Genetics

  1. Genetics

    Here’s why some pigeons do backflips

    Meet the scientist homing in on the genes involved in making parlor roller pigeons do backward somersaults.

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  2. Genetics

    A genetic parasite may explain why humans and other apes lack tails

    Around 25 million years ago, a stretch of DNA inserted itself into an ancestral ape’s genome, an event that might have taken our tails away.

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  3. Neuroscience

    Ancient viruses helped speedy nerves evolve

    A retrovirus embedded in the DNA of some vertebrates helps turn on production of a protein needed to insulate nerve cells, aiding speedy thoughts.

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  4. Health & Medicine

    Newfound immune cells are responsible for long-lasting allergies

    A specialized type of immune cell appears primed to make the type of antibodies that lead to allergies, two research groups report.

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  5. Science & Society

    Geneticist Krystal Tsosie advocates for Indigenous data sovereignty

    A member of the Navajo Nation, she believes Indigenous geneticists have a big role to play in protecting and studying their own data.

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  6. Genetics

    How ancient herders rewrote northern Europeans’ genetic story

    New DNA analyses show the extent of the Yamnaya people’s genetic reach starting 5,000 years ago and how it made descendants prone to diseases like MS.

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  7. Health & Medicine

    Fetuses make a protein that causes morning sickness in pregnancy

    A hormone called GDF15 triggers a part of the brain involved in nausea and vomiting, a new study finds. Blocking its action may lead to treatments.

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  8. Health & Medicine

    Why Huntington’s disease may take so long to develop

    Repeated bits of the disease-causing gene pile up in some brain cells. New treatments could involve stopping the additions.

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  9. Animals

    Here’s how high-speed diving kingfishers may avoid concussions

    Understanding the genetic adaptations that protect the birds’ brains when they dive for food might one day offer clues to protecting human brains.

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  10. Genetics

    These 8 GMOs tell a brief history of genetic modification

    Since the first genetically modified organism 50 years ago, GMOs have brought us disease-resistant crops, new drugs and more.

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  11. Genetics

    Most of today’s gene therapies rely on viruses — and that’s a problem

    The next big strides in gene therapy for rare diseases may come from CRISPR and new approaches to delivery.

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  12. Animals

    In a first, genetically modified silkworms produced pure spider silk

    An effort to engineer silkworms to produce spider silk brings us closer than ever to exploiting the extraordinary properties of this arachnid fiber.

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