Ancestry & Evolution
Are placebo responses genetic?
A study recently published in PLOS one (Catechol-O-Methyltransferase val158met Polymorphism Predicts Placebo Effect in Irritable Bowel Syndrome) purports to have ...
Children and DNA
DNA provides the operating instructions for our cells that influence everything from a person’s hair color to susceptibility to disease ...
New genomics study shows ancestry could help solve disease riddles
Explosive advancement in human genome sequencing opens new possibilities for identifying the genetic roots of certain diseases and finding cures ...
Comparing family history and genetic tests for predicting complex disease risk
In a new theoretical study, 23andMe, the personal genetics company, developed a mathematical model which shows that family history and ...
The genetics of nearsightedness, stretch marks, and motion sickness
What do nearsightedness, stretch marks, and motion sickness have to do with each other? They don’t appear to be genetically ...
Mentally handicapped children may not have inhertited handicap from parents
In children with severe intellectual disabilities genetic causes are very frequent and we have found in more than half of ...
Genetic traces of extinct human species discovered
DNA collected from modern hunter-gatherers -- the Pygmies of Cameroon, the Sandawe and Hadza of Tanzania, and the Khoe-San of ...
Lawsuit: Should state allow DNA to prove native Hawaiian ancestry
A man who says he’s at least half Native Hawaiian but doesn't have the records to prove it is suing ...
Eurogenes Genetic Ancestry Project: There’s something very North Eurasian about Indo-European
Recently we learned that Europeans, especially North Europeans, are actually very North Eurasian genetically (see here). Then, last week, scientists ...
Twin study finds genetics role in personality disorders
A Norwegian study of twins expands the role of genetics in the development of a personality disorder, yet cautions that ...
Khoe-San people represent earliest branch off human family tree
The Khoe-San people of southern Africa have been recognised as one of the earliest-formed distinct human genetic groups for several ...
Genetic mutation may have allowed early humans to migrate throughout Africa
A genetic mutation that occurred thousands of years ago might be the answer to how early humans were able to ...
How do organisms evolve?
A team of researchers at Michigan State University has documented the step-by-step process in which organisms evolve new functions. The ...
Scientists use genetics, climate reconstructions to track global spread of modern humans out of Africa
Research indicates the out-of-Africa spread of humans was dictated by the appearance of favourable climatic windows. By integrating genetics with ...
Scientists use genetics, climate reconstructions to track global spread of modern humans out of Africa
Research indicates the out-of-Africa spread of humans was dictated by the appearance of favourable climatic windows. By integrating genetics with ...
The Bushmen tell us a lot about human evolution and genetics
When it comes to the human genetics of the Khoe-San there’s a little that’s stale and unoriginal for me in ...
Genomic studies find all humans did not originate in East Africa
The largest study of genetic variance across present-day populations in southern Africa suggests that there is no single place in ...
Geneticists verify cholesterol-cancer link
University of Rochester Medical Center scientists discovered new genetic evidence linking cholesterol and cancer, raising the possibility that cholesterol medications ...
Genes could be powerful predictor of our capacity to deal with stress, study shows
Work stress, job satisfaction and health problems due to high stress have more to do with genes than you might ...
Obesity linked to genes
There has been an alarming rise in the number of obese people in the last few decades and the epidemic ...
Breast cancer linked to genetic changes caused by mother’s eating habits
Mothers who eat fatty foods while pregnant may increase the risk of breast cancer among their daughters and granddaughters ...
Genetic development may protect the Maasai people of Africa
The Maasai are a very special people who live primarily from farming and livestock activities in Kenya and Tanzania. They ...
Home genetic test for alcoholism may carry perils
Being told you have a genetic predisposition to alcoholism could make you feel you have less control over your drinking, ...
Will personalized medicine challenge or reify categories of race and ethnicity?
In the last 5 years, medical geneticists have been conducting studies to examine possible links between DNA and disease on ...
Could internet addiction be genetic?
Not only is Internet addiction a legitimate compulsion, it may have the same genetic component as nicotine addiction, a new ...
Unraveling the human genome: 6 molecular milestones
In a milestone for the understanding of human genetics, scientists just announced the results of five years of work in ...
Will overregulation in Europe stymie synthetic biology?
The promising new field of “synthetic biology” involves the design and construction of new biological components, devices and systems, as ...