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.
Studying coral could reveal evolutionary reason why humans develop sex cells as embryos
At the earliest stages of life, in the embryo, our germ cells begin to develop. These are the cells that ...
‘Not In Your Genes’ review: Belief behavior stems purely from parenting ignores basic science
In celebrity psychologist Oliver James’s neo-Freudian world as outlined in his new book, Not In Your Genes, DNA has no effect ...
Discovered ancient footprints hint males had multiple “wives”
Laetoli in northern Tanzania is the site of iconic ancient footprints, capturing the moment – 3.66 million years ago – ...
Talking Biotech: Oxford’s Greger Larson on how grey wolves evolved to become man’s most loyal companion
Oxford's Greger Larson on how gray wolves evolved to become man’s most loyal companion ...
Epigenetics Around the Web: Top stories from 2016
Epigenetics Around the Web is a weekly roundup of the latest studies and news in the field of epigenetics presented ...
Tracking DNA mutations of Zika virus could reveal its evolutionary path across oceans
How do you [determine] the history of an invisible virus [like the Zika virus], which leaves no physical record? This is ...
Bacterial evolutionary origins of human organs and tissues
New research led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) reveals that a human enzyme has changed little from ...
One tiny DNA mutation may have paved path for humans to evolve big brains
Humans may in part owe their big brains to a DNA "typo" in their genetic code, research suggests. ... [In ...
Epigenetics Around the Web: Watch how epigenetic changes cause cancer
Epigenetics Around the Web is a weekly roundup of the latest studies and news in the field of epigenetics presented ...
Mystery of meteors: Building blocks of life remain elusive
Three of the five nucleobases --- molecular subcomponents of information-bearing nucleotides which make up our genetic code --- likely came ...
Were Neanderthals smarter than we originally thought?
Neanderthals modified their survival strategies even without external influences like environmental or climate changes, according to an analysis using carbonate ...
Epigenetics Around the Web: Should theory of evolution expand to include epigenetics?
Epigenetics around the web is a weekly roundup of the latest studies and news in the field of epigenetics. This ...
Non-African humans may carry harmful Neanderthal genes that lower fitness
The Neanderthal genome included harmful mutations that made the hominids around 40% less reproductively fit than modern humans, according to ...
Race doesn’t exist: What this claim really means in regards to science
No biologist denies that there are real genetic differences among human groups...We all agree that race exists, we just differ ...
AncestryDNA vs 23andMe: Which genetic test should you take?
Genetic testing companies have proprietary sets of data and different ways they analyze the data, which can also play a ...
Bioerrorism: US military initiates Safe Genes program in case gene drives run amok
Over the next four years a new program in the Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) plans to cultivate...a ...
Personal DNA tests outpacing appropriate regulations
As little as a decade ago, the concept of having your DNA (your genome) sequenced as a matter of routine ...
‘Collaborative morality’ in early humans may explain autism’s long evolutionary history
A subtle change occurred in our evolutionary history 100,000 years ago which allowed people who thought and behaved differently - ...
Ronda Rousey vs. Muhammad Ali: Does sex before athletic events impact performance?
Does sex the night before help or hurt athletic performance? Everyone from Plato to Joe Namath has weighed in on ...
Europeans left disastrous DNA mark on indigenous Americans
Of the many devastations Europeans wreaked upon the indigenous people of the “New World,” disease left perhaps the worst impact...But ...
23andMe has found hundreds of genetic linked-traits using their customers’ DNA
Since launching in 2006, 23andMe has collected and analyzed DNA samples from 1.2-million customers, with the majority allowing their data ...
Did our human ancestors wipe out the ‘human hobbits’?
Although we know so little about Denisovans, we know a lot about a second human species alive at the same ...
All blue-eyed people are related
New research shows that people with blue eyes have a single, common ancestor. A team at the University of Copenhagen ...
How IQ, bones and metabolism are genetically linked
A gene that regulates bone growth and muscle metabolism in mammals may take on an additional role as a promoter ...
DNA changes linked to farming revolution spurred bonding of dogs with humans
Our canine companions developed the ability to digest starchy foods during the farming revolution thousands of years ago, according to ...
What human evolution says about using CRISPR to edit diseases out of patient’s genome
Using CRISPR, scientists may soon be able to cure sickle cell disease by correcting the causative gene from blood cells ...
How did our ancestors colonize remote South Pacific islands?
Some 3,400 years ago,...people on the Solomon Islands left their white sandy shores for the cerulean seas of the South ...
