Genetics

Delivering electric shocks to 1mm-long roundworms may sound rather meanspirited, but scientists have used this stimuli to uncover some curious behaviors of C. elegans that could further our understanding of human emotional mechanisms.

Researchers have found that quieting some mobile DNA sequences in roundworms led to a longer life. Not only does the discovery provide a greater understanding of how we age, but it also opens the door to potential applications in biology and medicine.

A new study has identified rare genetic variants associated with male pattern hair loss. In addition to increasing our understanding of the condition, the findings may pave the way for personalized therapies.

For the first time, scientists have successfully produced full-length spider silk fibers using genetically modified silkworms. This silk has the potential to provide a scalable, sustainable and better-quality alternative to current synthetic fibers.

Scientists have discovered that attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which is largely inherited, directly increases the risk of sufferers also developing major depression, post-traumatic stress, anorexia nervosa and attempting suicide.

In what might be a surprise for some, the male sex chromosome is far more complex than its female counterpart. This is why it’s taken scientists so long to work out exactly what makes a male a male. Now, they've completed the elusive Y chromosome map.

Ötzi the Iceman is one of the most well-studied individuals in human history, but there always seems to be more to learn about him. A new genomic study has now found that he looked very different from the way previous studies had imagined him.

A new study has discovered that irritable bowel syndrome and some psychiatric disorders share common genes. The findings shed more light on the interaction between the gut and the brain and may lead to new treatments for the intestinal condition.

Using genetic models, a new study suggests moms that eat a compound that improves brain health in early pregnancy may pass the benefits down to their children and even grandchildren, reiterating the importance of eating a healthy diet while pregnant.

Obesity is a massive global crisis, with around 650 million adults and 124 million children and adolescents impacted. Researchers from Cambridge University have made new discoveries about sex- and age-specific genetic hiccups related to obesity.

Anthropologists have assembled the most complete Stone Age family tree, spanning 7 generations. Genetic studies of the remains of dozens of people in a burial site in France reveal some surprising insights into family and social dynamics of the time.

It sounds like a disaster movie: scientists recently revived worms frozen in the permafrost since the Ice Age. Now, these worms have been attributed to a new species, and seem to have passed down their incredible hibernation genes to modern relatives.