Genetics

  1. Chemistry

    Pathway pieced together to make opiates in yeast

    Scientists have engineered yeast to make sugar into thebaine, a precursor to opiates such as morphine.

    By
  2. Genetics

    How an octopus’s cleverness may have evolved

    Scientists have sequenced the octopus genome, revealing molecular similarities to mammals.

    By
  3. Genetics

    Ancestral humans had more DNA

    A new genetic diversity map marks where humans have gained and lost DNA.

    By
  4. Genetics

    How Ethiopian highlanders adapted to breathe thin air

    Lower levels of a heart protein may help Ethiopian highlanders breathe thin air, researchers report.

    By
  5. Genetics

    Wolves in jackals’ clothing

    Africa’s golden jackals are really a species of wolf and deserve a name change, DNA evidence indicates.

    By
  6. Life

    The tree of life gets a makeover

    Biology’s tree of life has morphed from the familiar classroom version emphasizing kingdoms into a complex depiction of supergroups, in which animals are aligned with a slew of single-celled cousins.

    By
  7. Genetics

    Research teams duel over Native American origins

    Genetic link between Australia and the Amazon fuels two interpretations of Native American origins.

    By
  8. Genetics

    Melonomics: Sounds like a cancer, smells like a melon

    The project that published the first melon genome dubbed itself melonomics.

    By
  9. Earth

    Bringing mammoths back, life on early Earth and more reader feedback

    Readers debate the pros and cons of reviving extinct species, discuss the odd light-processing machinery of the eye and more.

    By
  10. Genetics

    Enormous quantities may soon be called ‘genomical’

    Genetic data may soon reach beyond astronomical proportions.

    By
  11. Genetics

    Genetic switch wipes out tumors in mice

    By switching on a single gene, researchers turned cancer cells in mice back into normal intestinal tissue.

    By
  12. Genetics

    Mutation-disease link masked in zebrafish

    Zebrafish study shows organisms can work around DNA mutations.

    By