#Genes

How did the human brain become so much larger than that of our closest evolutionary relatives? Part of the answer lies not in new genes, but in how humans and non-human apes use the genes they share.…

v0.9.3 changes two things about how a gene is judged and how it runs. Judged against its season....

A viral infection from millions of years ago may have influenced chimp brain evolution through DNA leftovers in the genome.

Humans and chimpanzees share almost all their genes. Despite this, our brains have developed in different ways. Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have now shown that a viral pandemic dating back several million years is likely to be part of the…

Left-handedness occurs in all human societies, typically running at about 10 per cent of the population. It is strongly polygenetically determined, the outcome of multiple interacting genes. Archaeolo

Scientists have discovered why some people with a high genetic risk of Alzheimer’s remain mentally sharp into their 80s, uncovering a rare mutation that protects the brain from harmful protein buildup.…

Researcher and policy adviser who championed tests and treatments for genetic diseases.

A few weeks ago we looked at a simulation of technological evolution by economist Brian Arthur, in which he was able to start with simple building blocks (such as a NAND gate) and evolve surprisingly complex circuits (such as a 12-way AND gate or a 4-bit…

Live Science spoke with Alika Maunakea, an Native Hawaiian epigeneticist, about how epigenetics underpins health disparities between Native Hawaiians and others in Hawaii.

Evolutionary biologists are uncovering genomic mechanisms that allow populations to adapt quickly to different, hyperlocal habitats without splitting into new species.

Rising temperatures drive a quarter of recent growth in resistant Salmonella genes, while microplastics create biofilms that speed horizontal transfer of resistance. New studies link these environmental factors to the accelerating superbug threat.…

Rising temperatures drive a quarter of recent growth in resistant Salmonella genes, while microplastics create biofilms that speed horizontal transfer of resistance. New studies link these environmental factors to the accelerating superbug threat.…

Most major crops, such as wheat and corn, require expensive nitrogen fertilizer to flourish. But what if bacteria could help those plants draw nitrogen from the atmosphere, as peas and beans do?

Generations of “sociobiologists” have tried and failed to argue that genetic analysis offers the key to understanding social inequality. A new book fares no better.

Pioneering and controversial geneticist who was one of the first to sequence the human genome, in part by using his own DNA

Stevia is a widely used sweetener, but why do some stevia varieties taste cleaner and more sugar-like than others? Recent research conducted at the University of Toyama shows that stevia's sweetness is genetically linked to variations in specific…

Scientists at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, have uncovered a crucial trick used by enteroviruses—the group behind diseases like polio, myocarditis, encephalitis, and even the common cold—to reproduce inside human cells.…

As blood stem cells age, their lysosomes become overactive and damaged, triggering inflammation and weakening the body’s ability to regenerate healthy blood and immune cells.…