Genetics

  1. a 14,000-year-old partial skull of an ancient hominid shown from multiple angles
    Humans

    Ancient DNA links an East Asian Homo sapiens woman to early Americans

    Genetic clues point to a Late Stone Age trek from southwestern China to North America.

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  2. a scientist in front of cages full of mosquitos at a lab in Terni, Italy
    Genetics

    Who decides whether to use gene drives against malaria-carrying mosquitoes?

    As CRISPR-based gene drives to eliminate malaria-carrying mosquitoes pass new tests, the African public will weigh in on whether to unleash them.

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  3. Jack, the pit-husky mixed breed, lounges on the porch and appears unimpressed
    Animals

    Dog breed is a surprisingly poor predictor of individual behavior

    Despite the popular conviction that dog breeds are associated with specific traits, breed accounts for only 9 percent of behavioral differences.

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  4. rows of puzzle pieces with the letters A, T, C and G and one section highlighted
    Genetics

    We finally have a fully complete human genome

    Finding the missing 8 percent of the human genome gives researchers a more powerful tool to better understand human health, disease and evolution.

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  5. image of Maria Grazia Roncarolo using a pipette in a hood
    Genetics

    How gene therapy overcame high-profile failures

    A dark period for gene therapy didn’t derail scientists determined to help patients.

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  6. illustration of a brown Christmas Island rat with tufts of grass
    Genetics

    An extinct rat shows CRISPR’s limits for resurrecting species

    Scientists recovered most of the Christmas Island rat’s genome. But the missing genes signal a problem for using gene editing to de-extinct species.

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  7. a group of Dinka people sitting on the ground where one man dressed in blue holds a drum and others hold instruments
    Genetics

    Africa’s oldest human DNA helps unveil an ancient population shift

    Long-distance mate seekers started staying closer to home about 20,000 years ago.

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  8. image of Erica Esrick in a hospital room speaking with Helen Obando and her family
    Genetics

    Gene therapies for sickle cell disease come with hope and challenges

    Pediatrician Erica Esrick discusses existing sickle cell treatments and an ongoing clinical trial.

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  9. illustration of three scientists looking at DNA structure amid a spacetime grid
    Genetics

    How the Human Genome Project revolutionized understanding of our DNA

    Completion of the Human Genome Project was a huge milestone, but there’s more work to do to ensure equitable access to the information in our DNA.

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  10. image of silhouettes of people from different genetic ancestries
    Genetics

    How one scientist aims to boost Black people’s representation in genetic datasets

    Through information sharing, geneticist Tshaka Cunningham wants to build trust and encourage more Black people to engage with the medical community.

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  11. Clovis spearpoints
    Archaeology

    ‘Origin’ explores the controversial science of the first Americans

    A new book looks at how genetics has affected the study of humans’ arrival in the Americas and sparked conflicts with Indigenous groups today.

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  12. photo of Kristine Bohmann using a vacuum to collect air samples near a sloth hanging from a tree
    Animals

    Scientists vacuumed animal DNA out of thin air for the first time

    The ability to sniff out animals’ airborne genetic material has been on researchers’ wish list for over a decade.

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