Male genetic diversity strangled by wealth and power
Genetic researchers have discovered an extremely dramatic decline in male genetic diversity between 4,000 and 8,000 years ago, while in…
DNA of bacteria that live in the body passed from mother to child
Traits such as eye color and height are passed from one generation to the next through the parents’ DNA, right?…
Study questions whether lab-grown cells are a faithful model for human disease
Studies of human diseases such as cancer rely on the use of laboratory-grown cell cultures that have often been grown…
Software scans family photos to diagnose rare disorders
Software that scans and analyzes family snapshots could help doctors diagnose which rare genetic disorder a child is suffering from,…
Short men living longer
Shorter men live longer, according to new research that shows shorter men were more likely to have a protective form…
Mug shots from DNA possible, say scientists
DNA can already tell us the sex and ancestry of unknown individuals, but now an international team of researchers is…
Smoking linked to ADHD in future generations
Florida State University scientists investigating neurobehavioral disorders say that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) could be an environmentally induced health…
Genetics play no role in disease risk, claims controversial new study
Genes have been implicated in influencing everything from our sexual orientation to our risk of cancer, but a new paper…
Gene expression altered with meditation
Previous studies have shown that meditation can trigger changes in the brain and body but the biological mechanism for these…
Scientists link DNA to marital satisfaction
Wedded bliss or a miserable marriage? Researchers at UC Berkeley and Northwestern University say that a gene involved in the…
Couch potatoes born that way
Research from the University of Missouri (UM) indicates certain genetic traits may predispose people to being more or less motivated…
Leadership can be an inherited trait, study finds
Using a large twin sample, an international research team found that a quarter of the observed variation in leadership behaviors…
Racehorse “speed gene” traced to 18th century British mare
Irish researchers writing in the journal Nature Communications say that the original “speed gene” variant entered the equine Thoroughbred line…
Breeder or worker? Scientists search for the genes that drive societies
In order understand the evolution of complex societies; researchers are sequencing the genomes of social insects to decipher which genes…
Doh! Scientists uncover Homer Simpson gene
Deleting a certain gene in mice (one that is also found in humans) makes them smarter, but the Emory University…
Opium poppy gives up its genetic secrets
Codeine, usually synthesized from the morphine found in the opium poppy, is one of the world’s most commonly prescribed painkillers.…
Worm DNA preserved in tequila
Not swallowing the worm at the bottom of a bottle of mescal doesn’t mean you’ll avoid worminess, say scientists at…
Bad driving may be genetic
UC Irvine neuroscientists have found that people with a particular gene variant performed more than 20 percent worse on a…
Genetics linked to placebo response
Placebos – sugar pills designed to represent “no treatment” in a clinical treatment study – work nearly as well as…
Immune system overdrive responsible for cold symptoms
The human rhinovirus (HRV) cops most of the blame for the sneezing and runny nose that we associate with the…
Political Participation Flagged In Genes
The decision to vote is partly genetic, say researchers James H. Fowler and Christopher T. Dawes, of the University of…
Switching Gayness On And Off
While the nature-nurture argument about homosexuality continues to be debated, a team of neurobiologists from the University of Illinois at…
Boffins Investigate Schizophrenia Genes
A new study in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B tries to uncover why several genes with strong associations…
Biologists Create Gene “Dimmer Switch”
Writing in the journal Cell, three Boston University biomedical engineers report they have created a genetic dimmer switch that can…
Human Genome “Far More Complex Than Anyone Imagined,” Lament Researchers
It looks like it may be back to the drawing board for many of the new gene therapy treatments being…
Focus Of Genetic Research Narrowed
Today, details of an important new way of determining proof of natural selection at the single gene level were published…
Reconstructed 1918 Flu Could Yield Avian Vaccine Clues
The 1918 Spanish flu killed an estimated 40 million people, and unlike other flu strains that usually impact the very…
Some People Genetically Predisposed To Tuberculosis
In the August issue of The American Journal of Human Genetics, Celia Greenwood and colleagues present evidence for a major…