In this series, ‘Genomics 101’, we go back to basics and explore some of the most important topics in genomics. In this blog, ...

Thanks to increasingly efficient and affordable gene sequencing technologies, we can now chart our genetic blueprint in unprecedented detail. But what does each gene do? Of the roughly 20,000 genes ...

After more than 50 years of research, scientists still don't know exactly what causes autism. But the data make clear that ...

For millennia, evolution has intrigued many great thinkers, prompting questions about how new traits emerge as species adapt over time. Then, attention shifted to natural selection and the inheritance ...

The natural RNAi mechanism can be directed by either short interfering RNA (siRNA) or microRNA (miRNA). 1 There are four key steps in the RNAi pathway. When miRNA acts as the guide for RNAi, only a ...

An affordable new BRCA gene test has hit the market, but who should take it? — -- A new genetic testing kit that hits the market today is the most affordable, and arguably one of the simplest, ...

Seven years ago, I took a bet from one of the most controversial figures in the scientific world. Charles Murray, the political scientist who—along with the late psychologist Richard Herrnstein—wrote ...

What Is the MTHFR Gene Mutation? The MTHFR gene mutation is a variation in the MTHFR gene. This gene normally tells your body how to make the MTHFR protein. You need this protein to process folate, ...

Humans love to play with their food—in fact, we’ve been doing it for thousands of years. In this episode of Crash Course Botany, we explore how we’ve learned to manipulate plant genetics, from ...

It depends on what your goal is. By Dana G. Smith When Dr. Nir Barzilai met the 100-year-old Helen Reichert, she was smoking a cigarette. Dr. Barzilai, the director of the Institute for Aging Research ...

Human gene maps contain major blind spots because they were built largely from the DNA sequences of people with European ...

The prothrombin gene mutation increases your risk of severe blood clots. Medications, regular checkups, and healthy lifestyle habits can help reduce this risk. The prothrombin gene plays a crucial ...