Genetics News and Research

RSS

Genetics is the study of genes and heredity. Heredity is the passing of genetic information and traits (such as eye color and an increased chance of getting a certain disease) from parents to offspring.

Genes and Diet Work Together to Regulate the Liver’s Circadian Clock

Our bodies follow a natural 24-hour cycle known as the circadian rhythm that influences everything from sleep to metabolism.

27 Aug 2025

Genetic Signatures of Neural Progenitor Cells Uncovered in the Adult Brain

For much of the 20th century it was thought that the adult brain was incapable of regeneration. This view has since shifted dramatically and neurogenesis – the birth of new neurons – is now a widely accepted phenomenon in the adult brain, offering promising avenues for treating many neurological conditions.

22 Aug 2025

Single-Cell Map Reveals Epigenomic Regulation of Human Fat Tissue

A new study has created the first single-cell map of how DNA is regulated and organized inside different cell-types of human fat tissue.

21 Aug 2025

Salk Researchers Create First Genetic Atlas to Span the Entire Arabidopsis Life Cycle

Nearly everything you know about plants was first discovered in a plant you've likely never heard of. Arabidopsis thaliana, also known as thale cress, is a small, flowering weed that has shaped much of plant biology as we know it.

20 Aug 2025

New Tool Offers Insight Into When Genes Turn On and Off in the Brain

A Yale research team has created a new computer tool that can pinpoint when exactly genes turn on and off over time during brain development - a finding that may one day help doctors identify the optimal window to deploy gene therapy treatments.

20 Aug 2025

New Insights Reveal Bacterial Roots of Key Plant Hormone Enzymes

Terpenoids play vital roles in plant ecology-from repelling pests to attracting pollinators-and are produced by terpene synthases (TPSs) enzymes.

19 Aug 2025

New Method Enables Human Cells to Initiate Meiosis Outside the Body

More than one-sixth of adults around the world experience infertility in their lifetime. There is a high unmet need not only for increased access to affordable, high-quality fertility care for those in need but, importantly, also for new biomedical solutions that can address the root causes of infertility.

18 Aug 2025

Maternal Genetics May Play a Larger Role in Child’s Weight Than Paternal Genes

A mother's genetics may play a bigger role in determining whether a child becomes overweight than a father's, as a result of a concept known as genetic nurture, finds a new study led by UCL researchers.

6 Aug 2025

Case Western Researchers Use Stem Cells to “Shut Off” Nerve Cell Strain

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), sometimes known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is an incurable neurological disease that affects motor neurons, which are nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that regulate voluntary muscle movement and breathing.

6 Aug 2025

UCLA Researchers Reprogram Stem Cells to Produce Continuous Cancer-Fighting T Cells

In a first-of-its-kind clinical trial, UCLA scientists have shown it's possible to reprogram a patient's blood-forming stem cells to generate a continuous supply of functional T cells, the immune system's most powerful cancer-killing agents.

5 Aug 2025

New PCE Systems Enable Precise Genome Engineering Across Kilobase to Megabase Scales

A team of Chinese researchers led by Prof. GAO Caixia from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed two new genome editing technologies, known collectively as Programmable Chromosome Engineering (PCE) systems.

5 Aug 2025

New Genetic Research Reveals Hibernation Secrets Hidden in Human DNA

Animals that hibernate are incredibly resilient. They can spend months without food or water, muscles refusing to atrophy, body temperature dropping to near freezing as their metabolism and brain activity slow to a crawl.

1 Aug 2025

Newly Evolved Genes in Peach Offer Clues to Crop Adaptation

The emergence of new genes plays a critical role in driving species-specific traits and adaptive evolution.

1 Aug 2025

Mitochondrial Gene Found to Regulate Wood Formation in Poplar

Mitochondria are widely known as the "powerhouses" of the cell, generating the energy needed for life. But in plants, their role goes far beyond metabolism.

31 Jul 2025

Researchers Identify Key Gene for Restoring Fertility in Hybrid Peppers

Cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) systems have revolutionized hybrid seed production by eliminating the need for manual pollen removal.

30 Jul 2025

Stability in Proteins Is More Like Lego Than Jenga

Proteins are life's molecular workhorses, doing everything from turning sunlight into food to fighting viruses.

29 Jul 2025

dpMIG-seq Enables Efficient Genetic Analysis of Tetraploid Blueberry

Polyploid crops, such as blueberries, often exhibit complex inheritance patterns that complicate genetic analysis and hinder breeding efforts.

29 Jul 2025

Study Uncovers Genetic Roots of Stuttering

The largest genetic analysis of stuttering has demonstrated a clear genetic basis for the speech disorder, highlighting neurological pathways of risk.

29 Jul 2025

New Computer Program Mimics Human and Animal Cell Behavior

Using mathematical analysis of patterns of human and animal cell behavior, scientists say they have developed a computer program that mimics the behavior of such cells in any part of the body.

28 Jul 2025

New Method Enables Precise Fatty Acid Delivery Without Albumin

Fatty acids (FAs) are essential to cell membrane formation, energy storage, and lipid metabolism. Yet, delivering them for research remains a challenge due to their insolubility in water and the reliance on albumin to facilitate transport.

23 Jul 2025