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.
Elusive gene that causes a form of blindness from birth discovered
Researchers from the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Loyola University Chicago Health Sciences Division and ...
Researchers discover gene mutations that causes paralysis in patients from childhood
Alternating hemiplegia of childhood (AHC) is a very rare disorder that causes paralysis that freezes one side of the body ...
Human family tree gets another “mysterious” branch: Neanderthal-type species once roamed Africa, DNA shows
The human family tree just got another — mysterious — branch, an African “sister species” to the heavy-browed Neanderthals that ...
Olympic medicine: Are elite athletes really healthier than the rest of us?
As Los Angeles Times science writer Jon Bardin wrote in a recent article, “There are numerous genetic factors known to ...
Sea creature called lancelet’s genetic mistake was a big win for humans
How did we arrive where we are? A dainty, quill-like sea creature called a lancelet provides the best evidence that ...
New gene mutation associated with Congenital Myopathy
University of Michigan researchers have discovered a new cause of congenital myopathy: a mutation in a previously uncharacterized gene, according ...
New genomic sequencing method enables ‘smarter’ anaysis of individual cells
Research published in the July 22 issue of Nature Biotechnology, shows for the first time that a novel genomic sequencing ...
Genes influence whether psych drugs lead to weight gain
Researchers have discovered two genetic variants associated with substantial, rapid weight gain in people taking antipsychotic medications. The researchers said ...
First genetic sequence of individual human sperm
Sperm cells can look the same with a similar tadpole appearance. However, the cells showcase differences among the genes. Recently, ...
Early Africans mated with mystery species of humans
The human family tree just got another — mysterious — branch, an African “sister species” to the heavy-browed Neanderthals that ...
Why black athletes dominate the sprinting world
View the original article here: Why black athletes dominate the sprinting world ...
Vast gene study raises hope for colon cancer drugs
More than 200 researchers investigating colon cancer tumors have found genetic vulnerabilities that could lead to powerful new treatments. The ...
European regulators back western world’s first gene therapy drug
European regulators have recommended approval of the Western world's first gene therapy drug -- after rejecting it on three previous ...
Of flies and men: Scientists make interesting discovery of how flies regulate sex genes, could be important for humans in the future
What do you get when you dissect 10 000 fruit-fly larvae? A team of researchers led by the EMBL-European Bioinformatics ...
Tarnished medals: Will genetic engineering change the Olympics?
Will the Olympics as we know it survive genetic engineering? That seems to be the question behind a new opinion ...
World’s first patient-initiated, crowdfunded genome sequencing project uncovers young child’s unknown genetic disease
The Rare Genomics Institute (RGI), a non-profit organization that uses genome sequencing and other biotechnology to help children with rare ...
Is IQ in the genes? The PC hypocrisy of intelligence studies.
In his new book, the brilliant psychologist James Flynn, of Otago University in New Zealand, has revealed that, for the ...
Should pregnant women be offered genome screening for their unborn baby?
With researchers announcing this week that they were able to sequence the genome of a fetus using only a blood ...
Native Americans migrated to the New World in three waves, Harvard-led DNA analysis shows
An exhaustive study of DNA taken from dozens of Native American groups that span from Canada to the tip of ...
Genetic tests for Alzheimer’s disease a comfort for the majority
Several genetic tests are available for Alzheimer’s disease, both for the general public and for those with a family history ...
Dispelling myths about Jews and genetics
The current issue of Moment, the Jewish-focused general interest magazine, has an informative, fascinating feature of the medical and historical ...
Are Ethiopians descended from the Queen of Sheba?
Razib Khan of Discover Magazine’s Gene Expression blog, challenges the facile reporting in a slew of articles based on an ...
GMO in sport: Genetically Modified Olympians?
As athletes get ready to smash Olympic records in London, scientists are in a high-stakes race of their own to ...
Genetic testing for athletes
Some doctors are asking if athletes should be genetically tested to see if they are at a greater risk for ...
500-year old gene provides window into evolution
Researchers have resurrected a 500-million-year-old gene from bacteria and inserted it into modern-day Escherichia coli(E. coli) - the bacterium has ...
Your genes, your identity and your family secrets
Sometimes I think we are so numb to hearing about this new genetic test or that one that we forget ...
Muscular dystrophy, Cri du Chat, “immigration delay disease”: When DNA fails
We’ve seen already how freely genetics borrows from grammar books to describe how DNA works. Linguistic analogies also help make ...
