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.
Unraveling the mystery of the links between Homo Sapiens and Neanderthals
BioCentury This Week recently interviewed Svante Pääbo, biologist and about his work sequencing the Neanderthal genome, as well as his ...
“Aliens of the sea” show there’s more than one way to build a brain
Comb jellies are surreal creatures that are more unique than previously thought; they appear to have evolved their own brains ...
Hispanics have higher risk for metabolic syndrome, but risk factors differ by ethnic origin
An ongoing federally funded study of the health of Hispanics in the United States is yielding nuanced and complex data, ...
Genes matter: People marry mates with similar DNA but different immune systems
DNA research suggests that the adage that opposites attract is off base when it comes to marriage. Humans pick spouses ...
Who founded the Americas? Meet Naia—Ancient DNA adds new layers to the mystery
Fourteen-thousand-year-old intact skeleton of a girl is providing modern science with complete DNA that is giving new light to the ...
Sequencing the Golden Eagle genome to help the birds avoid wind turbines
[A]n estimated 70 golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) are killed annually at even a single large wind farm - the Altamont Pass ...
“Foreign” genes naturally jump between species, clouding anti-GMO criticism
In the paste of Roquefort and on the surface of Camembert, the microscopic filamentous fungi Penicillium roqueforti and Penicillium camembertii ...
Was Nicholas Wade too speculative on race in “A Troublesome Inheritance”?
New York Times science writer Nicholas Wade’s main claim in his new book "A Troublesome Inheritance" is that human races ...
De-masculizing RNA determines sex in silkworms, a new pathway for sex determination in animals
In the silk business, sex is money. Male silkworms weave cocoons with more silk of a higher quality than females ...
On earwax, body odor and culture: A genetic explanation
When I was in college a Korean American friend confided to me that his roommate had an issue. He had ...
From the depths of an underwater cave emerge the genetic origins of Native Americans
A teenage cavegirl, the oldest intact human skeleton in North America, adds further proof that the continent’s first hunter gatherers ...
Species decline? Long term biodiversity study documents new species on rise
The diversity of the world's life forms -- from corals to carnivores -- is under assault. Decades of scientific studies ...
Oldest fossil sperm is huge, poses evolutionary conundrum
Scientists find sperm inside 17-million-year-old shrimp -- but it's not just any sperm. It's longer than the animals that made ...
Rumors of junk DNA’s death greatly exaggerated
A new paper in PLOS Genetics presents a compelling case for why "junk DNA" is still a useful concept, despite ...
Troublesome genetics and race
When some of us left Africa to spread all over the wider world, we began developing small differences in what ...
Artist brings our paleolithic ancestors to life
A smiling 3.2-million-year-old face greets visitors to the anthropology hall of the National Museum of Anthropology and History in Mexico ...
Mom’s genes and environment affect gender of kids
Families are especially complex: Cause and effect are hard to disentangle in the bubbling cauldron that is a household. There ...
Genetic analysis of polar bears adds species to list of those younger than we thought
Polar bears diverged from brown bears surprisingly recently — within the past 500,000 years, researchers report today in Cell1. Previous ...
Estimates that 10% of fathers are duped about paternity is wrong; Probably more like 1 to 3%
As I have stated before one of the strangest things to me is the ‘urban myth’ among many biologists that ...
On penises and vaginas: Why maleness always wins the headlines
Biology's sexism isn't overt, but researchers and media can't help but propagate the war of the sexes and the importance ...
New Tyrannosaurus was smaller, more graceful cousin of T.Rex
We have found a lost cousin of Tyrannosaurus rex, and it was a far more graceful creature than its more ...
Atomic mechanism for how DNA-protective telomerase is made may be target for aging therapies
Researchers have taken an atomic level look at the enzyme telomerase - and what they have found may unlock the ...
Are modern Jews descendants of converts from the extinct kingdom of Khazaria or ancient Israel?
Some studies have suggested that most Jews do not trace their ancestry to ancient Israel but are converts--descendants of the ...
Nicholas Wade on race: Genes and evolution trump culture in shaping human differences
No subject is more taboo than race. New York Times science writer Nicholas Wade takes on the nature-nurture debate in ...
Ancient, inert parts of our genomes may be protective
At hundreds of spots in our DNA, there are ancient swaths that have remained puzzlingly unchanged over hundreds of millions ...
Procrastination? Impulsivity? Either way, is it in your genes?
Classic twin-study method used to try and explain procrastination and it's heritability. But what is procrastination? Is it impulsivity? Either ...
400,000 people entered into ancestory genetics database
The test analyzes a person’s genome at over 700,000 marker locations and provides customers with an easy and affordable way ...
