
Despite major gains in fighting hepatitis C and other chronic liver conditions, public health officials are now faced with a ...
Dad’s dietary folate intake affects fetal health, too
Don’t drink, limit coffee and take your daily vitamins – the laundry list of rules for expectant moms and women ...
Little Lord Kahn and the edge of genome technology
An infant born earlier this month is the first known child to have his genome sequenced before birth. As more ...
How cells stick together when it’s needed, pull apart when not
When I was nine, biology gave me my first existential crisis. If I am built out of trillions of tiny ...
Mutation rates may explain why plants can live much longer than animals
Scientists can’t offer a simple, straightforward answer to why plants can get so much older than animals. But they have ...
Mexican population has vast genetic diversity
The largest survey of Mexican genetics performed so far reveals tremendous diversity in the country. In some cases, the people ...
Nature vs. nurture: A philosophical accounting
Unfortunately, it is not easy--even in principle--to separate these issues neatly. For example, those who cling to genetic essentialism dismiss ...
Female hormone exposure may drive obesity in Western men
An imbalance of female sex hormones among men in Western nations may be contributing to high levels of male obesity, ...
