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.
Ancient North American ancestry: Geneticist helps Pueblo tribe affirm its long-denied roots
Members of New Mexico’s Picuris Pueblo Tribal Nation have long told stories about having descended from ancient North American ancestors ...
COVID wet market nature origin theory gets a boost: The genetic trail of coronavirus origins
In a study published on [May 7, 2025], a team of researchers compared the evolutionary story of SARS with that of Covid 17 ...
South Korea’s Haenyeo—Did these legendary women evolve to dive?
An island 50 miles (80 kilometers) off the southern tip of the Korean Peninsula is home to a unique and ...
Why and where cancer rates are climbing in younger adults while overall cancer rates decline
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have completed a comprehensive analysis of cancer statistics for different age groups ...
Treating genetic disorders before birth: Prenatal and newborn genetic screening is surging
Advances in modern medicine allow us to treat fetuses and newborn babies for genetic or inherited diseases. Recent studies have ...
How might humans evolve if we colonized Mars
[H]ow will our fragile Earth-borne bodies react if we were to live on another planet like Mars? ... Even if ...
Viewpoint: Sociogenomics—Challenging the ethics of IQ-based gene selection
[A] US start-up that offers eugenic embryo selection. Heliospect Genomics aims to enable wealthy couples to select the “most intelligent” ...
Most mammals are hairy. Why not humans?
Humans are members of a weirdly exclusive club of mostly naked mammals, sharing that honorable distinction with the likes of ...
Girls physically mature years earlier than boys. Does that mean they develop faster cognitively, too?
“It has long been known that girls reach puberty earlier than boys, that they become physically mature earlier. However, we ...
Viewpoint: The science of reversing aging remains little more than a dream. Here’s why
The dream of reversing aging has captivated humans for centuries, and today science is closer than it ever has been ...
‘If our genetic differences are part of what makes us human, do we have the right — or the responsibility — to change them?
With CRISPR technology, scientists can now edit both somatic genes (from the body) and germline genes (from gametes, the sex cells ...
GLP podcast: ‘Industrial’ food is very nutritious; Porn might be harmful; Love of music is (partially) in your genes
This week on Facts and Fallacies, a farmer and plant geneticist refutes activist claims that modern agriculture drastically reduces nutrient ...
The octopus within us: Cephalopods and humans share genes that began shaping intelligence dating back 518 million years
New research suggests that octopuses and humans may share an ancient evolutionary connection that helps explain the remarkable intelligence of cephalopods. According to findings discussed ...
Should we be concerned about low birth rates in the most developed countries?
"Societies experiencing falling birth rates and an increasing elderly population will eventually need to shift resources and labour from caring ...
Symbol of Injustice and the culture wars: Volleyball trans athlete and her teammates are caught in the middle
Blaire Fleming, a senior, was a starter for the San Jose State University Spartans. For most of her college career, ...
The ‘fertilization president’ guts CDC IVF research
The elimination of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Assisted Reproductive Technology Surveillance team ... shocked public health experts ...
Viewpoint: In response to Conservative critics, Iowa is dumbing down school curriculum science standards
Iowa’s current draft of its K-12 science standards, which include changing the word “evolution” to “biological change over time” drew ...
‘Holding back scientific process’: Chinese scientist widely condemned for gene-hacking a baby attacks what he calls naive ethical standards
It's been nearly three years since controversial Chinese biophysicist He Jiankui was released from prison for gene-hacking human babies — and ...
Viewpoint: Natalcon—Behind the scenes at the rightwing conference advancing a strategy to surge government support for increasing the U.S. birthrate
Widespread concern about falling birth rates has prompted some to politically organize around reversing their decline. Representatives of this pronatalist movement ...
Animals have developed a mind-boggling variety of ways to become male or female.
[S]o far, researchers have uncovered a dizzying array of exceptions to the XX/XY “rule:” birds and butterflies that use the ZW system, in ...
Here’s a visual tour of what makes the human brain distinct from our ape relatives
The human brain isn't just distinguished by its problem-solving abilities. It's also designed to deeply process emotions and social interactions, ...
Less than 1,300—Our human ancestors were on the verge of extinction one million years ago
[A] groundbreaking study published in the journal Science sheds new light on a dramatic event that nearly erased humans from existence ...
Does pornography alter your brain?
Statistics show pornography to be commonplace: A 2018 study found that 91.5% of men and 60.2% of women had consumed it ...
Viewpoint: Surging anti-immigration sentiment helps revive America’s eugenicist impulses
In a moment when the experiment of the United States is teetering on the brink, the Trump administration is weaponizing ...
‘We eat first with our eyes’: The line between appetite and indulgence is dangerously blurred
From an evolutionary point of view, finding nutritious food sources is essential. While today, our foraging consists of walking down ...
Do liberals and conservatives shopping at the supermarket think about food differently? Brain imaging suggests they do
This study examines if the political affiliation of adults who self-identify as Democrat or Republican differs based on brain activity ...
Cancer death rates continue their quarter century decline, but ethnic disparities remain
Progress has been made in reducing overall cancer mortality, largely driven by sustained declines in lung cancer. Cancer mortality declined ...
