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.
Meet the Largest Living Organism, aka the Humongous Fungus
Ascaris Lumbricoides: The Stomach Worm Nobody Wants
Why do people sing in the shower?
Indica vs. Sativa: How to Distinguish Between Cannabis Plants
Can You Crack This Nuts Quiz?
The Science Behind Your Cat's Catnip Craze
Hypertonic vs. Hypotonic Solutions: Differences and Uses
Your Phone Is a Germ Factory, So Stop Taking It to the Toilet
Why Even Identical Twins Have Different Fingerprints
Howstuffworks Interviews: Extinction Level Events with Annalee Newitz
What will the Earth look like in 50,000 years?
How did language evolve?
'Most Likely to' Questions Based on Big Five Personality Traits
Differences Between Pet Training and Animal Conditioning
What Is Shadow Work and How Does It, Well, Work?
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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
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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?
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?
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
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Many old couples tend to look like each other due to shared life experiences, according to a recent study. Learn more about why older couples look alike.
Hair loss affects millions of Americans -- men, women and even children. That's why a recent gene therapy study from a research group at the University of Pennsylvania has many people excited.
Twins are unique people who are also eerily similar to each other. Do twins really have ESP? Learn how twinning happens and what types of twins are out there.
Dozens of people are frozen in cryogenic storage facilities, waiting to be revived when science is able to cure whatever killed them. But if they're dead, is revival from a frozen state even possible? Find out.
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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
Some researchers on the quest for artificial life say they're only 10 years away from their goal. But could these artificial life forms turn into a science fiction nightmare?
Some news organizations have reported that redheads will disappear by the year 2060. But this fiery breed isn't taking the news lying down, and there are rumors that blonds are on the way out, too.
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Wouldn't it be nice to grow crops that grew 50 percent more than current varieties? How about a strain of vegetables that were safe from insects without using pesticides? Agricultural biotechnology can do that.
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
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
Ever since I took biology in high school I have wondered -- why do humans (and plants and animals) have two of every gene, and why is one "dominant" and the other "recessive"? How does my body know which one is dominant? How does it pick between the
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The physical you is a result of your DNA, and your DNA is part of the human gene pool. Find out what the "gene pool" really is and what happens when it shrinks.
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.
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.
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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