With a rate of mutation 35 percent higher than random chance, this previously unknown weakness could be a major vector for inherited disease.

California researchers say the world may be just one genetic tweak away from human-to-human transmission of the H5N1 bird flu virus – a worrisome mutation that could open the door to widespread human ...

Scientists have revealed parts of the genome that are especially vulnerable to mutations that occur very early on in development. These areas are in the initial portions of genes, where the cell tends ...

A microscopic flaw in the brain’s cellular scaffolding can shape brain size for life.

A single microscopic change in our DNA can permanently alter how the brain is built, locking in developmental problems that ...

Unique mutations in the H5N1 strain enhance replication in human cells and cause severe disease in mice. The virus has spread from birds to mammals, including dairy cows, and infected humans, with one ...

A new study by biologists from the Scripps Research Institute shows that a bird flu virus is just a single mutation away from having human-ready receptors. If the H5N1 virus does make the switch, it ...

A new study has raised alarm bells about the potential for the H5N1 bird flu virus to evolve into a strain sparking a human pandemic. A single mutation in the virus currently ravaging dairy farms ...

A vast mosaic of cells, some that are identical and some that are slightly different, make up the human body. Knowable Magazine You began when egg and sperm met, and the DNA from your biological ...

To Shakespeare’s Hamlet we humans are “the paragon of animals”. But recent advances in genetics are suggesting that humans are far from being evolution’s greatest achievement. For example, humans have ...