Evolution erasing our Neanderthal genes, rooting out harmful variants

Evolution erasing our Neanderthal genes, rooting out harmful variants

John Hopton | redOrbit | 
Although the Neanderthals went extinct 30,000 years ago, their genes live on in human beings. A new study at the ...

Mass extinctions speed up evolution, according to robots

Susanna Pilny | redOrbit | 
A computer science team at The University of Texas at Austin has discovered that virtual mass extinctions push robots to ...
sweet tooth

Insatiable sweet tooth? Blame genetics

Brett Smith | redOrbit | 
According to a new study published in the journal Twin Research and Human Genetics, nearly one-third of our ability to taste sweetness comes from ...

Cloned white Angus could double beef production in 10 years

Christopher Pilny | redOrbit | 
Dr. James West, associate professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University and chief science officer of CAG, has developed a way ...

History of primate evolution written in viral DNA

Brett Smith | redOrbit | 
Throughout our evolution, viruses have infected an egg or sperm, incorporated themselves into the genetic code and passed on to ...
eb b z

Predicting illnesses based on inherited susceptibility to stress

Rayshell Clapper | redOrbit | 
Everyone feels stressed out at times; however, for some stress evolves into mental and physical illnesses that lead to even worse illnesses ...

Genetics of sex get some special attention

redOrbit | 
Sex is everywhere in nature. Whether it’s a male bird singing to mark his territory or a tiny yeast cell ...

Physicists model how traits move through populations

redOrbit | 
What happens when physicists play (using mathematical instruments) with the genetics of populations? They may discover unexpected connections between migration ...

Dentistry of the future may include epigenetic analysis

Lee Rannals | redOrbit | 
Researchers from the University of Adelaide’s School of Dentistry say a visit to the dentist could eventually require a detailed ...

Genetic diversity down in Eurasian beaver, due to humans

Brett Smith | redOrbit | 
Long-prized for their thick fur, the cuddly Eurasian beaver has been hunted by humans for thousands of years and a ...

Tackling appetite could hold the key to preventing childhood obesity

redOrbit | 
A heartier appetite is linked to more rapid infant growth and to genetic predisposition to obesity, according to two papers ...

How do polar bears stay warm? Genetics

Lee Rannals | redOrbit | 
During the recent polar vortex that swept down into the US, even polar bears in the Chicago zoo had to ...

Peanut allergy treatments change DNA of the immune cells

Brett Smith | redOrbit | 
Scientists with Stanford University are finding that healing a peanut allergy with oral immunotherapy alters the DNA of the patient’s ...

23andme finds genes for asthma (with hay fever)

redOrbit | 
23andMe, the leading personal genetics company, has participated in the first ever genome-wide association study of the combined asthma-with-hay fever ...

DNA analysis solves 80-year-old murder mystery

Brett Smith | redOrbit | 
While DNA analysis is often used to catch perpetrators of crimes, recent work from scientists at the University of Leicester ...

Tiny DNA difference controls how you like or hate specific smells

April Flowers | redOrbit | 
People react differently to the same smells. Something that smells wonderful to you could be offensive to your friend, but ...

Epigenetic mechanisms behind mediation’s beneficial health effects

redOrbit | 
While there have been multiple scientific studies providing evidence that meditation can have a positive influence on a person’s health, ...

Genes reveal how whales evolved for ocean life

Brett Smith | redOrbit | 
Approximately 54 million years ago, whales and other cetaceans diverged from land-dwelling mammals and gradually evolved to live a productive ...

Gene for brown hair, blue eyes and freckles discovered

April Flowers | redOrbit | 
A genomic variant strongly associated with sensitivity to the sun, brown hair, blue eyes and freckles has been identified by a new ...

Research uncovers potential genetic cause of asthma

redOrbit | 
An international team of scientists has identified the primary genes that place some children at high risk of severe childhood ...

Bitter taste gene may have been evolutionarily beneficial

Brett Smith | redOrbit | 
It can be puzzling sometimes when someone else finds the taste of your favorite food to be disgusting, but research ...

Americans want doctors’ guidance on genetic test results

redOrbit | 
In an era of commercialized medicine, direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing has been on a steady rise. Consumers can purchase a ...

Dolphins live in family groups, study says

April Flowers | redOrbit | 
The most common and well-known of their kind, bottlenose dolphins are famous for their roles in movies, television and water parks everywhere ...

New test to tell if your DNA came from mom or dad

redOrbit | 
In a development expected to improve the process of matching organ donors and understanding how genes contribute to diseases, researchers have devised ...

Tiny genetic differences spin out new species in literal butterfly effect

Michael Harper | redOrbit | 
A new study from the University of Chicago finds it’s genetically easier to spin off into a new species than ...

Adolescence: When drinking and genetics may collide

redOrbit | 
Many negative effects of drinking, such as transitioning into heavy alcohol use, often take place during adolescence and can contribute ...

The Brits aim to genetically engineer their own beans

Brett Smith | redOrbit | 
Essentially little more than navy beans covered in a tomato-based sauce, baked beans are one of the more popular foods ...

Mating barrier theory of speciation called into question

Brett Smith | redOrbit | 
While scientists have catalogued millions and millions of species, there is still no agreement on how exactly new species form ...
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