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.

History of Genetics

What is Genetic Anticipation?

Genetics of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

Genetics and Gene Expression

Genetics Research and Technology

Genetic Risk Associated with Social Anxiety

Genetic Regulation of Fingers and Toes Development

START and STOP Codons

What is Cytogenetics?

Genetic Change

Genetic Inheritance

See more featured articles »

Applications of the Expanded Genetic Code

Genotype Versus Phenotype

The Importance of Genetic Counseling In Healthcare And Medicine

What is the Expanded Genetic Code?

Von Recklinghausen Disease Expressivity

The Role of Alternative Splicing in Disease

Latest Genetics News and Research

Popular supplement creatine supercharges critical immune cells fighting cancer

Creatine, the organic acid that is popularly taken as a supplement by athletes and bodybuilders, supercharges a critical class of immune cells that activate and prepare the body's key cancer-fighters, according to new UCLA research.

5 Jun 2026

Favorable lifestyle factors reduce dementia risk across key genetic profiles

With dementia cases expected to nearly triple worldwide by 2050, researchers are increasingly focused on identifying ways to prevent or delay the disease.

5 Jun 2026

Hidden junk DNA could play decisive role in cancer

Many repetitive regions of the genome have been considered "junk DNA" because the technologies available did not allow them to be studied at sufficient resolution.

5 Jun 2026

Senior Care Authority kicks off Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month with six science-backed habits that may help reduce dementia risk

An estimated 7.4 million Americans aged 65 and older are now living with Alzheimer's disease, according to the Alzheimer's Association's 2026 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures report, and that number is projected to climb to nearly 13 million by 2050.

5 Jun 2026

Novel technology maps single-cell DNA-protein interactions

A new technology allows scientists to map, in single cells, the DNA binding sites of transcription factors and other regulatory proteins that control gene activity, according to a study led by investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine and the New York Genome Center.

4 Jun 2026

Higher genetic pulse pressure risk associated with dementia-related mortality

When looking at genetic variants in a person's DNA that predispose them to disease, a new study has found having a higher number of genetic variants for increased pulse pressure is associated with a small, increased risk of dementia as a contributing cause of death.

3 Jun 2026

New manufacturing platform produces targeted mixtures of beneficial gut bacteria

Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have developed a new manufacturing platform for producing targeted mixtures of beneficial gut bacteria, an approach that could help expand access to microbiome-based therapies for patients with recurrent Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) infection.

3 Jun 2026

Study shows how TAF1 regulates ferroptosis in cancer cells

Ferroptosis has become a promising area in cancer research because it may provide a way to target tumor cells that evade other better-known forms of programmed cell death, such as apoptosis and necroptosis.

3 Jun 2026

New funding supports cutting-edge research to combat cancers across South Texas

The University of Texas at San Antonio (UT San Antonio) and its academic health center, UT Health San Antonio, recently received over $2.7 million in new academic and prevention awards from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) to further its mission of combating cancers across South Texas.

2 Jun 2026

New discovery provides insights into how seasonal influenza viruses infect people

Scientists investigating how influenza viruses replicate within cells "accidentally" discovered that different flu viruses use distinct strategies to infiltrate cells in the first place.

2 Jun 2026

Jumping genes help strengthen the mammalian Y chromosome

The humble Y chromosome may be the smallest chromosome in the mammalian genome (and getting even smaller), but it is mighty: genes on the Y chromosome are critical for fertility in males.

1 Jun 2026

New brain probe simultaneously records and controls neuron activity

A new breakthrough technology, co-developed by UCL scientists, that simultaneously records and manipulates neuron activity deep within the brain could transform our understanding of neural circuits and neurological conditions, such as Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia.

1 Jun 2026

Scientists develop safer CRISPR technique using gentler DNA nicking approach

Researchers at Cornell University have developed a safer and more precise way to study how genes function in living tissues by refining a recently developed CRISPR-based genetic technique in fruit flies, enabling researchers to better study how genes contribute to development and disease.

27 May 2026

Extreme trait values often have simpler genetic explanations than thought

Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have found evidence that people who fall at the extreme high or low ends of certain traits, such as cholesterol, blood glucose, height, and age at menopause, are more likely to have a simple genetic explanation than previously thought.

27 May 2026

EEG reveals how coffee may secretly lower sleep quality

Evening coffee has sparked controversy for years. Some people fall asleep without difficulty, while others toss and turn for half the night.

27 May 2026

Poor lipid metabolism may reduce cognitive performance in teens

A new Finnish study shows that blood markers of dysfunctional lipid metabolism are associated with poorer cognitive function in 15-17-year-olds.

27 May 2026

Why blood pressure rises faster in women after midlife

This review examines how sex-specific blood pressure trajectories are shaped by genetics, hormones, metabolic risk factors, lifestyle exposures, environmental stressors, and medical treatments. It highlights that women generally have lower blood pressure earlier in life but may experience steeper increases with aging, especially around and after menopause, with exogenous stressors appearing to have a greater impact in women than in men.

27 May 2026

Study links fathers’ preconception stress to altered offspring development

Research from the University of Colorado Anschutz suggests that stress experienced by a father before conception may influence an offspring's growth by altering small molecular signals in sperm.

26 May 2026

New AI model predicts cancer treatment responses from mutations

Researchers at University of California San Diego have developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) model that can translate a tumor's complex genetic profile into predictions about how that cancer may respond to treatment.

26 May 2026

Why Kenya, Ethiopia, Japan, and the US stand out in global distance running

This global analysis of 152,943 endurance runners found that nationality, gender, age, and race distance were significantly associated with running performance from 1999 to 2024. Men were faster across all distances, women were generally older in longer races, and runners from Kenya, Ethiopia, Japan, and the United States showed distinct participation and performance patterns.

26 May 2026