Ancestry & Evolution
The desire to understand our origins is primal. By examining our DNA over successive generations through the evolutionary process of inherited characteristics of human and animal populations–as well as from those species from which humans share a common ancestry–we can decipher our individual and collective past and develop medical innovations for the future.
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Conservative immigration scholar claims genetic component to racial disparities in IQ
The following is an excerpt. Find a link to the full story below. Jason Richwine, the coauthor of the conservative ...
Entire European continent shares ancestry
The following is an excerpt of a longer story. Find a link to the full story below. Europeans all shared ...
Ancient DNA found hidden below sea floor
The following is an excerpt of a longer story. Find a link to the full story below. In the middle ...
Male, female – ah, what’s the difference?
The following is an editorial summary. Find a link to the full story below. What distinguishes males and females? The ...
Charlemagne for everyone! Royal DNA all around
Everyone who lived a thousand years ago who has any descendants today is an ancestor of every European ...
Europeans are one big family
The following is an excerpt of a longer story. You can find a link to the full story below. DNA ...
Genome digest: What researchers are learning as they sequence, map, and decode species’ genomes
The following is an editorial summary of a longer story. Find a link to the full story below. What can ...
Head for numbers? Brain anatomy best predictor of math aptitude
Children who are good at math may literally have a brain for numbers. New research indicates that the physical structure ...
Biological secrets of the criminal mind
The following is an excerpt. What is science revealing about the nature of the criminal mind? Adrian Raine, a professor ...
“Jews a genetic race” theory attacked by DNA expert
The following is an excerpt. Scientists usually don’t call each other “liars” and “frauds.” But that’s how Johns Hopkins University ...
The genetics of gender and sexuality
The following is an excerpt. This week Camila Ruz meets Dr Helena Cronin, co-director of the Centre for Philosophy of Natural and Social ...
Unlocking crime using biological keys
The following is an excerpt. Bad brains result in bad behavior. A new body of knowledge is documenting beyond reasonable ...
Bad brains: Did my DNA make me do it?
Are perpetrators of violence suffering from a medical condition that demands a public health reaction that might radically alter the ...
The evolution of prenatal disease
Scientists have begun to tease apart the interactions between evolution, genetics, disease, and pregnancy ...
Junk DNA and 5 other examples of human evolutionary remnants
The following is an excerpt. People have speculated over the nature of seemingly useless physical characteristics in living things for ...
How do ribosomes translate RNA into proteins?
The following is an excerpt. Machines can be large and complex. Take a car, for instance. It has an engine ...
The Human Genome Project: How it changed biology forever
The following is an excerpt. It was like God’s own jigsaw puzzle. Built up over evolutionary eons, it featured 46 ...
Finding my inner Neandertal
The following is an excerpt. Odds are you carry DNA from a Neandertal, Denisovan or some other archaic human. Just ...
Fish’s DNA may explain how fins turned to feet
The following is an excerpt. In the hope of reconstructing a pivotal step in evolution — the colonization of land ...
And Bob’s your uncle: A guide to defining kinfolk
The following is an excerpt. When genetic counselors attend family reunions, their unofficial job becomes Namer-of-Relationships. “Keith, you and I are ...
Mummy genetics study may be prelude to widespread genome mapping of ancient Egyptians
The following is an excerpt. The ancient Egyptians could soon be getting their genomes sequenced as a matter of routine ...
Confusion reigns on genes, race, and Alzheimer’s
The following is an excerpt. Wildly divergent headlines about a study of Alzheimer’s disease vividly illustrate the depth and breadth ...
Why a foolish instinct for love?
The following is an edited excerpt. I remember the specific moment when I was 13 that I became aware ...
Why care about human evolution?
The study of human evolution allows us to “to discover more profound implications about ourselves and our essential natures”, writes ...
Revolutionizing the “Out of Africa” story
The following is an excerpt. The discovery of the structure of DNA and the subsequent developments in genetics and genomics have had a great impact on ...
Mutations behind inflammatory disease were an adaptation
The following is an excerpt. Multiple sclerosis, Crohn's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and other inflammatory diseases may result from mutated genes that were once positive ...
Pigmentation: the simplest of complex traits not so simple?
The following is an excerpt. One of the pitfalls about talking about genetics, especially human genetics, is that the public wants ...
