Genetic Science

A massive crossover of cultures and ethnicities often increases genetic variability as children inherit dominant traits from their parents. Each facial feature, skin color, and trait tells a story of people's origins.

By Mitch Ryan

Eye contact helps build trust and communication whether in business, friendships or romantic pursuits. Its importance in human socialization means that we're more likely to take note of eye color and wonder, "What is the most common eye color?"

By Talon Homer

If you're studying genetics, molecular biology or a related field, odds are good that you will need to learn how to read a codon chart (aka codon table) to better understand the genetic code.

By Marie Look

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the average height in the United States is 5 feet, 9 inches (1.75 meters) for adult men and 5 feet, 3.5 inches (1.61 meters) for adult women. But some people can reach heights upwards of 7 or 8 feet (2.1 to 2.4 meters)!

By Sascha Bos

Before the widespread use of DNA, establishing the paternity of a child was a tricky business. Ever heard of the oscillophore?

By Dave Roos

After scientists announced the first draft of the human genome, people began to wonder how our new understanding of DNA would change life. Several research institutes stated the accomplishment would revolutionize science and modern medicine -- but how, exactly?

By Marianne Spoon

What's more fun than looking at pictures of DNA and celebrities? Check out Dolly, dimples and dominant and recessive traits in this fun gallery charting how genetics play out in humans (and a few animals).

How can children from the same parents look so different? I mean, why don't all kids from the same parents look exactly alike, since the parents just have one set of chromosomes each and they don't change?

This week, a group of London-based scientists requested official permission to begin a three-year study involving stem cells derived from human-cow hybrids.

By Julia Layton

Hereditary illnesses are passed down from parents to their children like gene traits, and children might inherit a disease even though their parents never suffered from its symptoms. Learn about hereditary illnesses.

By Alvin Eden & Elizabeth Eden

It sounds kind of great, right? Imagine everything you and yourself could get done. You'd be masters of the world -- wouldn't you?

By Robert Lamb

Ever hear that urban legend about waking up without your kidney? Would organ thieves have to find a new line of work if cloned organs became a reality?

By Cristen Conger

Who hasn't fantasized about bigger biceps? Killer abs? A rear end you could bounce a quarter off? But would you tamper with your genes to achieve that buff body?

By Susan L. Nasr

How would you like to be the person responsible for changing science and Western civilization? With the "Origin of Species," Charles Darwin did. How did this English gent become the reluctant ambassador of evolution?

By Robert Lamb

More than 50 years have passed since Watson and Crick untangled the structure of DNA and five years have elapsed since scientists finished sequencing the entire human genome. What have we figured out about our genetic material?

By Jacob Silverman

Given the choice, would you rather have been born with a different eye color, hair color or skin tone? Of course, you didn't have these options, but could you have them for your own children?

By Kevin Bonsor & Julia Layton

The CBS drama "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" routinely uses cutting-edge technology to solve crimes, including collecting and analyzing DNA evidence. But catching a criminal using DNA evidence is not quite as easy as "CSI" makes it seem.

By William Harris

It's a chicken-or-egg situation: What came first? Perplexed people need wonder no longer, as we've sussed out the answer to this ancient riddle.

By Alia Hoyt

Cloning is the process of making a genetically identical organism through nonsexual means. In this article, we will examine how cloning works and look at possible uses of this technology.

By Craig Freudenrich, Ph.D.

What is the difference between a hardwood and a softwood? How hard does a tree have to be to be considered hardwood?

With movie titles like "Attack of the Clones" and "The Clone Wars," it's no wonder human cloning makes us anxious. As scientists make startling discoveries cloning animals, are humans next?

By Kevin Bonsor & Cristen Conger

Much like Noah, researchers are stockpiling the genes of Earth's living creatures, loading them into state-of-the art facilities and freezing them. Are scientists saving them for a rainy day?

By Robert Lamb

That bowling ball of white meat in your oven is a far cry from its wild ancestors. How did a single breed of top-heavy, dim-witted birds come to dominate the turkey market?

By Maria Trimarchi

Doctors always want your blood, but one day, a health care professional may ask you to open up and say, "Ptooey!" Why? Your spit holds a mother lode of biological information.

By William Harris

Can humans live forever? No, but thanks to the discovery of the Hayflick limit, we know that cells can conceivably divide forever without dying.

By Josh Clark