Ancestral humans had more DNA
Compared to ancestral humans, most modern people have lost 40.7 million base pairs of DNA...
66 articles
Only eight percent of DNA is 'functional'
Researchers at the University of Oxford have estimated that only 8.2 percent of human DNA has been left unchanged as the species has evolved and is therefore likely to be functional...
Is pessimism gene too good to be true?
People who perceive the world negatively may be genetically predisposed to do so, a study suggests...
Muscular dystrophy genetic therapy falls short in major trial
A highly anticipated experimental treatment for the genetic condition Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy has failed in a key test of its effectiveness in a critical phase III clinical trial.
Birth defect gene linked to mental illness in mouse study
Gene mutations that can cause major birth defects may also cause more subtle disruptions in the brain and contribute to psychiatric disorders, according to a study published in PLOS ONE...
Autism study identifies extensive gene pattern
A large, complex gene network in people with autism has been identified by researchers at the University of Oxford...
Genetics of common brain cancer revealed by two studies
Nearly all cases of meningioma — the commonest kind of brain tumour — can be traced back to a fault in one of just five genes, scientists say...
Twenty-five genetic variants for autism discovered
Rare genetic variants may have a significant impact on a person's risk of developing autism, research suggests...
Image by Bill Sanderson via the Wellcome Collection, © Wellcome Trust Ltd 1990. Depicts Laocoön and his family (from Greek and Roman mythology) entwined in coils of DNA.
Book Review: Future Human Evolution - Eugenics in the 21st Century
Back in my bar-tending days, we had as regular customers a small group of men who would spend the evening huddled around a table talking at volume about current affairs. We used to eavesdrop on their conversations: it was hard not to. For the most part, what they tended to say was robustly weird, with essays into the profoundly bizarre. Reading John Glad's 'Future Human Evolution', I couldn't help but think of them...
DNA test for prostate cancer relapse shows promise
A DNA test for men with prostate cancer could indicate whether their cancer is likely to recur after treatment, and if so, how aggressively, say researchers from the University of Pittsburg School of Medicine, USA...