Featured series 
Tag: Genetics
-
Science & Tech
How humans evolved to be ‘energetically unique’
Metabolic rates outpaced ‘couch potato’ primates thanks to sweat, says new study
-
Science & Tech
‘Harnessing evolution’
New tool allows researchers to study gene mutation directly within living human cells
-
Science & Tech
How mammals got their stride
Revealing twists, turns of evolution from sprawling to upright posture
-
Science & Tech
How whales and dolphins adapted for life on the water
Backbones of ocean-dwelling mammals evolved differently than those of species living closer to shore, study finds
-
Health
Soda is bad for you yet your body wants it. Why?
Psychiatrist explains why we crave junk food — and how to cultivate healthier eating habits
-
Health
How to realize immense promise of gene editing
Nobel-winning CRISPR pioneer says approval of revolutionary sickle-cell therapy shows need for more efficient, less expensive process
-
Health
Looking to rewind the aging clock
Harvard researchers create model that better measures biological age, distinguishes between harmful and adaptive changes during life
-
Science & Tech
You did it of your own free will? No such thing.
Neuroscientist Robert Sapolsky says every decision, action you make is result of chain of genes, biology, experience that preceded it
-
Science & Tech
Bringing Stone Age genomic material back to life
Scientific breakthroughs will enable exploration of Earth’s biochemical past, with hopes of discovering new therapeutic molecules.
-
Science & Tech
DNA shows poorly understood empire was multiethnic with strong female leadership
Biomolecular archaeology reveals a fuller picture of the Xiongnu people, the world’s first nomadic empire.
-
Health
Demystifying Parkinson’s
Vikram Khurana discussed recent advances and new, individualized approaches to Parkinson’s, as well as implications of the recent findings.
-
Science & Tech
Tracing history of early seafarers through genes
New genetic research shows untold migration to remote Pacific islands was generally matrilocal.
-
Science & Tech
Was Facebook the original social network? Not by a long shot
New research produces earliest DNA from Sub-Saharan Africa and a more complete look at ancient peoples.
-
Science & Tech
Seeing squid more clearly
Harvard researchers shed new light on squid eye development and convergent evolution.
-
Science & Tech
Geneticists’ new research on ancient Britain contains insights on language, ancestry, kinship, milk
Two new studies highlight technological advances in large-scale genomics and open windows into the lives of ancient people.
-
Campus & Community
A pioneering geneticist and Renaissance man of parts
Colleagues and friends remember Richard Lewontin as whip-smart, a fierce debater, and an engaged and loyal mentor and friend.
-
Science & Tech
Taking a step toward discovering the cause of joint disease
A Harvard study could lead to potential therapeutics for one of the most prominent ailments of the elderly and one of the most prominent musculoskeletal defects in newborns.
-
Science & Tech
A gut feeling
Researchers identify links between genetic makeup of bacteria in human gut and several human diseases.
-
Campus & Community
Cultivating a career in science
It was her interest in research that brought Zahra Aldawood, D.M.Sc. ’18, M.M.Sc. ’21, to Harvard School of Dental Medicine.
-
Science & Tech
‘The most charismatic and strange of all flowering plants’
Sapria genome shows astonishing gene loss and gene theft.
-
Nation & World
The collective effort
Harvard students, alumni, faculty, and staff from the nationwide “To Serve Better” project weigh in on how coronavirus is affecting their corner of the country, and the work they do.
-
Science & Tech
Life’s Frankenstein monster beginnings
The evolution of the first building blocks on Earth may have been messier than previously thought, likening it to the mishmash creation of Frankenstein’s monster.
-
Science & Tech
The evolution of flightless birds
Based on an analysis of the genomes of more than a dozen flightless birds, including an extinct moa, a team led by Harvard researchers found that while different species show wide variety in the protein-coding portions of their genomes, they appear to turn to the same regulatory pathways when evolving flight loss.
-
Science & Tech
DNA reveals we are all genetic mutts
Geneticist David Reich discusses DNA findings that show how migration shaped Europe and southern Asia, and that “No population is, or ever could be, pure.”
-
Science & Tech
Twins in space
To understand the strain that space flight places on the body, NASA-affiliated researcher Brinda Rana has been examining the molecular changes in the twin astronauts Scott and Mark Kelly for five years.
-
Health
Study identifies hundreds of genetic ‘switches’ that affect height
Researchers discovered hundreds of genetic “switches” that influence height, then performed tests that demonstrated how one such switch altered the function of a key gene involved in height difference.
-
Science & Tech
History under the microscope
Researchers delivered lectures on recent findings to launch the Max Planck-Harvard Research Center for the Archaeoscience of the Ancient Mediterranean.
-
Health
RNA errors linked to ALS and dementia
A new Harvard Medical School study shows how malfunctioning RNA may lead to ALS and a form of dementia.
-
Health
Mom, dad set in their ways? Maybe it’s not their fault
Research led by Hopi Hoekstra breaks new ground by uncovering links between the activity of specific genes and parenting differences across species
-
Science & Tech
Why sing to baby? If you don’t, you’ll starve
A new study suggests that infant-directed song evolved as a way for parents to signal to children that their needs were being met, while leaving time for other tasks, like food foraging or caring for other offspring.
