Genetics

  1. A black sea cucumber (Holothuria leucospilota) expels a stringlike substance, called the Cuvierian organ, as a defense against predators like crabs, as shown in this artist’s illustration.
    Animals

    This sea cucumber shoots sticky tubes out of its butt. Its genes hint at how

    A new genetics study is providing a wealth of information about silky, sticky tubes, called the Cuvierian organ, that sea cucumbers use to tangle foes.

    By Darren Incorvaia
  2. A close up photo of three yellow crazy ants on a bright white background.
    Animals

    Invasive yellow crazy ants create male ‘chimeras’ to reproduce

    Yellow crazy ants are first known species where chimerism is required in males: Each of their cells holds DNA from just one of two genetic lineages.

    By McKenzie Prillaman
  3. A close up photo of several red flour beetles sitting on a pile of white flour with specks of flour stuck to some of the beetles.
    Life

    How some beetles ‘drink’ water using their butts

    Red flour beetles, a major agricultural pest, suck water out of the air using special cells in their rear ends, a new study suggests.

    By Freda Kreier
  4. An image of a Native American man standing next to a brown horse while other brown horses mill in the background.
    Anthropology

    Native Americans corralled Spanish horses decades before Europeans arrived

    Great Plains groups incorporated domestic horses into their cultures by the early 1600s, before Europeans moved north from Mexico.

    By Bruce Bower
  5. image of a circular lock of Beethoven's hair attached to an old piece of paper with something written in cursive script
    Genetics

    DNA from Beethoven’s hair hints at what killed the composer

    Many historians suspect Beethoven died from liver failure. A new analysis shows he had a heightened genetic risk for liver disease, researchers say.

    By Freda Kreier
  6. A group of people of various races and ethnicities crossing a street
    Genetics

    Why experts recommend ditching racial labels in genetic studies

    Racial labels don’t explain biological and genetic diversity but do cause stigma. They belong “in the dustbin of history,” a panel of experts says.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  7. A photo of several different breeds of dogs standing on concrete.
    Animals

    What the first look at the genetics of Chernobyl’s dogs revealed

    Dogs living in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant industrial area are genetically distinct from other dogs, but scientists don’t yet know if radiation is the reason.

    By Meghan Rosen
  8. Three up close photos of index fingers with purple lines drawn on each to show their fingerprint shape. The first on the left shows the arch shape, the second in the middle shows the loop shape and the third on the right shows the whorl shape.
    Health & Medicine

    How fingerprints form was a mystery — until now

    A theory proposed by British mathematician Alan Turing in the 1950s helps explain how fingerprint patterns such as arches and whorls arise.

    By McKenzie Prillaman
  9. an illustration of a DNA helix with hands inserting missing peices on either side
    Genetics

    50 years ago, scientists sequenced a gene for the first time

    Within five decades, scientists went from sequencing a single gene to sequencing the entire human genome.

    By Cassie Martin
  10. A photo of a California market squid hatchling
    Life

    Squid edit their RNA to keep cellular supply lines moving in the cold

    Squid change their RNA more often in the cold, producing motor proteins that keep cellular cargo on track.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  11. A house mouse eating on the ground
    Animals

    A natural gene drive could steer invasive rodents on islands to extinction

    A few genetic tweaks to a readily passed-on chunk of DNA could sterilize a mouse population, eliminating them in as little as 25 years.

    By Bethany Brookshire
  12. Four people with masks on, stand behind a roulette table
    Health & Medicine

    DNA is providing new clues to why COVID-19 hits people differently

    Age, general health and vaccinations can affect how sick people get with COVID-19. So can genes. Here are new hints of what’s going on in our DNA.

    By Tina Hesman Saey