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Reed made several discoveries in genetics and dedicated her career toward supporting women scientists. Yet she herself fell into obscurity. This article is part of Overlooked, a series of obituaries [...]

He demonstrated that differences in DNA between groups of people were far smaller than originally believed. He was also a noted opponent of aspects of sociobiology. Richard C. Lewontin, widely [...]

Millions of people in recent years have sent off samples of their saliva to DNA-testing companies like 23andMe and Ancestry.com hoping to find out where their forebears came from and [...]

Reports the death of Edward B. Lewis, a geneticist, in Pasadena, California, on July 21, 2004. Nobel Prize won by Lewis in 1985 in recognition of his contribution to genetics, specifically his observations of fruit-fly genes shedding light on embryonic development in humans.

The article presents a profile of geneticist and author Harry Ostrer. Particular focus is given to his research regarding the genetic connections between various Jewish groups, specifically Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews, and his book "Legacy: A Genetic History of the Jewish People." Efforts by Tel Aviv University professor Shlomo Sand to denounce Ostrer's research are discussed and comments in support of his findings are presented by genome scientist Mary-Clare King, Jewish history professor David N. Myers, and genetics professor Gil Atzmon. Other topics discussed include research regarding DNA markers, Jewish biology, and the book "The Genealogical Science: The Search for Jewish Origins and the Politics of Epistemology" by Nadia Abu El-Haj.

The article discusses viruses mutate, and the coronavirus. Topics including a preprint study posted online, but not published in a scientific journal and not yet peer-reviewed has set the internet afire by suggesting; viruses are far sloppier, producing many mutants every time they infect a cell; and Natural selection can favor viruses carrying a beneficial mutation, leading it to spread more widely.

The article reports on the claim by geneticists that their works are being used by white supremacists to advance their agenda. Also cited are the annual meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics in San Diego, California in October 2018 to discuss the issue, the use of genes factor in arguments about school achievement gaps among races, immigration, and policing, as well as the comment of society president and bioethicist Jennifer Wagner on the issue.

The article reports that geneticists are raising concerns about unregulated "biohacking" after a researcher created a virus from mail-order DNA. Topics discussed include the recreation of an extinct relative of smallpox, horsepox, by stitching together fragments of mail-order DNA and the publication of the study in the journal "PLOS One."

The article reports on a study, led by geneticist Dr. David Reich of Harvard Medical School, of genomes from long-dead people to compile a new history of humanity. Topics mentioned include the book "Who We Are and How We Got Here," by Dr. Reich, a map that shows the expansion of modern humans from Africa and the Near East, and genetic legacy left by Denisovans in living people in Australia, New Guinea, and Asia.

The article discusses geneticist Eske Willerslev, director of the Center for GeoGenetics at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, and his study of ancient DNA to gain insight into the history of ethnic groups and humanity. Topics include his lead of the first successful sequencing of an ancient human genome, his publishing of the genome of the 8500-year old Kennewik Man, and his practice of gaining consent from aboriginals due to the unethical history of scientific research of indigenous people.

According to 'Bahrain Tribune', the head of the genetics department at Salmaniya Medical Complex, Dr Shaikha Al Arayyed, has been named on a World Health Organization (WHO) panel as advisor [...]

The article reports on the experience conducted by two research groups of plant breeders and geneticists to create an American chestnut tree that can withstand fungus blight in the U.S. It notes the 30 acres of land in rural Pennsylvania that were planted with blight-resistant chestnut seedlings by the nonprofit organization, American Chestnut Foundation. The seedlings were Chinese-American hybrids and they will undergo crucial test of the tree's ability to go alone in wild forests.

An obituary for cancer geneticist Alfred G. Knudson who worked at the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Pennsylvania is presented.

The article reports on the study by evolutionary geneticist Lena Wilfert which reveals that the human trade and the transport of bees are the causes of the spread of the deformed wing virus.

Discusses chimeras, creatures composed of more than one kind of cell. Observation that mythology is populated with half-human chimeras; Types of chimeras that biologists have been generating for years; The promise of embryonic stem cells; Why chimeras grip the imagination; Views of biologists; Ethics of chimera manufacture; Cases in which human-animal chimeras could raise awkward issues; Topic of nuclear transfers; Outlook for creating a viable chimeric creature; Guidelines that were proposed by the National Academy of Sciences.

The article reports on the study made by geneticists scanning the genomes of hundreds of Armenians from Armenia and Lebanon which found that Armenians are a mix of ancient populations and supports the claims of historian Movses Khorenatsi that Armenia had been established in 2492 B.C.

