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.
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 ...
Rare DNA mutations raise questions about theories of disease
Rare DNA mutations are so plentiful in the human genome that they make it difficult to precisely identify the genetic ...
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 ...
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 ...
Slew of rare DNA changes following population explosion may hold clues to common diseases
"This is a dramatic example of how recent human history has profoundly shaped patterns of genetic variation," said Joshua Akey, ...
Men can rest easy – sex chromosomes are here to stay
The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), looked at how genes on sex-linked ...
By accident, scientists discover how commonest DNA replication error is corrected
Scientists have discovered the enzyme in our cells which corrects the most frequently occurring mistake in DNA as cells divide ...
Human or superhuman?
Human genetic engineering has always been the stuff of science-fiction novels and blockbuster Hollywood films. Except that it is no ...
Genes are overrated, genetics is underrated
A few days ago Nathaniel Comfort pointed me to this post, Genetic determinism round-up. If you are curious go read ...
Abraham’s genetic threads- Jewish genes
From looking at these patterns of relatedness the authors infer that despite the genetic variation in the modern Jewry, most ...
Long-held genetic theory doesn’t quite make the grade, biologists find
New York University biologists have discovered new mechanisms that control how proteins are expressed in different regions of embryos, while ...
Study shows how mitochondrial genes are passed from mother to child
Research conducted at the Oregon National Primate Research Center at Oregon Health & Science University helps answer some long-standing questions ...
Gene therapy extends mouse lifespan by 24 %
Scientists have successfully extended the lifespan of mice using gene therapy, a strategy never before employed to combat aging. The ...
We’re all mutants now
The field of study called population genetics has played a critical role in the development of modern biology, helping unite ...
Wolf found in New Brunswick for first time in 150 years, testing confirms
Genetic testing has confirmed that an animal fatally shot last month by a hunter in northern New Brunswick was a ...
Going hostile with $2.6 billion Human Genome offer
GlaxoSmithKline will take its $2.6 billion bid for long-time partner Human Genome Sciences direct to shareholders this week, after its ...
Tilghman reflects on DNA study
A solution to the ethical dilemma of using human embryonic stem cells to treat human diseases could be staring us ...
Fighting breed-related diseases
The refinement of purebred dogs over the past four or five centuries has created interesting versions of Canis familiaris, such ...
Pluristem stem cells save girl’s life
Pluristem Therapeutics Ltd. (Nasdaq:PSTI; DAX: PJT: PLTR)has announced that a seven year-old girl suffering from an aplastic bone marrow whose ...
Should we outlaw genetic discrimination?
The late US law Professor Paul Miller reflected recently that Beethoven, Stephen Hawking and Elton John were examples of individuals ...
Environmental influence on epigenetics
It is called epigenetics. This is where at the microscopic level the genes should function normal but something in the ...
Genes & obesity
The latest Genomics & Health Impact Update has a primer on genetic links to obesity—a must read. It also links ...
Risk and DNA: In search of the money gene
What makes someone want to start a business? That was what the young economist Philipp Koellinger was trying to figure ...
Geneticist develops tool to identify genes important in disease, tailoring individual treatment
Though the human genome has been sequenced, scientists are still trying to figure out how the accomplishment can help people, ...
University study finds mixed reception of genetic testing
Researchers at Loyola University Chicago’s Stritch School of Medicine have found that patients see both benefits and risks from direct-to-consumer ...
