genetics
Podcast: Can you inherit more than half your genes from one parent? Debunking genomic myths and misconceptions
Is there such a thing as a perfect genome? Kat Arney explores the myths and misconceptions about genetics, genomics and ...
Searching for your doppelgänger: Why it’s not so unusual to find a twin
The global reach of the web has allowed people to find others who look like an identical twin, yet share ...
Viewpoint: Don’t expect genetic matchmaking to help you find your Valentine
Genetic matchmaking is entering the mainstream. The prospect of meeting and selecting potential romantic partners based upon purported DNA compatibility ...
Podcast: The phrase ‘Who’s Your (Grand) Daddy’ has shocking relevance to Jack Nunn, as the Australian geneticist learns of his surprising link to Britain’s most notorious ‘sperminator’
Consumer genetic tests are becoming widespread - but what happens when an innocent investigation reveals dark family secrets? ...
Should parents be allowed to choose a child’s sexual orientation through gene editing?
Where do our sexual preferences come from? Most of us don’t stop to ponder, simply because there’s no need to ...
Can we find the keys to drug abuse, opioid addiction in our genes?
We still have much to learn about genetics, addiction, and even the brain itself ...
How the pursuit of better education, career opportunities may be creating regional genetic inequalities
Highlighting non-ancestral genetic differences could be an important step in alleviating the harmful results of social stratification ...
Can DNA predict a person’s facial features? New forensic tool gets us closer, by deducing hair, eye and skin color
Could DNA testing predict faces to go with found body parts? ...
Podcast: Nobel prize winner Sir Paul Nurse on his ‘barking mad’ discovery of the genes responsible for cell division
Leading geneticist and Nobel prizewinner Sir Paul Nurse reveals the audacious experiment that everyone said was crazy ...
Sequenced genome reveals how almonds went from bitter to sweet, could help produce more flavorful nuts
A team of researchers .... has found the genetic difference between bitter wild almonds and the sweet domesticated variety. In ...
Consumer genetic testing and how to protect your DNA data
Consumer DNA testing kits like those from 23andMe, Ancestry.com and MyHeritage promise a road map to your genealogy and, in ...
Electronic paternity tests and other bad ideas before the dawn of the DNA era
In the first decades of the 20th century, scientists around the world proposed a fantastic array of new methods to ...
Mad genius and genes: Are highly creative people more likely to suffer mental illness?
The idea of the "creative madman" (or woman) has persisted throughout history with Vincent Van Gogh as Exhibit A. Science ...
Podcast: Where blackberries came from—and how genetics made them so delicious
Blackberries are a popular, healthy fruit consumed by people all over the world. Over the last century, significant progress has ...
Viewpoint: Read the fine print to understand the weakness of consumer genetics tests
Direct-to-consumer genetic tests like Ancestry and 23andMe were mostly the result of innocent curiosity. Geneticists at the turn of the ...
Why we lose when Hollywood distorts CRISPR gene editing in the name of entertainment
Adding misinformation to a climate of fear and distrust plants more seeds of suspicion in the public mind ...
Medieval crusader armies had remarkable genetic diversity
Crusader armies were made up of people from remarkably genetically diverse backgrounds, hailing not just from western Europe but also much further ...
Video: Understanding the mystery of hidden or ‘dark DNA’
Scientists are beginning to understand mysterious parts of our DNA. Here’s what they’ve found so far. Read full, original post: “Dark ...
Do participants in genetics research studies have the right to know—or not know—about troubling DNA results?
Is it possible to know too much about our own genetic profile? ...
Podcast: ‘Just the wife’—how sexism in science obscured achievements of four groundbreaking researchers
Dr Kat Arney tells the stories of four women from the history of 20th century genetics, and explores how sexism ...
Podcast: Geneticist Mary-Claire King nearly quit science—then discovered the first breast cancer gene
Mary-Claire King's stellar career has covered human and chimp evolution, finding BRCA1 and reuniting families that have been torn apart ...
What can we learn from Mendel’s peas, onions and GM tomatoes?
A quick look at Gregor Mendel's groundbreaking peas, 'junk' DNA and the first GMO crop ...
Why it might be possible for children to inherit their parents’ morals
A new baby is often welcomed with speculation about whether they got their eyes and nose from mom or dad, ...
What spider genetics can tell us about evolutionary relationships and cut-throat competition
What’s the most famous — or even the most infamous — spider in the world? The tarantula? The black widow? ...
What makes something funny? Genetics almost certainly plays a role
What we find funny can differ wildly from person to person. And scientists have found that genetics plays at least ...
Mysterious genes that make citrus fruit sour could lead to sweeter lemons, limes and oranges
Lemons are known for their face-puckering sour taste. Now scientists have uncovered the mysterious genes behind this acidity, new findings ...
Infographic: Are genetically engineered crops less safe than classically-bred food?
Crops and foods today are not what they used to look like. Farmers and plant breeders have been modifying plant ...