The article reports that a meeting of paleontologists in New Orleans, Louisiana, dealt with the continuing debate on the place of Neanderthal man in the narrative of human evolution, in light of new findings by geneticists. The debate centers on the question of whether man's evolution took place through incremental changes over the eons, or through long periods of stasis punctuated by brief bursts of marked change. Graduate student Linda Vigilant presented findings which address criticisms against molecular biologist Allan C. Wilson and colleagues' hypothesis that all people alive can trace their genetic heritage to a common ancestor who migrated out of Africa ages ago. Both Vigilant and Wilson's ideas are the result of analysis of the mutation of mitochondrial DNA.

The article profiles geneticist Rick A. Kittles, focusing on his decision to shift his research focus from African-American genetics to Native American genetics after accepting a position at the University of Arizona's Center for Applied Genetics and Genomic Medicine. Topics addressed include Kittles' academic and career history, as well as his plans to study prostate cancers.

The article reports on the discovery of genetic evidence by geneticists in February 2014 for hundreds of examples of the large-scale human genome mixing of human populations in the past 4,000 years.

The article profiles radical scientist and geneticist Richard C. Lewontin, formerly of the University of Chicago. Lewontin publicly resigned from the National Academy of Sciences in April 1971 amid much controversy. He stated that his displeasure with the academy stemmed from the co-opting of the science profession by the United States government. The role of the radical scientist, however, is difficult because there is very little room to express beliefs in such a rigid discipline.

Leonard Herzenberg, a Stanford geneticist who devised a pathbreaking method for identifying the nature and function of single cells in the human body, died at Stanford University Hospital on Oct. 27. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article announces that crop geneticist Shyam P. Tallury has joined the Advanced Technology program at the Clemson University Pee Dee Research and Education Center to develop disease-resistant peanut germplasm.

The article celebrates the life and work of François Jacob, the French geneticist who died on April 19, 2013.

The article celebrates the life and work of Francis Ruddle, a Yale University geneticist who died in 2013 at the age of 83.

The article reports on the plans of researchers at the University of Connecticut to study the DNA of Adam Lanza, the 20-year-old gunman at the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings in Newtown, Connecticut. The research aims to discover biological clues to extreme violence. Experts believe that the geneticists will look for mutations that might be associated with mental illness and mutations that may increase the risk for violence.

Dr. David L. Rimoin, a medical geneticist who made major discoveries in the study of dwarfism and skeletal disorders and helped develop large-scale testing for inherited diseases, died on May 27 in Los Angeles. He was 75. The cause was pancreatic cancer, said Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he was director of the Medical Genetics Institute. He was a patient there at his death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HUMAN genome sequencing is already helping researchers find new treatments for illness. Now an unusual case study suggests that the benefits of sequencing may be enhanced in combination with detailed blood tests. The case involves Michael Snyder, a geneticist who was both the lead author and the subject of a study on genomics reported in the journal Cell. The study began with the sequencing of Dr. Snyder's genome, which showed that he was at high risk for Type 2 diabetes. Then the research team did extensive blood tests every two months or more, keeping track of 40,000 molecules in Dr. Snyder's cells. About midway into the 14-month study, analyses showed that Dr. Snyder had indeed developed diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flower fertilization is a complex process that requires a perfect union between a single ovule and a single pollen tube, which contains sperm. Now a new study reports how flowers are able to reproduce with such expert precision. Researchers report that the moment a gamete fusion event occurs -- that is, when the two sperm cells from a pollen tube unite with the two female gametes in the ovule -- all other pollen tubes are repelled, redirected toward other ovules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It was like throwing a lighted match into a gasoline-filled room. DR. PAUL S. KEIM, a microbial geneticist, on the introduction of cholera to Haiti. [1] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When Alexis Gambis fell in love with fruit flies, it was a difficult relationship to explain to his friends. So he turned the lab where he was studying the flies' genome sequences into a studio and made a film about his passion. And that's what transformed this geneticist into the director of a film festival. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

THE HYPOTHESISBones help regulate fertility in men. THE INVESTIGATORDr. Gerard Karsenty, Columbia University. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International BLACK DEATH'S ORIGINS [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The great waves of plague that twice devastated Europe and changed the course of history had their origins in China, a team of medical geneticists reported Sunday, as did a third plague outbreak that struck less harmfully in the 19th century. And in separate research, a team of biologists reported conclusively this month that the causative agent of the most deadly plague, the Black Death, was the bacterium known as Yersinia pestis. This agent had always been the favored cause, but a vigorous minority of biologists and historians have argued the Black Death differed from modern cases of plague studied in India, and therefore must have had a different cause. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The human genome is riddled with dead genes, fossils of a sort, dating back hundreds of thousands of years -- the genome's equivalent of an attic full of broken and useless junk. Some of those genes, surprised geneticists reported Thursday, can rise from the dead like zombies, waking up to cause one of the most common forms of muscular dystrophy. This is the first time, geneticists say, that they have seen a dead gene come back to life and cause a disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]