Genetics

Animals

Facial recognition changes a wasp’s brain

A new study maps genes at play in a paper wasp’s brain during facial recognition.

Life

How bearded dragons switch their sex

RNA editing might affect reptile sex determination at temperature extremes.

Climate

Readers question climate’s freshwater effects

Warming lakes, windmills for the Arctic, mosquito control and more in reader feedback.

Life

Ancient DNA shakes up the elephant family tree

DNA from straight-tusked elephant fossils is forcing scientists to reconsider the history of elephant evolution.

Health & Medicine

Therapy flags DNA typos to rev cancer-fighting T cells

Genetic tests help identify cancer patients who will benefit from immune therapy.

Genetics

Mummy DNA unveils the history of ancient Egyptian hookups

A study of DNA extracted from Egyptian mummies untangles ancient ancestry and attempts to resolve quality issues.

Genetics

The Zika epidemic began long before anyone noticed

Zika spread undetected into Brazil and Florida, a genetic study suggests.

Genetics

Hybrid protein offers malaria protection

Rare hybrid protein that spans red blood cell membranes offers some protection against malaria.

Genetics

Jumping genes play a big role in what makes us human

Jumping genes have been a powerful force in human evolution.

Genetics

Selfish genes hide for decades in plain sight of worm geneticists

Crossing wild Hawaiian C. elegans with the familiar lab strain reveals genes that benefit themselves by making mother worms poison offspring who haven’t inherited the right stuff.

Health & Medicine

Breast cancer cells spread in an already-armed mob

Source tumors may already contain the mutations that drive aggressive cancer spread.

Science & Society

Fox experiment is replaying domestication in fast-forward

How to Tame a Fox recounts a nearly 60-year experiment in Russia to domesticate silver foxes.