Genetics is the branch of biological sciences that investigates the organization, transmission, variation, and functional consequences of hereditary information in organisms. It focuses on the structure and function of genes and genomes, the molecular mechanisms of DNA replication, transcription, and translation, and the regulation of gene expression across developmental and environmental contexts. Genetics encompasses classical (Mendelian) inheritance, molecular genetics, population and quantitative genetics, and genomics, providing the framework for understanding mutation, recombination, genetic linkage, and evolutionary change, as well as informing experimental design and interpretation in biomedical, agricultural, and model-organism research.
Researchers studying a giant tortoise named Jonathan say it's not just good genes but a lack of genetic wear and tear that has kept him going for nearly two centuries.
Plants & Animals
Oct 7, 2026
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47
Scientists are getting a leg up on the rice stink bug, one of the most significant threats to rice, a staple food for nearly half the world's population and a major crop in Arkansas.
Molecular & Computational biology
Sep 17, 2026
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13
Sexual reproduction usually reshuffles genetic information, creating offspring that differ from their parents. But one small plant takes an unexpected route. In a new study published in Nature, an international team led by ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 16, 2026
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20
After an injury, DNA not only changes its activity but also the way it is organized spatially within the cell nucleus. In this process, certain regions of DNA establish new physical contacts through chromatin loops that act ...
Cell & Microbiology
Sep 14, 2026
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11
An international team of scientists, including Donald Danforth Plant Science Center member emerita Elizabeth "Toby" Kellogg, Ph.D., has produced a chromosome-level genome assembly that offers a new view of the earliest evolution ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Sep 11, 2026
1
79
Researchers at the University of Eastern Finland and the University of Oulu have produced the first chromosome-level reference genome for the Saimaa ringed seal. The sequence of every chromosome in the seal's entire genome ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 26, 2026
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7
Many people recognize that gender—how a person identifies, presents themselves and is perceived—has nuances. Some people identify and present as women, others as men, and still others as nonbinary.
Other
Aug 18, 2026
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33
In humans and many other animals, a mother's age can affect the physical and behavioral characteristics of the next generation. Scientists call these changes maternal age effects, and while they are widespread across the ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 17, 2026
1
2665
By the early 1990s, there were only around 20 Florida panthers left on the planet.
Plants & Animals
Aug 17, 2026
0
8
Ancient trees—those that are remarkably old for their species—are declining worldwide, raising concerns about the loss of the ecological and evolutionary history they represent. Their exceptional longevity has long encouraged ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 12, 2026
0
17
