When we think about genetic inheritance, we usually leap to DNA, the four-letter code containing the instructions for building a living organism. Scientists know that DNA encodes everything from hair ...

DNA transcription is the vital first step needed for switching on our genes. For a gene to be switched on, it must be acted upon by an enzyme called RNA polymerase. This is a molecular machine which ...

Forty years ago, a postdoctoral researcher named James McGrath who would go on to spend more than three decades as a clinical geneticist and research scientist at Yale, made a discovery that advanced ...

In Destiny’s Child No Longer: Rewriting Genetic Fate, we envisioned a world where every newborn would be screened for genetic risks. We see a future in which the randomness of genetic inheritance ...

Genetic inheritance may sound straightforward: One gene causes one trait or a specific illness. When doctors use genetics, it’s usually to try to identify a disease-causing gene to help guide ...

The COVID-19 pandemic gave us tremendous perspective on how wildly symptoms and outcomes can vary between patients experiencing the same infection. How can two people infected by the same pathogen ...

A great part of living in the 21st century is that if you have a device that connects to the internet, you have access to hundreds, if not thousands of experts who are often eager to share in-depth ...

Gear-obsessed editors choose every product we review. We may earn commission if you buy from a link. Why Trust Us? Here’s what you’ll learn when you read this story: Lamarckian inheritance, a one-time ...

Our bodily systems are rife with mutations. In fact, your DNA is mutating right now. These errors, and attempts to repair them, are a key to understanding immune function, aging, and even how heart ...