Do you have a hooter to rival Pinocchio’s? If so, you may be able to blame a newly-discovered gene that we share with mice which affects the pointiness of our noses. Experts from the UK and France analysed the genomes and face shapes of 6,000 people from Latin America, finding 32 gene regions that influence facial … Read more
Eddie Izzard has revealed she contemplated being female at the age of five and believes she has both ‘boy and girl’ genetics. The Yemen-born comedian, 58, previously identified as a transvestite but is now based in ‘girl mode’ and wants to be known as a trans woman. Speaking to Simon Thomas on the Life, Interrupted podcast she admitted … Read more
DNA – deoxyribonucleic acid – is widely known as the molecule found in the nucleus of all our cells that contains genetic information. It is shaped like a double-helix and made of small sections called nucleotides. Each nucleotide contains a nucleobase, a sugar, and a phosphate group. The sugar component in this particular molecule is … Read more
‘A rose by any other name would smell as sweet,’ declaims the titular tragic hero in William Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’. But what if that rose were really a fish? For up to 2.2 per cent of people, the stench of fish is indistinguishable from sweet roses, caramel or nothing at all — with a … Read more
A new DNA study published Thursday sheds fresh light on the horrors of the transatlantic slave trade, from the legacy of rape that can be seen in today’s genetics to how disease likely decimated some groups forced to work in deadly conditions. For example, DNA from one African region may be under-represented in the US … Read more
Why are killer bees so angry? Study finds insects’ aggression comes from genetics of European insects which mixed with African honey bees Killer bees get their aggression from Western European bee genetics Researchers measured the defense response of 116 colonies with these bees They found that the most defensive were related to South African honey bees … Read more