Artist and Phd student, Heather Dewey-Hagborg, finds and photographs DNA samples out in public, collecting everything from hair to chewed gum and cigarettes. She then sequences the DNA, extracting information about certain traits related to outward appearance (e.g. gender, eye-color, ancestry). Dewey-Hagborg then feeds this information into a computer program that uses the details to create a 3D model of…
Dr Helena Cronin, co-director of the Centre for Philosophy of Natural and Social Science at the London School of Economics, discusses “sexuality after genetics”. Why are males and females so different? Why would one identical twin be gay while the other is straight? Dr Cronin, who specialises in the genetics of gender and sexuality, also explains why she thinks there…
To the surprise of scientists, the most dangerous cancers of the uterine lining closely resemble the worst ovarian and breast cancers, raising the tantalizing possibility that the three deadly cancers might respond to the same drugs. This finding, part of a major new study, is the best evidence yet that cancer will increasingly be seen as a disease defined by its…
In the latest edition of the open access journal PLoS Biology, a group of UK biologists has detailed new insights into the differences and similarities between flowering plants’ petal and leaf formation. Roses are the perfect example of how the same plant can grow pointed leaves, but fan-shaped petals use a similar signaling process, according to the researchers. The group, led…
A new survey commissioned by 23andMe – the leading personal genetics company – in celebration of DNA Day reveals that the majority of Americans have an interest in learning more about themselves by exploring their DNA, even though many do not fully understand how their DNA functions. “A majority of Americans are interested in the knowledge that their genetic information…
An international team of scientists has used ancient DNA recovered from human remains dating from up to 5,500 BC to reconstruct the first detailed genetic history of modern Europe. “This is the first high-resolution genetic record of these lineages through time, and it is fascinating that we can directly observe both human DNA evolving in ‘real-time’, and the dramatic population…