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.
Predicting the IQ of future people
The following is an excerpt of a longer story. Jason Richwine was forced to resign from the Heritage Foundation by ...
Probing the genetics of intelligence
The following is an excerpt of a longer story. Researchers in China will scour the genomes of 1,600 super-smart people in ...
Mosses make two different plants from the same genome
The following is an excerpt of a longer story. One of the most astonishing secrets in biology is this: every ...
Genetics continues to garner attention as conservation tool
Genetics continues to make headlines in conservation efforts, even if it's not the species-saving panacea some hope for ...
Deconstructing Nature’s “plant without junk DNA” story
The following is an edited excerpt of a longer story. A paper released in Nature this week had all the elements of ...
Genetic genealogy sleuthing: A guide
The following is an excerpt of a longer story. Personal genomics companies that type SNPs genome-wide can identify blocks of ...
A minimalist genome: Sometimes “junk” DNA really is junk
Whether or not "junk" DNA is actually useful has been a topic of debate. A new paper in Nature examining ...
Jewish researcher attacks DNA evidence linking Jews to Israel
Geneticist Eran Elhaik claims most Jews can trace their ancestry to the Caucusus and Eastern Europe, despite overwhelming evidence of ...
How do identical twins develop different personalities?
The following is an excerpt. Find a link to the full story below. Despite having the same genetic makeup, identical ...
Conservative immigration scholar claims genetic component to racial disparities in IQ
The following is an excerpt. Find a link to the full story below. Jason Richwine, the coauthor of the conservative ...
Ancient DNA found hidden below sea floor
The following is an excerpt of a longer story. Find a link to the full story below. In the middle ...
Male, female – ah, what’s the difference?
The following is an editorial summary. Find a link to the full story below. What distinguishes males and females? The ...
Entire European continent shares ancestry
The following is an excerpt of a longer story. Find a link to the full story below. Europeans all shared ...
Charlemagne for everyone! Royal DNA all around
Everyone who lived a thousand years ago who has any descendants today is an ancestor of every European ...
Europeans are one big family
The following is an excerpt of a longer story. You can find a link to the full story below. DNA ...
Genome digest: What researchers are learning as they sequence, map, and decode species’ genomes
The following is an editorial summary of a longer story. Find a link to the full story below. What can ...
Head for numbers? Brain anatomy best predictor of math aptitude
Children who are good at math may literally have a brain for numbers. New research indicates that the physical structure ...
Biological secrets of the criminal mind
The following is an excerpt. What is science revealing about the nature of the criminal mind? Adrian Raine, a professor ...
“Jews a genetic race” theory attacked by DNA expert
The following is an excerpt. Scientists usually don’t call each other “liars” and “frauds.” But that’s how Johns Hopkins University ...
The genetics of gender and sexuality
The following is an excerpt. This week Camila Ruz meets Dr Helena Cronin, co-director of the Centre for Philosophy of Natural and Social ...
Unlocking crime using biological keys
The following is an excerpt. Bad brains result in bad behavior. A new body of knowledge is documenting beyond reasonable ...
Bad brains: Did my DNA make me do it?
Are perpetrators of violence suffering from a medical condition that demands a public health reaction that might radically alter the ...
The evolution of prenatal disease
Scientists have begun to tease apart the interactions between evolution, genetics, disease, and pregnancy ...
Junk DNA and 5 other examples of human evolutionary remnants
The following is an excerpt. People have speculated over the nature of seemingly useless physical characteristics in living things for ...
How do ribosomes translate RNA into proteins?
The following is an excerpt. Machines can be large and complex. Take a car, for instance. It has an engine ...
The Human Genome Project: How it changed biology forever
The following is an excerpt. It was like God’s own jigsaw puzzle. Built up over evolutionary eons, it featured 46 ...
Finding my inner Neandertal
The following is an excerpt. Odds are you carry DNA from a Neandertal, Denisovan or some other archaic human. Just ...
