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.
Study examines biology of sexual orientation
Is being gay in people's DNA? A new study was launched earlier this year to try and find the elusive ...
Women have higher genetic risk of Alzheimer’s
A major genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease – the E4 variant of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene -- manifests ...
Chemists use nanopores to detect DNA damage
Scientists worldwide are racing to sequence DNA -- decipher genetic blueprints -- faster and cheaper than ever by passing strands ...
Study suggests expanding the genetic alphabet may be easier than previously thought
A new study led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute suggests that the replication process for DNA-the genetic instructions ...
Rewriting DNA to understand what it says
Our ability to "read" DNA has made tremendous progress in the past few decades, but the ability to understand and ...
Variations in sex steroid gene expression can predict aggressive behaviors
An Indiana University biologist has shown that natural variation in measures of the brain's ability to process steroid hormones predicts ...
Parasitic plants ‘steal’ genes from their hosts
New research published today in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Genomics reveals that the Malaysian parasitic plant Rafflesia cantleyi, ...
Is Gattaca becoming real?
The popular 1997 science fiction film Gattacaportrays a futuristic world in which human beings genetically engineered (GE) with certain desirable ...
Personal Genomics: DNA helps Michelle Obama discover white ancestral roots, provides window into history of slavery
One of the remarkable innovations brought on by the DNA revolution is the ability to trace our personal and family ...
Human microbiome project provides census of thousands of microbes that live in and on us
It was a major feat when more than a decade ago, scientists deciphered the first human genome, containing 22,000 or ...
Older dads may produce offspring with long lives, study suggests
Fathers who wait until they're almost 40 to have children may provide a unique benefit to their offspring: longer lives ...
Is genetic testing for dementia appropriate?
Would you want to know if you had a genetic risk factor forAlzheimer's or dementia? And, if you did know, ...
The epigenetic jury is still out on C-sections
Unbeknownst to Bennett, giving his wife a C-section might have affected their daughter’s DNA, her children’s and her grandchildren’s. People ...
Brave new world of genetics requires safeguards, some experts say
Advancements in human genetic research could lead to improved patient care, but safeguards are needed to protect against the misuse ...
Eatings disorders linked to genes
There should be no guilt or shame with an eating disorder. These feelings are common. But new research tells us ...
Genetic screening of unborn babies ‘may not be 100 pc accurate’
New tests for genetic screening of unborn babies will not be 100 per cent accurate and may scare parents into ...
How do you live knowing you might have an alzheimer’s gene?
Though as much as 99 percent of all Alzheimer’s cases are not a result of a known genetic mutation, researchers ...
Baby’s genome deciphered prenatally from parents’ lab tests
Scientists have successfully sequenced the genome of a baby in the womb without tapping its protective fluid sac. This non-invasive ...
Noninvasive genetic test for Down syndrome and Edwards syndrome highly accurate
Using a noninvasive test on maternal blood that deploys a novel biochemical assay and a new algorithm for analysis, scientists ...
Artificial DNA copies just like the real thing
The language of life is about to expand its vocabulary. An international team of researchers discovered that the body's copying ...
Gene therapy approval?
After 20 years of high-profile failure, gene therapy is finally well on its way to clinical approval ...
Israel in all of US? Research find Jewish links in unusual places
This is not a story of Lost Tribes, but of lost history–the discovery of “Jewish genes” in Hispano Christian populations ...
Variations of a single gene can lead to too much or too little growth, study shows
A gene previously linked to too much growth in patients has now also been linked to growth restriction. Different forms ...
Living with Huntington’s disease
Children have a 50-50 chance of inheriting the rare disease from their parents. Kristen Powers told USA TODAY in April ...
Blood test due for postpartum depression?
A simple blood test soon may be able to predict which new mothers will suffer from postpartum depression, a condition ...
DNA & ancestry: We all carry “Jewish genes”
This is not a story of Lost Tribes, but of lost history–the discovery of “Jewish genes” in Hispano Christian populations ...
Expanding the genetic alphabet may be easier than previously thought
A new study led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute suggests that the replication process for DNA -- the ...
