Genetics
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LifeHow a moth went to the dark side
Peppered moths and some butterflies are icons of evolution. Now scientists have found a gene responsible for making them so.
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AnimalsThe turning of wolves into dogs may have occurred twice
The process of turning wolves into dogs, called domestication, may have occurred twice — in the East and the West — ancient DNA suggest.
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GeneticsWhy some frogs can survive killer fungal disease
A disease is wiping out amphibian species around the globe. New research shows how some frogs develop immunity.
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GeneticsPacific islanders got a double dose of Stone Age DNA
Unlike other people, certain Pacific Islanders inherited DNA from two ancient human ‘cousins.’
By Bruce Bower -
GeneticsGenes: How few needed for life?
Scientists rebuilt a microbe using its old genes. But not all of them. They used as few building-blocks as they could get away with and still have the life-form survive.
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LifeFattier yeast live long and prosper
Scientists were hoping to build better biofuels. Instead they discovered that fatter yeast cells live longer than lean ones.
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FossilsNeandertal toe contains human DNA
DNA from a 50,000-year-old Neandertal woman’s toe bone shows humans left a mark on the ancient species — and much earlier than scientists had thought.
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Health & MedicineVaping may threaten brain, immunity and more
New studies of e-cigarette vapor in animals and human cells find new risks to gene activity, behavior and male sperm.
By Janet Raloff -
Health & MedicineBehavior of genes could identify type of infection
The behavior of hundreds of genes can identify a viral infection, a new study finds. That could help doctors determine treatment for a sick patient.
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GeneticsScientists Say: Mutation
Information in an organism is stored in a code. Here’s the word scientists use to describe a change in that code.
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AnimalsGene editing swats at mosquitoes
A new genetic technique can render insects that spread malaria unable to reproduce.
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AgricultureNew gene resists our last-ditch drug
Antibiotic resistance continues to grow. Now, scientists have found a tiny loop of DNA that resists a drug doctors use as a last line of defense.