Asexual species do not have genetic variability like humans, and most animals, do. Despite that, they can still adapt to environmental changes using modifications to their DNA known as epigenetic changes.
Shorter lifespan in worms is linked to changes in gene activity that in turn alter sugar metabolism. This highlights the importance of gene activity rather than DNA mutations as a driving force of aging.
by Aparna Nathan
Graphics by Nicholas Lue
Space: It has been the final frontier ever since Captain Kirk and Starfleet shot into space at warp speed in the 1960s.
But are humans really made for space? We did not evolve for the environment of space and…
A first link between chronic stress, genetics, and mental illness has recently observed in mice. Researchers have discovered that the genes of mice exposed to chronic stress change over time. Modifications were most associated with genes related to a…