New Scientist - Genetics

Genes give Africans a better sense of taste

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 08:00:00 GMT

People from Cameroon and Kenya have far more variation in a gene that controls sensitivity to bitterness, say researchers – could it be a survival adaptation?

Genetic manpulation now becoming a hobby

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

A do-it-yourself movement is hoping to open up synthetic biology to anyone with a passion for tweaking DNA

Darwin's dangerous idea: Top 10 evolution articles

Sun, 28 Dec 2008 11:29:00 GMT

One hundred and fifty years after it was first proposed, natural selection continues to be a battleground and a hotbed of new ideas. Here are the best stories from 2008

Genetics: Top 10 articles from 2008

Wed, 24 Dec 2008 13:05:00 GMT

2008 was all about the genome – or rather, how companies could make money out of it – but geneticists are also shining new light on how life may have evolved in the first place

Did warfare drive out-of-Africa migration?

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 17:08:00 GMT

Roving bands of men might have waged history's first traceable war against the ancestors of all non-Africans, some 60,000 years ago

Superbug 'condom' could slow spread of drug resistance

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 15:11:00 GMT

Scientists hope to prevent the spread antibiotic resistance in hospitals by stopping the flow of genes between orgy-loving bacteria

DNA dating: Can genes help you pick a mate?

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 10:15:00 GMT

Their love felt so right, but what if their genes are all wrong? puts her heart on the line with a DNA compatibility test

Chocolate in peril

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 18:00:00 GMT

Witch's broom and frosty pod are threatening everyone's favourite sweet treat, and climate change could make things worse – the good news is that help is at hand...

DNA is recovered from ancestral snack

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 10:14:00 GMT

The discovery that genetic information can be extracted from ancient cooked bones could tell us more about what early communities ate for dinner

News review 2008: Human genes become commodities

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Celebrities have rushed to have their genes read, despite the fact that they won't be much use to anyone but researchers

Human DNA may set off AIDS timebomb

Sun, 14 Dec 2008 11:23:00 GMT

How quickly HIV explodes into AIDS might depend on an individual's DNA, say researchers

Bug genes are the key to human digestion

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:55:00 GMT

Rather than a key set of bacteria species keeping our guts functioning, researchers have found that it's the genes that matter

Spanish Inquisition left genetic legacy in Iberia

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Modern inhabitants of Spain and Portugal display genetic traces of the cultural melting pot that existed in the late 1400s

DNA database 'violates human rights'

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The UK's database of samples from crime suspects acquitted or never tried has been judged to violate human rights

British DNA database 'breached human rights'

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 12:50:00 GMT

The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that the UK must delete DNA samples from people who have never been convicted of a crime

Neanderthal genome already giving up its secrets

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 12:05:00 GMT

The decoding of the nuclear genome should be complete by year's end, say researchers – early glimpses are already ruling some theories about our extinct close relatives

Spanish Inquisition left genetic legacy in Iberia

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 17:18:00 GMT

Modern inhabitants of Spain and Portugal still display genetic traces of the cultural melting pot that existed in the late 1400s

First 'placebo gene' discovered

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:14:00 GMT

For the first time, a gene is being linked to increased susceptibility to the placebo effect – the mysterious capacity some people have to benefit from sham treatments

Memories may be stored on your DNA

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 10:20:00 GMT

Patterns of chemical "caps" on our DNA may be responsible for preserving both long and short-term memories, suggest experiments in mice

Molecular fireworks could produce '30-minute genomes'

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 13:40:00 GMT

A Californian startup has unveiled a technique that could sequence single person's genome for under $1000

Would eating heavy atoms lengthen our lives?

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 12:30:00 GMT

Radical changes to the make-up of food might keep us younger for longer. investigates

Down's symptoms may be treatable in the womb

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:14:00 GMT

Fetal mouse pups with a Down's-like syndrome suffered fewer developmental delays when treated with nerve-protecting chemicals – similar treatments might help in humans

Has universal ageing mechanism been found?

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 17:00:00 GMT

A protein that causes yeast to age seems to have a similar effect in mice too – the finding might lead to drugs to reverse age-related diseases

Safer fetal test for genetic diseases on horizon

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 12:49:00 GMT

Using just a drop of the mother's blood, scientists can now tell if the fetus has a disorder like cystic fibrosis – it could soon spell the end for invasive techniques

Electric fish prefers sexual charge of its own species

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 00:01:00 GMT

Male elephant nose fish lure females with signature electric jolts to stop other genetically similar species getting in on the act