Genetics

Genetics

About 8% of our genome is made of leftover viruses from our ancestors' infections.
metastasis
Most patients with cancer die from metastasis. Stopping it would be a major advance in cancer therapy.
Just as human beings diversified so that people in Asia look different from people in Europe, so too did their microbiomes.
These salamanders are helping unlock the mysteries of brain evolution and regeneration.
ancient dna
Advances in ancient DNA analysis gave researchers a new way to trace the movements of peoples across Eurasia.
Despite the fact that both species shared a similarly large neocortex, scientists still have many questions about how closely the function of their brains resembled our own.
type o kidney
By creating a type O kidney, they hope to make more organs available for transplant.
Are there any advantages to looking so cumbersome?
montenegro tallest
Thanks to genetics and improving nutrition, denizens of the Western Balkans have surpassed the Dutch in height.
Close-up illustration of white DNA double helix strands on a green background, highlighting the potential for CRISPR gene-editing technology.
An interview with CRISPR co-discoverer and Nobel Prize-winner Dr. Jennifer Doudna.
John Templeton Foundation
While Y chromosome loss was first observed in 1963, it was not until 2014 that researchers found the link to a shorter life span.
same-sex behavior
Turning off a gene called “Myc” has a surprising effect in male fruit flies: They start courting other males.
More humans are being born with a third arm artery, an example of microevolution happening right before our eyes.
mites
More than 90% of human faces are home to mites that live in our skin pores. These friendly guests might be merging with us.
exercise pill
"Lac-Phe" grants obese mice the benefits of exercise — without exercising. But don't expect an "exercise pill."
angry hamsters
For 40 years, scientists thought a specific gene was linked to aggression in hamsters. Removing it, however, had violent consequences.
Two hands in handcuffs, connected by a DNA double helix chain, symbolize genome blindness against a solid blue background.
3mins
Eugenics is bad - but understanding DNA is good.
John Templeton Foundation
“It’s a big resource in the way the human genome is a big resource, in that you can go in and do discovery-based research."
Science doesn't fit neatly into ideology.
John Templeton Foundation
Black text on a beige background reads, "YOU ARE NOT YOUR GENETICS," styled like an eye chart with distance markers, challenging the idea that genetics alone define you.
Almost all our school improvements fail. Here’s why.
John Templeton Foundation
Close-up image of a green leaf showing detailed vein structure and texture, capturing the intricate design that highlights the essence of nature versus nurture.
4mins
“If 90% of children had ADHD and only 10% of children could sit still at a desk, how would we design school?”
John Templeton Foundation
A dark background with vertical lines of varying lengths and colors—yellow, blue, and white—arranged in uneven rows and columns, evoking the randomness of the genetic lottery.
We all play the genetic lottery - and the outcome matters a lot.
John Templeton Foundation
How can the law keep up with new genetic technology?
Researchers believe they have found a single point mutation in an infection-sensing gene that causes the autoimmune disorder.
Thanks to genetic clues, scientists discovered that an old stroke therapy that had abandoned for decades might just work.
A new wave of preventative cancer vaccines are set to begin trials.
meteors impact early Earth
Probably not. Even though we're still investigating the origin of life, the evidence suggests that cells came much later.