genetics

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Even Light Drinking Boosts Dementia Risk
Even Light Drinking
Jacks Your Dementia Risk
NEW STUDY
Oct 16, 2025 7:51 AM CDT

Even Light Drinking Jacks Your Dementia Risk

Prior 'one drink a day' advice was based on skewed data, new research suggests

(Newser) - A decades-old belief that a daily drink might do the brain some good just took another hit. According to a new study in BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine , light, regular alcohol consumption can raise the risk of developing dementia. Researchers tracked more than 550,000 people aged 56 to 72 and...

How a 117-Year-Old Woman Redefined the Science of Aging
117-Year-Old's
Biological Age Was
23 Years Younger
NEW STUDY
Sep 24, 2025 4:28 PM CDT

117-Year-Old's Biological Age Was 23 Years Younger

'Please study me,' said woman who helped redefine the science of aging

(Newser) - Scientists in Spain have taken an in-depth look at what set Maria Branyas Morera apart, hoping her record-breaking longevity could help unlock the mysteries of healthy aging. Branyas, who was the world's oldest person when she died last year at 117, volunteered for an exhaustive round of tests...

'The Tomato Is the Mother of the Potato'
'The Tomato Is the
Mother of the Potato'
NEW STUDY
Aug 2, 2025 7:30 AM CDT

'The Tomato Is the Mother of the Potato'

'Next time you eat potatoes, thank a tomato,' genome researcher says

(Newser) - "Next time you eat potatoes, thank a tomato," says genome biologist Sanwen Huang. A new study published in Cell has upended what scientists thought they knew about the potato: It turns out potatoes evolved from tomatoes. Huang and his team says the modern potato likely appeared about...

Gender Isn't So Random, Research Suggests
Gender Isn't Quite
a Coin Flip: Research
new study
Jul 20, 2025 2:00 PM CDT

Gender Isn't Quite a Coin Flip: Research

Maternal age and genetics may tip the odds

(Newser) - A newborn's sex isn't quite a coin flip, a new study suggests, finding that family genetics and maternal age mean it's more like tossing a weighted coin unique to each family. Researchers at Harvard University analyzed pregnancy data from more than 58,000 US nurses over...

'Definitely Cool' Study Digs Into Male-Female Height Gap

Study finds SHOX gene accounts for a fifth of the height gap

(Newser) - Why are men, on average, taller than women? A massive new genetic study reveals how a single gene may account for a slice of the difference. The SHOX gene has been thought to influence height—but since it's present on both X and Y chromosomes, researchers could only...

Scientists Pinpoint Gene Tied to Human Language
Scientists Pinpoint Gene
Tied to Human Language
NEW STUDY
Feb 18, 2025 10:52 AM CST

Scientists Pinpoint Gene Tied to Human Language

Protein variant found only in humans may have helped us learn to communicate the way we do

(Newser) - Why did humans start speaking? A new study links one gene to the origins of spoken language, proposing that a protein variant found only in humans may have helped us communicate in a novel way—and what scientists learn may someday help people with speech problems. Speech over the centuries...

Amid 'Substantial Doubt,' 23andMe Cuts 40% of Workers

Genetic testing company to slash 200 jobs in restructuring effort after a painful year

(Newser) - The genetic testing company 23andMe hasn't been doing so hot lately, watching its share price plummet more than 70% this year, and CEO Anne Wojcicki has desperately been trying to right the ship. Now, a streamlining: The BBC reports the firm has slashed 200 jobs, or about 40% of...

Do Your Kids Glare at Their Plate? It May Be in the Genes

Researchers say picky eaters may be more nature than nurture

(Newser) - Have a fussy young eater at home, or know someone who does? Many parents will vouch that their own kids are similarly finicky when mealtime rolls around, and now new research suggests that pickiness may be genetic—meaning refusing to consume one's broccoli or glass of milk may be...

A Harvard Aging Expert Faces Severe Blowback
A Harvard Aging Expert
Faces Severe Blowback
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
May 4, 2024 4:50 PM CDT

A Harvard Aging Expert Faces Severe Blowback

'WSJ' explores how geneticist David Sinclair is accused of pushing claims to 'reverse aging' too far

(Newser) - If you've looked into the idea of trying to stave off aging, chances are you've encountered the work of Harvard geneticist David Sinclair. He has become one of the nation's foremost "longevity influencers," the Wall Street Journal reports. But its lengthy profile digs into how...

23andMe Has Gone From Hot to Not. Can Its CEO Save It?

Stocks are trading below $1, but Anne Wojcicki sees promise in drug development

(Newser) - Genetic testing company 23andMe's stock is trading at around 75 cents as of this writing, a precipitous fall for a company that the Wall Street Journal dubs "one of the hottest startups in the world ... five years ago." Its valuation has fallen 98% from its former $6...

