Spots are common in the animal kingdom. Birds, insects, reptiles, fishes, and of course mammals sport spots. In Darwinian terms, a trait…
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post How the Giraffe Got Its Spots: A Genetic Just-So Story
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post Drug Duo Treats ALS – On A Chip
When a disease is as relentless as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS; aka Lou Gehrig’s disease; aka motor neuron disease), any promising research…
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post October Isn’t Just for Breast Cancer Awareness
Many posts at DNA Science have been about families navigating life with a rare disease. I especially think of them during October…
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post Men Behaving Badly: A Lesson from Duck Sex?
I hate the phrase “humans and animals” or derisively calling someone an animal. We’re not plants, fungi, bacteria, or protozoa, nor are…
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post A Natural History Study Isn’t Necessarily About Dinosaurs
Many scientists trace their childhood inspiration to the towering skeletons of dinosaurs that still reign over the regal lobbies of the American…
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post Y Chromosomes in the News and #MeToo
The firing of CBS CEO Leslie Moonves for his alleged history of revolting attacks on women and the upcoming one-year anniversary of Ronan…
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post Matching Cancer Patients to Targeted Drugs: Two New Tools
A choreography of mutational events drives cancer cells to invade and metastasize, changing the biology in ways that enable the errant cells…
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post The Cave Where It Happened: The Daughter of a Neanderthal Mom and a Denisovan Dad
Once upon a time, in a cave in the Altai Mountains of southern Siberia, different types of ancient peoples were having sex…
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post New Book, “Run to the Light,” Chronicles a Journey with Batten Disease
On Sunday, August 19, Taylor King will turn 20. On November 1, Laura King Edwards’s inspiring book “Run To The Light” will…
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post Is CRISPR Gene Editing Doomed, Even As Gene Therapy Enters the Clinic?
Anyone watching the recent 60 Minutes segment on CRISPR would conclude that the gene editing technology is on the brink of pouring forth…
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post How the Media Oversimplifies DNA Testing of Separated Families
When the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA) was passed to unify “the existing patchwork of State and Federal laws,” the…
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post Identical Twins, Physical Fitness, and Transgender Identity in the News
The terrific new documentary “Three Identical Strangers” tells the remarkable tale of triplets separated in infancy who met for the first time…