The present theory offers a unified solution to three closely related evolutionary problems. (1) Why does an evolving population explore only a small fraction of the accessible pathways in genotype ...

Much of the phenotypic variation that is observed within and between species is the result of differences in gene regulation: specifically when, where and how much the genes are expressed. Given the ...

Tiny genetic variations between humans, Neanderthals and Denisovans might not be all they were cracked up to be.

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine’s Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center and Human Genome Sequencing Center investigated the extent to which forms of genetic variation called germline or ...

Conventional wisdom holds that sexual reproduction evolved because it enables organisms to shuffle, or recombine, different alleles (versions of a gene) in the next generation, producing the genetic ...

How do cells know what they should become as the body develops? Biological development depends crucially on spatial patterns: the lines that eventually give rise to segments, organs, or markings like ...

Elucidating the relationship between the sequences of non-coding regulatory elements and their target genes is key to understanding gene regulation and its variation between plant species and ecotypes ...

Many hidden genetic variations can be detected with Chameleolyser, a new method. The information is already yielding new patient diagnoses and may also lead to the discovery of as yet unknown disease ...

Birds have a dazzling display of patterns, from muted colors to vivid and striking hues. For a long time, scientists believed that the evolution of these traits was a slow process that took place when ...

CRISPR will get easier and easier to administer. What does that mean for the future of our species? In 2016, I attended a large meeting of journalists in Washington, DC. The keynote speaker was ...

Woodrats weigh less than half a pound but can survive venomous rattlesnake bites that would hospitalize, or even kill, a full ...