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.
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 ...
Beautiful skin based on your DNA? Austin doctor says yes
Dr. Ruthie Harper will tell you that beautiful skin starts from the inside out, and it's all about your DNA ...
Genetics affect odds of quitting smoking
Genetics can help predict whether a person is likely to quit smoking on his or her own or need medication ...
Safeguards against misuse of genetic data urged
Recent scientific progress includes the mapping of the entire human genetic code, or genome, which was completed in 2003, and ...
Personhood vs. stem cell research
Recently, it was announced that Republican voters will have the opportunity to vote on a ballot question in the July ...
Genes may hold the key to a life of success, study suggests
Genes play a greater role in forming character traits - such as self-control, decision making or sociability - than was ...
Gene screens show Appalachian Mulungeons likely of sub-Saharan ancestry
For years, varied and sometimes wild claims have been made about the origins of a group of dark-skinned Appalachian residents ...
Is addiction genetic?
Is addiction a moral defect, a mental illness or a party trick gone wrong? Two events, a policy and a ...
‘Marry out?’ Some surprising consequences of genetic disease risk among Ashkenazi Jews
Ashkenazi Jews have historically been an endogamous population. Marrying within the group remains important to many Jews because endogamy is ...
Gene discovery could lead to birth control pill for men
When it comes to birth control, numerous options are available to women to help them regulate their menstrual cycle and ...
Turning DNA into a hard drive
Silicon-based computers are fine for typing term papers and surfing the Web, but scientists want to make devices that can ...
Genes that stunts infants` growth found
Scientists have identified a gene mutation responsible for IMAGe syndrome, a rare disorder that causes stunted growth in babies, a ...
Researchers use light to switch on gene expression
Imagine being able to control genetic expression by flipping a light switch. Researchers at North Carolina State University are using ...
Genetic marker may predict smoking quantity in African Americans
In a step toward understanding possible genetic differences in smoking behaviors, a team of researchers co-led by SRI International has ...
How environmental effects regulate genes
Swiss researchers provide evidence that a protein in the cell nucleus responds to environmental stimuli like a kind of sensor, ...
Study finds voter genetics may predict election outcomes
New studies led by researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) shows specific genetic traits may predispose people to ...
Rapid DNA sequencing may soon be routine part of each patient’s medical record
Rapid DNA sequencing may soon become a routine part of each individual's medical record, providing enormous information previously sequestered in ...
Scientists deploy genetics in search for bigfoot
Scientists are turning to genetic testing to see if they can prove the existence of the elusive hairy humanoid known ...
What rights should you have to your own DNA?
Things you own: Your clothes. Your car. Your body parts. Your DNA? A new bill under consideration by the the ...
New technique reveals unseen information in DNA code
Two modifications of cytosine, one of the four bases that make up DNA, look almost the same but mean different ...
New fetal DNA test detects Down syndrome
A simple blood test done on maternal serum early in the first trimester of pregnancy to determine if a baby ...
California considers DNA privacy law
California lawmakers are weighing a bill aimed at protecting their state's citizens from surreptitious genetic testing but scientists are voicing ...
Seeing color traced back to genetic mutations
Why do we see the colors we do? Some of it goes back to the types of color-absorbing pigments that ...
New approach to ‘spell checking’ gene sequences
A PhD student from CSIRO and the University of Queensland has found a better way to 'spell check' gene sequences ...
New drug shows we must overcome taboos about stem-cell research
I'll be the first to admit that stem-cell research, as we typically view it, troubles me in many ways. The ...
Do genes really augur your future?
For some people, genes are key to predicting our future health. For others, genes as crystal balls are overhyped. Let's ...
The influence of genes on psychological well-being
Genes play a greater role in forming character traits - such as self-control, decision making or sociability - than was ...