Food and Exercise Aren't the Only Keys to Living Past 90

Luck, in the form of genetics, plays a major roll in longevity, new research is making clear

(Newser) - While trend pieces that describe which foods to eat or the magic number of steps to walk each day may help curb disease and increase longevity, a key factor to living a very long life isn't within our control. Per the Wall Street Journal , research on aging increasingly shows...

Neanderthal Genes Suspected in Severe COVID Cases
Neanderthal Genes Suspected
in Severe COVID Cases
NEW STUDY
Sep 22, 2023 11:45 AM CDT

Neanderthal Genes Suspected in Severe COVID Cases

Study looks at a hard-hit city in Italy

(Newser) - Individuals who suffer a severe COVID-19 infection may perhaps blame genes inherited from our cousins the Neanderthals. A new study focused on the northern Italian city of Bergamo, an early epicenter found to have one of the world's highest COVID-19 death rates, links a set of DNA variants, or...

You and Your Doppleganger Share More Than Looks
You and Your Doppleganger
Share More Than Looks
new study
Aug 25, 2022 12:25 PM CDT

You and Your Doppleganger Share More Than Looks

Study shows that unrelated look-alikes also share genes and even behaviors

(Newser) - Studies of twins are common. Studies of unrelated people who could pass for twins, not so much. But in Cell Reports , researchers dug deep into the phenomenon of dopplegangers—look-a-likes who are aren't actually related—and discovered that they share far more than superficial appearances, reports Science Alert . An...

Scientist Behind Gene-Edited Babies Is Let Out of Prison

He Jiankui was convicted, sentenced in China in December 2019

(Newser) - Update: A Chinese biophysicist jailed in China for his role in helping to create the world's first gene-edited babies is a free man once more. The release of He Jiankui, who was convicted and sentenced to three years behind bars in December 2019 on charges of practicing medicine illegally,...

Woman Sues Fertility Doc for 'Medical Rape'

Says he used his own sperm, without permission, to impregnate her

(Newser) - Another heartbreaking story of an allegedly unethical fertility doctor: In New Jersey, Bianca Voss, 75, learned last year that her daughter Roberta's father was, allegedly, the very OB-GYN who was supposed to have artificially inseminated her using sperm from an anonymous donor almost four decades ago. The bombshell came...

DNA Slavery Study Yields Suprises
DNA Slavery Study
Yields Surprises
NEW STUDY
Jul 24, 2020 12:20 PM CDT

DNA Slavery Study Yields Surprises

More enslaved people came to the US from Nigeria than previously thought, researchers say

(Newser) - Using historical records has been the most traditional way to shed light on the dark stain of slavery in the United States. Now, per new research that the Scientist calls "the largest DNA study to examine African ancestry in the Americas," gene analysis is helping put more pieces...

In This Wild Battle of Sexes, the Females Prevail
In Phenomenon
Seen Across Species,
the Ladies Have It
in case you missed it
Mar 28, 2020 7:00 AM CDT

In Phenomenon Seen Across Species, the Ladies Have It

Female mammals typically live longer, likely owing to genetics

(Newser) - It's not just in human populations that females tend to live longer than males. The same trend has been seen in mammals such as elephants, lions, and orcas, according to a new study. Indeed, demographic data for 134 populations of 101 mammalian species shows females outlive males in 60%...

Big CRISPR First: Gene Editing Inside a Patient
For Gene Editing,
a 'New Frontier'
Mar 4, 2020 8:34 AM CST

For Gene Editing, a 'New Frontier'

If deemed safe, scientists hope for widespread use of CRISPR procedure inside patients' bodies

(Newser) - "We literally have the potential to take people who are essentially blind and make them see." Those are the attention-grabbing words of Charles Albright, the chief scientific officer at Editas Medicine, which is sponsoring a study to wield DNA technology in a novel way: edit genes using the...

3 Cheetahs, 2 Cubs, One 'Big Breakthrough'

Birth via surrogacy allows for greater genetic diversity

(Newser) - Ohio has welcomed two new scientific marvels—the first ever cheetah cubs born via in vitro fertilization. Cheetahs are a vulnerable species, with only 7,500 left in the wild. They also have low genetic diversity owing to a mass die-off about 10,000 years ago. That's made breeding...

Do Humans Have a 'Gay Gene?' Big New Study Thinks Not

Sexual orientation is instead a complex stew of genetics and environment, say researchers

(Newser) - Humans do not have a "gay gene" that determines their sexual orientation, according to the largest study (by far) ever conducted on the issue. Researchers studied the genomes of 470,000 people, hunting for a pattern to explain human sexuality, reports Live Science . They found five genetic markers deemed...

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