Certain populations have been historically underrepresented in genome sequencing studies, but the NIH, private clinics, and 23andMe and other companies are trying to fix that.
Zebrafish, Danio rerio, develop patterns of colorful stripes on their skin thanks to pigmented cells—dark melanophores, orange-gold xanthophores, and iridescent iridophores.
Analysis of a 7,000-year-old human genome suggests that Mesolithic people had relatively dark skin and had begun to evolve pathogen resistance characteristic of modern Europeans.
After rummaging through thousands of amber inclusions housed at the University of Alberta and the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology in Canada, researchers discovered 11 amber encased-feather fossils that provide the most detailed picture yet of early feather evolution.
Using synchrotron rapid scanning X-ray fluorescence to map the distribution of trace metals in avian fossils over 120 million-year-old, researchers reconstruct the pigment patterns of their feathers—revealing some of the extinct birds' long-lost colors.