Cosmos
Articles written for the GLP list the source as Genetic Literacy Project. All other articles were written for the sources noted with excerpts provided by the GLP.
Can frequent exercise epigenetically slow the aging process?
Research under way in Melbourne is showing that exercise can, literally, make your body younger. … [Researcher Sarah] Voisin tells ...
Searching for keys to cancer resistance in the genome of giant tortoise Lonesome George
An international research team has discovered several variants in tortoise genomes that potentially affect six of the nine hallmarks of ...
Human, Neanderthal mating was more than just a ‘one night stand’, study suggests
Once upon a time, prehistoric humans and our ancient Neanderthal cousins met and procreated. Except, that ‘once upon a time’ ...
Why Darwin’s ‘abominable mystery’ may not be all that mysterious
For 140 years, scientists have been trying to explain what Charles Darwin described as “an abominable mystery”. Darwin was bothered by evidence ...
Nothing to fear from hallucinations linked to macular degeneration, study shows
Hallucinations linked to vision loss from macular degeneration are caused by abnormally heightened activity in the visual cortex of the ...
‘Cradles of diversification’: Lagoons played key role in evolution of first vertebrates
Scientists have discovered that shallow, lagoon-like environments were the cradle for vertebrate evolution, giving rise to our distant ancestors. A ...
Controversial study: Humans were in Madagascar 6,000 years earlier than previously thought
The butchered remains of extinct elephant birds could push back the date of human habitation of Madagascar by 6,000 years, according ...
Poppy genome reveals ‘bizarre’ biological errors that gave us ‘intoxicating medicines’
A series of bizarre events and biological errors over evolutionary history were responsible for the intoxicating medicines found inside the ...
From dinosaur to bird: How did the transformation take place?
[I]n Bavaria, the Jurassic-aged limestone deposits yielded a near-perfect fossil of Archaeopteryx. It had blade-like serrated teeth and many other features ...
Here’s why we now believe Neanderthals were able to create fire
New research shows that Neanderthals were able to start fires using stone tools. The findings, published in the journal Scientific Reports, present ...
Medical marijuana and pain control: Study casts doubt on drug’s effectiveness
Depending on who you listen to, medical cannabis is either a rising star in the world of therapeutics or an ...
233 scientists call on world’s governments to ‘greatly restrict’ use of neonicotinoid insecticides to protect biodiversity
Continued applications of the most widely used insecticides in the world must be urgently restricted, say 233 scientists in a tightly ...
Evading Alzheimer’s: ‘Cognitive reserve theory’ suggests early education may be the best defense
One great hope – for vitamin fans and researchers alike – is that dietary supplements could prevent the worsening of ...
Psychedelic drug therapy could provide a ‘radical new answer’ to depression, PTSD, anxiety
For years now a band of dedicated scientists has been quietly building a case to redeem the reputation of MDMA ...
Life could have originated from ancient uranium-powered ‘nuclear geyser’
Life may not have originated in the primordial soup of an ancient pond, according to scientists, but rather in a ...
Synthetic biology and viewing life not as ‘a mystery but as a machine’
Imagine a future where synthetic jellyfish roam waterways looking for toxins to destroy, where eco-friendly plastics and fuels are harvested from ...
Without solar superstorms, Earth could have been an uninhabitable gaseous ‘mini-Neptune’
Gigantic solar storms may have helped strip unwanted gases from the Earth’s atmosphere, while helping to seed its surface with ...
What fossilized teeth tell us about human evolution
Examining the fossil record through the lens of evolutionary developmental biology may help scientists reassess the evolutionary history of humans ...
Neonicotinoids, glyphosate may impact honeybees’ ability to taste and learn, ‘field realistic’ lab study claims
Hive-bound young honey bees (Apis mellifera) are being poisoned by insecticide and weed killer gathered by their foraging hive mates, ...
If Neanderthals mated with early modern humans, why does their genome show no evidence of human DNA?
Gene flow between Neanderthals and early modern humans may have been a one-way street, researchers have found. While the presence ...
Lead authors of controversial homeopathic cancer paper arrested, work retracted
A journal paper claiming to show the success of a homeopathic treatment for cancer has been withdrawn by the publishers ...
Future of food: Huge algae farms could feed humans, animals more sustainably
Scientists hoping to meet the Paris climate accord goal of limiting global temperature rise to less than two degrees Celsius ...
Digging in the dirt may yield new class of antibiotics
It might come as a surprise to learn that dirt, that canonical cause of infection, is also a megafactory for ...
‘Cancer vaccine’ shows promise in mice; human trial next
A combination of a tiny segment of DNA and a specific antibody injected into a solid tumour has been shown ...
Cultivation without domestication: Unlike modern farmers, ancient civilizations grew crops that ‘spread like weeds’
Plant domestication, the theory runs, comprises a long history during which humans select traits advantageous to farming practice. Qualities such as seed ...
Ancient Eurasian DNA helps untangle humanity’s twisted family tree
Advances in ancient DNA sequencing are shedding light on the genetic links between our Stone Age ancestors and modern humans, ...
Critics push back against Australian government recommendation to loosen constraints on CRISPR gene editing research
Australia’s gene technology regulator has proposed a bold shake-up of rules surrounding genetic engineering processes, potentially loosening constraints on research ...
‘Supersimilarity’: Identical twins are epigenetic twins as well
The sometimes-preternatural similarity of identical twins is more profound than previously thought. Identical twins, known to science as “monozygotic”, may ...
