Genetics

Life

Some viruses thwart bacterial defenses with a unique genetic alphabet

DNA has four building blocks: A, C, T and G. But some bacteriophages swap A for Z, and scientists have figured out how and why they do it.

Humans

Neandertal DNA from cave mud shows two waves of migration across Eurasia

Genetic material left behind in sediments reveals new details about how ancient humans once spread across the continent.

Anthropology

A coronavirus epidemic may have hit East Asia about 25,000 years ago

An ancient viral outbreak may have left a genetic mark in East Asians that possibly influences their responses to the virus that causes COVID-19.

Genetics

Europe’s oldest known humans mated with Neandertals surprisingly often

DNA from ancient fossils suggests interbreeding regularly occurred between the two species by about 45,000 years ago, two studies find.

Animals

A gene defect may make rabbits do handstands instead of hop

Mutations in a gene typically found throughout the nervous system rob rabbits of their ability to hop. Instead, the animals walk on their front paws.

Genetics

‘The Code Breaker’ tells the story of CRISPR pioneer Jennifer Doudna

In his latest book, Walter Isaacson chronicles the discovery of CRISPR and delves into the ethics of gene editing.

Microbes

Archaea microbes fold, twist and contort their DNA in extreme ways

Single-celled archaea open and close their Slinky-like genetic material in a clamshell motion, possibly providing easy access to their genes.

Genetics

DNA databases are too white, so genetics doesn’t help everyone. How do we fix that?

A lack of diversity in genetic databases is making precision medicine ineffective for many people. One historian proposes a solution: construct reference genomes for individual populations.

Genetics

The first human genetic blueprint just turned 20. What’s next?

The Human Genome Project led to many medical advances. Deciphering 3 million African genomes and using new tech to fill gaps could lead to even more.

Health & Medicine

Some Neandertal genes in people today may protect against severe COVID-19

Neandertal DNA on chromosome 12 may affect genes involved in a biochemical chain reaction that ends with the destruction of viral RNA.

Genetics

The oldest animal DNA ever recovered reveals mammoths’ evolution

Mammoths evolved to handle the cold over hundreds of thousands of years and North America may been home to a hybrid species, a new study finds.

Plants

Modified genes can distort wild cotton’s interactions with insects

In a Yucatan nature park, engineered genes influence nectar production, affecting ants’ and maybe pollinators’ attraction to the wild cotton plants.