Ancient DNA reveals Maghreb communities preserved their culture and genes, even in a time of human migration: Doukanet el Khoutifa, Tunisia, where some of the remains were found. Giulio Lucarini, CC BY-NC-ND The Neolithic period began in southwest Asia around 12,000 years ago. It marked a major shift in human history as societies transitioned from …
Bird flu could be eradicated by editing the genes of chickens – our study shows how: Recent advances in gene editing technology could potentially be used to create disease-resistant animals. This could curtail the spread of avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu. In a recent gene editing study, my colleagues and I showcased the …
How your genes may determine whether you can be an endurance athlete: Endurance isn't the only type of fitness linked to genetics. Robert Kneschke/ Shutterstock For some of us, no matter how consistently we train, running never seems to get any easier – while others appear to be naturally gifted and can run for miles …
Uncombable hair syndrome: new study finds the genes responsible: For illustrative purposes only. Not a person with actual uncombable hair syndrome. vasylshepella/Shutterstock It’s a hair condition that has frustrated parents for decades, now scientists believe they have found the genes responsible for “uncombable hair syndrome”. Yes, it really is a thing. Uncombable hair syndrome is …
Following a fungus from genes to tree disease: a journey in science: Pablo Rodriguez Merkel/Shutterstock Anyone who reads even a little about science and technology will be familiar by now with the idea of genome sequencing. This process involves breaking an organism’s DNA into fragments to study their compositions or sequences. Then the fragments are …
Why African scientists are studying the genes of African species, and how they do it: The red mangrove is among the species already selected for genome sequencing. Busara/Shutterstock DNA is the blueprint of life. All the information that an organism needs to survive, reproduce, adapt to environments or survive a disease is in its DNA. …
Relationship help programmes may be more successful for people who have ‘sensitivity’ genes: Your genetics may partly explain whether relationship therapy works for you. Irma eyewink/ Shutterstock If the pandemic has put a strain on your relationship, you might be thinking about going to couples therapy or taking a relationship course to help. After all, …
How your genes influence whether a certain type of exercise works for you – new research: Some people may adapt to certain types of exercises more quickly than others. NDAB Creativity/ Shutterstock Genetics have a significant influence on many aspects of our life – from our height and eye colour, our weight, and even whether …
Natural GM: how plants and animals steal genes from other species to accelerate evolution: Grassland in Uganda. Luke Dunning, Author provided Little did biologist Gregor Mendel know that his experiments with sweet peas in a monastery garden in Brno, Czech Republic, would lay the foundations for our understanding of modern genetics and inheritance. His work …
Your childhood neighbourhood can influence how your genes work – new study: The neighbourhood a child grows up in may influence their health for years to come by changing the activity of their genes. Sergey Bezgodov/ Shutterstock Numerous studies have shown that children who grow up in more deprived neighbourhoods tend to have worse physical …
How sensitive you are may be partly down to your genes – new research: By looking at twins, we were able to see whether sensitivity is an inherited trait. Zoia Kostina/ Shutterstock People differ substantially in how much they’re affected by experiences in their lives. Some people seem to be more affected by daily stress, …
We found the genes that allowed plants to colonise land 500 million years ago: Mosses are among the closest living relatives to Earth's first land plants. Arnon Polin/Shutterstock The world 500 million years ago looked very different to today. The land was bare, with only bacteria, fungi and algae able to survive on it. Everything …
A nice Cape Town image: Good Genes Image by Steve Crane Image automatically curated and published by www.free-mail.co.za – CLICK HERE to learn more about WP Robot for WordPress. Have you tried: Diving with Sharks?
Can genes really predict how well you’ll do academically?: Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock Researchers at King’s College London say they are able to predict educational achievement from DNA alone. Using a new type of analysis called a “genome-wide polygenic score”, or GPS, they analysed DNA samples from 3,497 people in the ongoing Twins Early Development Study. They found …