Genetics

by Emily Goeringfigures by Andrea Luviano Did you know that sea lampreys are more likely to grow into males if they aren’t fed enough food? Or that one type of shrimp produces male offspring in the long days of summer, but females in shorter fall…

by Carlos Moralesfigures by Shreya Mantri Our cells perform extraordinary functions using information stored in their genetic material, known as DNA. Changes in DNA, known as mutations, can make cells behave erratically, which may lead to cancer. But…

by Corena Loeb

by Olubusola Olukoyafigures by Corena Loeb Our ability to take in information from the world around us, make inferences, and execute appropriate reactions is generated by our brains. The brain, which weighs about 1.5 kilograms in the average adult,…

by Jackson Weirfigures by Jasmin Joseph-Chazan Why is cancer so difficult to cure? Why do available treatments only help a subset of patients? Why are some cancers more aggressive than others? These are questions that clinicians, scientists, and the…

The ability to digest milk into adulthood has recently evolved in humans. What has driven this evolution? Scientists have found that the ability to digest could have helped ancient peoples survive famines and plagues.

by Sanjana Kulkarnifigures by Corena Loeb The bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) has been infecting humans for thousands of years. Today, TB, which is thought to have originated in Africa and evolved alongside human hosts, is found across the…

by Sophia Swartzfigures by Jasmin Joseph-Chazan If you put all of the living things on Earth in a box–from humans to anteaters to teeny-tiny tardigrades–and then plucked one of these organisms out at random, it is very, very likely that you just found…

by Alex Yenkinfigures by Allie Elchert Long before the completion of the Human Genome Project, scientists knew that many common diseases had a genetic component. However, there was debate about the architecture of these genetic effects: were there a…

Scientists have discovered another piece in the puzzle of how tabby cats get their stripes.