Genetic Science

Changes in average height in a population say a lot about how nongenetic factors can affect human development. People in some regions have gained height while others haven't.

ByCharlotte LoBuono

The Atacama skeleton has sparked intense controversy and, based on its appearance, speculation of alien origin since its discovery in 2003. But what is the real story behind this little skeleton?

ByMark Mancini

The 2003 announcement that scientists had completed the first human genome came with an 8 percent gap. Now that gap has been filled and the first end-to-end human genome has been published.

ByGabrielle Hartley

It's more than just a cool trick. Monitoring that invisible animal DNA could have huge benefits for animal conservation.

ByAlia Hoyt

A Punnett square helps predict the possible ways an organism will express certain genetic traits, such as purple flowers or blue eyes.

ByJesslyn Shields

Whole genome sequencing can analyze a baby's DNA and search for mutations that may cause health issues now or later in life. But how prepared are we for this knowledge and should it be used on all babies?

ByJoanna Thompson

CRISPR seeme创新背后的天才d impossible a decade ago. Could you grow tomatoes with the kick of hot sauce or ferment wine that doesn't cause a hangover? That's just two of the things scientists are looking into.

ByJoanna Thompson

Researchers from the University of California, Santa Cruz determined that only about 1.5 to 7 percent of the modern human genome is unique to humans. The rest we share with our relatives the Neanderthals and the Denisovans.

ByJoanna Thompson

We are who we are because of the genes our parents pass to us, but what happens when both parents contribute the same version of a specific gene?

ByJesslyn Shields

It's one of those words that might remind you of certain gender-bending musicians from the '80s, but what does it mean today?

ByMichelle Konstantinovsky

With cemetery space at a premium and the increasingly evident environmental drawbacks to traditional burial, what better way to memorialize your beloved pet, or a beloved person, than to turn their remains into a tree?

ByMichelle Konstantinovsky

Epigenetics – instructions on how your genes are read and whether they are expressed or not – proves that your body is not permanently set on a specific course from the moment you're born.

ByMichelle Konstantinovsky

You probably feel like you have very little in common with that banana lying on your kitchen counter. But science says you do! So, how is this possible? And is that stat accurate? We talk to the scientist who did the research.

ByAlia Hoyt

DNA websites can give you info about your ancestry and possible health issues. They can also give you trait reports about taste preferences and personal habits. But how much of that is really DNA-driven?

ByAlia Hoyt

At least not in nature. Scientists have discovered the two gene families that play key roles in making fruits and vegetables either round or long. Could a square fruit be on the horizon?

ByDave Roos

Cell division can be confusing, but it's not as difficult if you pretend chromosomes are sentences.

ByJesslyn Shields

Humans are a diverse lot. We can look distinctively different. But is that because of race or ethnicity?

ByJohn Donovan

Nearly every living cell is made of DNA, and every chromosome contains exactly one molecule of DNA. But not all cells are made of the same number of chromosomes.

ByMichelle Konstantinovsky

Before the widespread use of DNA, establishing the paternity of a child was a tricky business. Ever heard of the oscillophore?

ByDave Roos

It's easy to equate "Caucasian" with "white." But that one word — Caucasian — touches on issues much deeper than skin color.

ByJohn Donovan

Does everyone have a double out there somewhere that they don't know about? Science says the odds are pretty slim.

ByAlia Hoyt

The study found no long-lasting differences in the DNA of the two Kelly brothers after one year space.

ByMichelle Konstantinovsky

Scientists are banking frozen DNA in the hope of saving endangered animals in the future.

ByJesslyn Shields

From solving a mystery to clearing up issues of paternity, exhuming a corpse can provide answers.

ByCarrie Whitney, Ph.D.

North Americans have been moving south for tens of thousands of years.

ByChris Opfer