Genetics News and Research

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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.

CRISPR Screen Reveals Genes Driving Human Muscle Development

Muscles make up nearly 40% of the human body and power every move we make, from a child’s first steps to recovery after injury. For some, however, muscle development goes awry, leading to weakness, delayed motor milestones or lifelong disabilities.

6 Feb 2026

Ancestry-Specific Genetic Models Advance Breast Cancer Risk Assessment

Despite major advances in genetic testing for breast cancer risk prediction, death rates remain disproportionately high among women of African ancestry.

4 Feb 2026

Selective Mitophagy Enables Invasive Growth of Anthracnose Pathogen

Anthracnose is one of the most damaging fungal diseases affecting woody oil crops and many other plants, causing severe yield losses worldwide.

4 Feb 2026

New Map Reveals How Cancer Gene Mutations Influence Tumor Growth

Scientists have created a complete map showing how hundreds of possible mutations in a key cancer gene influence tumor growth.

3 Feb 2026

Bat Virome in Indochina Peninsula: Uncovering PEDV Evolution and Zoonotic Threats

Bats, critical reservoirs of viruses with significant cross-species spillover risks, have long been understudied in the Indochina Peninsula.

3 Feb 2026

Brain's Aging Waste System Linked to Synapse Loss and Cognitive Decline

As we age, we begin to lose the connections that wire up our brains-and neuroscientists aren't sure why.

3 Feb 2026

New Research Reveals RFC's Dynamic Partnership in DNA Synthesis

Every time a cell divides, it must copy its entire genome so that each daughter cell inherits a complete set of DNA. During that process, enzymes known as polymerases race along the DNA to copy its code and build new strands.

2 Feb 2026

Ancient DNA Reveals Rare Growth Disorder in Upper Paleolithic Individuals

Researchers led by the University of Vienna and Liège University Hospital Centre have identified genetic variants associated with a rare inherited growth disorder in two prehistoric individuals who lived more than 12,000 years ago.

30 Jan 2026

Abundance of Oral Microbes Is Strongly Influenced by Genetics

No matter how much they brush their teeth, some people still get more cavities than others, in part because of differences in genetics and the make-up of the microbes in their mouths.

29 Jan 2026

Autism-Linked Mutations Converge on Shared Early Brain Pathways

UCLA Health researchers have created a comprehensive map showing how eight different genetic mutations associated with autism spectrum disorder affect early brain development, providing new insights into the ways diverse genetic causes may lead to shared features and symptoms of the disorder.

29 Jan 2026

New Epigenetic Catalog Helps Explain Individual Differences in Immune Responses

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

28 Jan 2026

Novel Epigenetic Regulator Enhances Downy Mildew Resistance in Brassica rapa

Downy mildew is a major constraint on Brassica crop production worldwide, especially during early developmental stages when plants are highly vulnerable to infection.

27 Jan 2026

Prehistoric Genome Pushes Back Origins of Treponemal Diseases in the Americas

Scientists have recovered a genome of Treponema pallidum – the bacterium whose subspecies today are responsible for four treponemal diseases, including syphilis – from 5,500-year-old human remains in Sabana de Bogotá, Colombia.

24 Jan 2026

Large African Ancestry Genetic Study Reveals Shared Biology Of Schizophrenia

A team of researchers led by scientists from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, and the Department of Veterans Affairs has conducted the largest and most comprehensive genome-wide association study (GWAS) to date of schizophrenia in individuals of African ancestry.

24 Jan 2026