Genetics

Genetics is the study of genes and heredity. Heredity is the passing of genetic information and traits (such as eye color and an increased chance of getting a certain disease) from parents to offspring.

How Do Genetic Mutations Cause Disease?

Mutations in genes can lead to genetic disorders, impacting health. Understand the types, causes, and implications of genetic mutations and disease.

Genetic Regulation of Fingers and Toes Development

START and STOP Codons

History of Genetics

What is Genetic Anticipation?

Genetic Change

Genetics of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

Applications of the Expanded Genetic Code

The Importance of Genetic Counseling In Healthcare And Medicine

Genotype Versus Phenotype

Genetic Risk Associated with Social Anxiety

Genetics and Gene Expression

See more featured articles »

What is the Expanded Genetic Code?

Von Recklinghausen Disease Expressivity

What is Cytogenetics?

Genetics Research and Technology

The Role of Alternative Splicing in Disease

Genetic Inheritance

Latest Genetics News and Research

Persistent financial hardship tracks with poorer memory and processing speed by midlife

Researchers linked persistent low income and financial hardship across early and mid-adulthood to poorer processing speed and verbal memory at age 53 in a British birth cohort. Neuroimaging suggested greater vulnerability to later brain atrophy among men, people from disadvantaged childhood backgrounds, and APOE-ε4 carriers, although these subgroup findings require replication.

2 Aug 2026

AI-powered blood test detects liver cancer across distinct populations

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center validated an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered blood test that accurately detected liver cancer in people from two geographically and biologically distinct populations and also uncovered the underlying biological signals that make the test effective.

31 Jul 2026

Ketamine boosts neuroplasticity through microglia in female brains

Doctors use ketamine on patients as general anesthesia before surgery. They also prescribe it in low doses for pain management, and more recently, it's been used for treatment-resistant depression where other drugs have failed.

31 Jul 2026

Natural compounds could combat drug-resistant malaria and babesiosis

As parasites become increasingly resistant to existing drugs, researchers at the University of California, Riverside are working to develop a new generation of treatments for two serious infectious diseases: malaria and babesiosis.

31 Jul 2026

Brain immune cells drive recovery from ketamine anesthesia in females

During ketamine anesthesia, the brain's nerve cells fall silent-as consciousness returns, they begin to reconnect.

31 Jul 2026

Scientists map protective cell networks hiding dormant breast tumor cells

Researchers at the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences (LMS), Imperial College London and UCL Genetics Institute have created a detailed map of cells within breast tumors and identified distinct neighborhoods of proliferating and dormant cells.

31 Jul 2026

Genetic variants interact to increase early-onset atrial fibrillation risk

An estimated 10 million Americans have atrial fibrillation (AFib), according to the National Institutes of Health's National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

31 Jul 2026

Exposure to fungicides and insecticides alters onset of puberty in girls

The study, which tracked more than 500 Spanish girls between the ages of 7 and 10, links the presence of certain fungicides in urine to early menarche and that of the insecticide chlorpyrifos to delayed menarche, highlighting the impact of pesticides on pubertal development.

31 Jul 2026

Biotherapeutic metabolite repairs gut damage caused by HIV infection

Researchers at the UC Davis School of Medicine have identified a naturally occurring metabolite that repairs gut damage caused by HIV infection and significantly improves the effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in the nonhuman primate model of HIV/AIDS.

30 Jul 2026

New OpenABE gene editor improves editing efficiency by up to 36 times

A joint research team led by Professor Daesik Kim (Department of Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University), along with Professor Yong-Sub Kim (University of Ulsan College of Medicine) and Professor Jae-Hyun Park (Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine), has announced the development of 'OpenABE' (Open Adenine Base Editor).

30 Jul 2026

NIH funds mosquito genetics research to curb deadly disease spread

Mosquito-borne pathogens, including zika, yellow fever and other illnesses have serious and worldwide impacts on human health.

29 Jul 2026

Landmark study identifies new genetic risk factors linked to fibromyalgia syndrome

In a landmark study published in Nature Medicine, an international team of researchers has identified new genetic risk factors associated with fibromyalgia syndrome.

28 Jul 2026

Can Alzheimer's genes predict who becomes a SuperAger?

A study on SuperAgers shows exceptional memory isn't solely due to lower Alzheimer's genetic risk, highlighting the role of biological and lifestyle factors.

28 Jul 2026

Taste preference genes drive overeating and metabolic disease risk

Ever wonder why some people crave sweets while others can take them or leave them? Preliminary findings from a new study suggest that people who carry certain genetic variants associated with a preference for sweet or fatty tastes not only tend to eat more of these foods but also have a higher risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes as a result.

27 Jul 2026

Dengue virus infects memory B cells to evade immune defenses

Researchers at the University of Vermont Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine and Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, NY, have discovered that dengue virus can infect and replicate inside memory B cells, immune cells traditionally understood to help protect the body from infection.

27 Jul 2026

Study links inherited genetics to cancer susceptibility and progression

Scientists have found the first direct evidence of the powerful role our genetic makeup plays in influencing our risk of cancer, with inherited genes interacting with acquired genetic mutations to shape how tumors evolve.

26 Jul 2026

CRISPR directs layered immune response against invading bacteriophages

The main function of CRISPR-Cas systems, the revolutionary tool scientists now employ to edit genes, is to defend bacteria against threats such as viruses called bacteriophages.

24 Jul 2026

Iowa State study identifies potential new target for leukemia treatment

In leukemia's most aggressive forms, the blood cell factories in our bone marrow falter. Instead of dividing and multiplying at their usual prolific pace, generating hundreds of billions of new cells daily, some precursor cells stall out at an immature stage.

24 Jul 2026

Taiwan Biobank data reveals ongoing natural selection in living humans

For more than a century, scientists have sought to reconstruct human evolution using diverse lines of evidence, including fossils, genetic variation across populations, and ancient DNA.

24 Jul 2026

Scientists discover master molecular switch for ginseng saponin production

Sanchi ginseng (Panax notoginseng) is a cornerstone of traditional Chinese medicine, prized for its saponins-bioactive compounds with anti-inflammatory, cardiovascular, and anticancer properties.

24 Jul 2026