Genetic Science

Genetics is the study of cellular science. It furthers our understanding of how DNA and the genetic make-up of species and can lead to cures for diseases and shape our future.

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When the traffic lights are functioning, drivers (usually) behave. Break a light, and everything comes to a standstill. Within our bodies, we could liken that broken traffic light to a DNA mutation — one that has the potential to mess up our body's everyday operations.

By Elizabeth Sprouse & Desiree Bowie

Are genetically modified organisms (GMOs) really bad for the environment and your health or just victims of bad publicity? We'll look at the pros and cons of this controversial subject.

By Patrick J. Kiger

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

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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

You yearn to peer out the window of an SUV and watch a Tyrannosaurus rex lumber into a clearing. Your home movie of said event would be a YouTube sensation. Could it ever happen?

By Robert Lamb

Did you know that elements of your genetic code are patented? Companies and researchers can actually lay claim to sequences of genetic code. Is that as scary as it sounds?

By Michael Franco

We love stories of twins who can sense each other's pain or know what the other is thinking. But is there really such a thing as "twinspiration" or is just coincidence?

By Karen Kirkpatrick

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We've been raised with the belief that death is inevitable, so we must consider the legacy of what we'll leave behind. But what if you had unlimited time to pursue your life's work? What if you didn't have to die?

By Molly Edmonds

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

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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

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

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

Chimps share almost 99 percent of our genetic makeup. What makes up that tiny, 1 percent difference? What are the things that differentiate us from other great apes?

By Tom Scheve

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One day you can digest dairy, and the next, milk makes you sick. The culprit behind this crime against milk? Gene regulation. But how do certain traits just switch off?

By Elizabeth Sprouse

The real story about the roots of infidelity and monogamy is far more complicated than whether you have the "cheating gene."

By Dave Roos

Countless superhero movies have been released in the past decade, playing to our fascination with people with higher than usual abilities. But what if people really could have superpowers like those portrayed in the movies, thanks to the inheritance of so-called super genes?

By Diana Brown & Sascha Bos

At least not in nature. Scientists have discovered the two gene families that play key roles in making fruits and vegetables either round or long. Could a square fruit be on the horizon?

By Dave Roos

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Tetragametic chimerism occurs when a single organism has two genetically distinct types of DNA.

By Laurie L. Dove

What happens when twins are reunited decades later? And how in the world can you explain separated twins giving their firstborn son or their family dog the same exact name?

By John Donovan

Genetic mutations are the instrument by which nature adds new variations to life. If the mutations give rise to advantageous traits, they get passed down through successive generations and can spread throughout the entire population of a species. Evolution just wouldn’t be possible without mutations springing up now and again to bestow new attributes on […] The post 8 Super Cool Genetic Mutations Found In Humans appeared first on Goliath.

By Wes Walcott

Does everyone have a double out there somewhere that they don't know about? Science says the odds are pretty slim.

By Alia Hoyt

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It's easy to equate Caucasian with white. But the word Caucasian touches on issues deeper than skin color. HowStuffWorks looks at its true meaning.

By John Donovan & Austin Henderson

Is it better to be grossed out by the smell of your asparagus pee, or not to be able to smell it all? A new study explains why some of us can detect this unique odor.

By Jesslyn Shields