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Instead, blame your genome. Scientists have discovered a gene that may regulate how much people sleep. More »
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There may be a few people lingering out there still claiming that women are the weaker sex, but science has proved them wrong yet again. As if women's superhuman power to endure pain were not enough, now a new study has found that we also have superior immune systems when compared with men. It all boils down to X-chromosomes: More »
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Many sperm donors assume they'll be biological dads to just a few children. But with the news that some donors have fathered over 100 kids come calls for tighter regulation. More »
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Humans may have acquired certain immune system genes by breeding with Neanderthals. And while these genes may have helped them avoid diseases, they might be the cause of others. More »
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Sexual orientation and "gender conformity" in women are genetic traits, according to a study released by researchers from Queen Mary, University of London. More »
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Don't you wish there was a way to tell if your baby would grow up into a sports star, so that you could start pinning all your deferred dreams of athletic glory on her while she was still in her crib? Well, now there is — sort of. More »
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Scientists have discovered a gene that appears to govern how satisfied people are with life. Should those of us without it give up and embrace the misery? More »
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Scientists say genetics may explain some people's high caffeine consumption. And I'm pretty sure that some day, my genes will explain why coffee makes me crazy. More »
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People with Klüver-Bucy Syndrome experience runaway sexual urges — sometimes including pedophilia — due to damage to their brains. Does the existence of this disorder mean none of us really has control over our sexual behavior? More »
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Two new studies show underlying biological differences between obese people and thinner folks — obesity may be linked to a gene that affects appetite, and, more surprisingly, to a person's sense of smell. More »
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In news that will be unsurprising to most non-jerks, a study shows that altruism may have evolved because people tend to choose mates who help out from time to time. More »
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What if everything we've come to believe about the male brain is wrong? What it men are not, as conventional/casual wisdom suggests, genetically predisposed to dip their sex-obsessed pen in every well they can find? More »
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A new study shows that small-dog DNA is most similar to grey wolves from Israel, Iran and India. This story notes: "like wheat, monotheism and the cat, small dogs… are Middle Eastern." Thousands of years ago, that is. [New Scientist] More »
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Research on humans and chimps suggest that the Y chromosome is evolving faster than the rest of the human genome. The AP reminds us this "doesn't necessarily mean men themselves are more evolved." [AP, via MSNBC] More »
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According to this week's Time cover story, the new thing in science is epigenetics, which is basically the study of how having a cigarette will destroy your unborn children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. More »
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Contemporary thinking has it that certain genes doom children to higher risk of depression, ADHD, and other difficulties. But in the right environment, these same genes may actually help kids thrive. More »
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Some research has shown that absent fathers lead to earlier first sexual experiences in kids. But one study says genetics plays a bigger role — and the same genes that make kids have sex early may make fathers stray. [NewScientist] More »
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Newsweek, currently hosting a series called "The Fat Wars," is featuring dueling op-eds today, one arguing that fatties need to put down the forks, the other that obesity is genetic. Neither one gets it quite right. More »
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First there was artificial sperm, now there's evidence that the Y chromosome is deteriorating and may even disappear. Are we heading for a male-free society? More »
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Depressing (or comforting?) news for wallflowers: whether a teen is at the center or on the edge of a social network may be about 30% genetic. Genes may also influence how many people consider the teen a friend. [Scientific American] More »
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British researchers have determined that where we're raised has a physical effect on our taste buds, determining tastes in food. Obviously genetics are involved, but it seems we've got a total excuse for that Fritos pie yen. [TOI] More »
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On the heels of news that fetal sex selection is occurring in America comes a study on what kinds of prenatal genetic manipulation Americans are okay with. More »
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New research calls into question the idea — first put forth in 2003 — that a single gene greatly influences people's depression risk. Scientists say genetics probably does influence depression, but in a more complicated way than previously thought. [NYT] More »
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A new study by Brazilian researchers goes into more detail as to why people are more likely to choose a mate whose genetic makeup is different from their own. More »
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New research has found genes that influence the onset of menstruation and menopause — and later menstruation is linked with a lower risk of breast and endometrial cancer. [NewScientist, LiveScience] More »
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Dr. Aarathi Prasad, author of a book about reproduction without men, muses on the possibility that Jesus was born to a virgin, but not a virgin with two X chromosomes. More »
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Researchers in the UK are hoping to isolate a recessive gene that they believe is linked with postpartum psychosis, a rare and extreme form of postnatal depression. By identifying the gene, experts hope that they can help doctors identify women likely to develop postpartum psychosis and offer effective treatment. A separate study also found that a quarter of women who experience mild euphoria after childbirth can develop late-onset postnatal depression within two months. [Guardian] More »
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With Trig Palin being perhaps the best known special-needs child in American history, there have been several articles about increased genetic testing for prenatal abnormalities in recent days. As the story goes, Sarah Palin knew before he was born that Trig had a genetic condition, but because of her strongly held anti-abortion beliefs, did not consider abortion as an option. The Wall Street Journal profiles Jennifer Carden, a Michigan mother who made a similar choice, and had her son Parker in 2007. More »
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On the heels of The Re-education of the Female, which suggests that women keep their men by doing chores in sexy outfits, comes a study implying that male fidelity may have more to do with genetics than wifely subservience. According to scientists at the Karolinska Institute (sounds like a ballet studio, actually a Swedish medical school), two in five men carry a gene variant that makes them less likely to commit to women. The Daily Mail calls it "the love-rat gene" — presumably in reference to Rod Stewart's appearance in the accompanying photo — and it apparently has a surprising number of social and sexual effects. More »
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The AP is reporting on a new study proving that nearly all of today's Native Americans — in North, Central and South America — can trace their ancestry back to 6 women. The women left a particular DNA legacy, passed only from mother to daughter, and immigrated to North America between 18,000 and 21,000 years ago. But the six "founding mothers" didn't live in Asia, because the DNA signatures they left behind aren't found there. Most likely, they were from Beringia, the now-submerged land bridge that's between what are now Siberia and Alaska. Any Native Americans reading? My mom's half Chickasaw, yo! [Brietbart] More »
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