Pregnancy is a genetic battlefield – how conflicts of interest pit mom's and dad's genes against each other

Genetic conflict may play a role in pregnancy complications, such as preeclampsia and gestational diabetes, as well as developmental disorders.

Jessica D. Ayers, Assistant Professor of Psychological Science, Boise State University • conversation
Nov. 30, 2022 • ~8 min

Beware of 'Shark Week': Scientists watched 202 episodes and found them filled with junk science, misinformation and white male 'experts' named Mike

A recent study offers evidence that marine biology’s biggest stage is broken, and suggests ways to fix it.

David Shiffman, Post-Doctoral and Research Scholar in Marine Biology, Arizona State University • conversation
Nov. 30, 2022 • ~10 min

People don't mate randomly – but the flawed assumption that they do is an essential part of many studies linking genes to diseases and traits

People don’t randomly select who they have children with. And that means an underlying assumption in research that tries to link particular genes to certain diseases or traits is wrong.

Noah Zaitlen, Professor of Neurology and Human Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles • conversation
Nov. 21, 2022 • ~9 min

Pit bulls went from America's best friend to public enemy – now they're slowly coming full circle

A scholar of law and humanities compares bans on dogs with any pit bull genes to “one drop” laws that once classified people with even a single Black ancestor as Black.

Colin Dayan, Professor of English, Robert Penn Warren Professor in the Humanities, and Professor of Law, Vanderbilt University • conversation
Oct. 21, 2022 • ~10 min

Our *Homo sapiens* ancestors shared the world with Neanderthals, Denisovans and other types of humans whose DNA lives on in our genes

Ancient DNA helps reveal the tangled branches of the human family tree. Not only did our ancestors live alongside other human species, they mated with them, too.

Joshua Akey, Professor at the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University • conversation
Oct. 7, 2022 • ~10 min

Uncovering the genetic basis of mental illness requires data and tools that aren't just based on white people – this international team is collecting DNA samples around the globe

Existing genetic data and sequencing tools are overwhelmingly based on people of European ancestry, which excludes much of the rich genetic variation of the world.

Hailiang Huang, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard University • conversation
Sept. 12, 2022 • ~9 min

Cotton breeders are using genetic insights to make this global crop more sustainable

Plant breeding, informed by genetic analysis, could be critical to the future of one of the world’s oldest crops.

Serina Taluja, Ph.D. Candidate in Genetics and Genomics, Texas A&M University • conversation
July 8, 2022 • ~9 min

The human body has 37 trillion cells. If we can work out what they all do, the results could revolutionise healthcare

Pioneered by the Human Cell Atlas consortium, our understanding of the human body is about to be transformed – and with it, the way we treat and prevent disease

Daniel M Davis, Professor of Immunology, University of Manchester • conversation
July 7, 2022 • ~24 min

Black death: how we solved the centuries-old mystery of its origins

The Black Death evolved around Kyrgyzstan, according to new research.

Philip Slavin, Associate Professor of History, University of Stirling • conversation
June 20, 2022 • ~7 min

Whether you followed lockdown rules may have been influenced by your genetics – new research

If you found the COVID pandemic affected you differently to your friends, it could be down to your DNA.

Pauline Lanting, PhD-candidate, University of Groningen • conversation
May 20, 2022 • ~5 min

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