Did ancient Americans settle in Polynesia? The evidence doesn’t stack up

Indigenous Americans have no history of open ocean voyaging. Similarly, there is no archaeological evidence of pre-Polynesian occupation on any …

COVID-19: Your genes could determine whether SARS-CoV-2 puts you in hospital

Results of an analysis suggested there were differences in people’s DNA that could influence their ability to respond to a SARS-CoV-2 infection

Botswana is humanity’s ancestral home, claims major study – well, actually …

Mitochondrial DNA comes almost only ever from mothers, so the story of its inheritance is much simpler than the histories of other genes

Here is how nutrition may help overcome genetic risk of diabetes

B12 and folic acid supplements have a beneficial impact on genes associated with Type 2 diabetes, says research by the Council of Scientific and …

Hot springs harbour microbial diversity

Untapped bacterial cultures from Unkeshwar hot springs on the bank of river Penganga in Maharashtra are being studied for their metabolic use in …

Scientists are on a path to sequencing 1 million human genomes, use big data to unlock genetic secrets

If researchers wanted to understand humanity in all its diversity, it would take sequencing thousands or millions of complete genomes. Now, a …

Sickle cell disease is rife in west Africa — a fresh approach is needed to combat it

Nigeria has the largest population of individuals with the condition globally

Nobel Prize for chemistry for gene-editing: A gene engineer explains how it works

CRISPR has huge potential to transform how scientists can detect, treat and even eradicate diseases as well as improve agricultural products

French-American duo share 2020 Chemistry Nobel for ‘genetic scissors’

Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A Doudna have discovered one of gene technology’s sharpest tools  

Ancient GPS? Older, evolutionarily unchanged part of the brain guides lost fish back home

This part of the brain might perform a similar function in other vertebrates, including humans

George Floyd killing is time to say it again: Racism has no place in science

A single mutation in a gene called ‘SLC24A5’ is responsible for giving Europeans their light skin

When exactly did the tiger colonise the Indian subcontinent?

Down To Earth popped the question to geneticists, historians and experts on the cat superstar. Here is what we were able to deduce