Our Inner Neanderthal

Meet some of the people featured in the September 2019 issue of The Scientist.

A better understanding of the genetic diversity among humans could motivate an appreciation of both our similarities and our differences.

Take a break from the bench to puzzle and peruse.

Researchers identify changes to a pain receptor and to an ion channel that appear to enable the rodents to colonize otherwise inhospitable burrows.

The astronomical idea doesn’t align well with the fossil record, anthropologists argue, but the origins of bipedalism are still difficult to determine.

Populations of the two-foot-long amphibians are declining across North America. Scientists are struggling to find out why, before it’s too late.

A case study of a family demonstrates that different genetic mutations from the two parents cause severe heart disease symptoms in the children.

Researchers must ensure that the inequality seen in most of today’s genomic studies and databases is corrected.

DNA-coated gold nanorods enable cells to be activated by light without genetic manipulation.

Arabidopsis with guard cells modified by a light-activated potassium ion channel can open and close stomata more quickly, conserving water.

The redondoviruses, named for their circular DNA, inhabit the human respiratory tract and may be linked to disease.

Researchers link levels of a receptor in the brain to suicidal ideation in people with post-traumatic stress disorder.

By bringing genetics into clinical medicine, the University of British Columbia medical geneticist helped to identify the gene mutations responsible for many rare diseases.

The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researcher is developing cancer therapeutics based on how the physical structure of DNA contributes to the disease.

Organisms with unusual genomes are helping scientists investigate gene regulation, evolution, and development.

Many preclinical studies carried out in vivo are poorly designed and generate irreproducible data, but efforts to address the problem are on the rise.

The author of a new book about emerging concepts in human genetics considers the question.

Theodosius Dobzhansky’s work in population genetics influenced how genetics and natural selection were combined in evolutionary biology.

Anti-doping agencies are tracking levels of various molecules in athletes’ blood and urine over time to increase their ability to detect drug misuse.

See when and where our ancestors may have interbred with Neanderthals and Denisovans.

Variation in the number of CGG repeats in the FMR1 gene at the bottom of the X chromosome can lead to increased levels of mRNA or decreased levels of protein—both conditions that cause disease.

DNA-loaded nanoparticles that respond to infrared light provide an alternative way to control cell behavior.

Researchers devise a way to make plants’ stomata open and close more quickly.