Genetics

Seven years ago, I took a bet with Charles Murray about whether we’d basically understand the genetics of intelligence by now. https://www.theatlantic.com/science/2025/10/genetics-intelligence-charles-murray/684544/?gift=43H6YzEv1tnFbOn4MRsWYp4a6DXeDrYtky6k7igmezs&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share (Above link is free, from an Atlantic subscriber) ...The bet’s premise was simple enough. Murray quoted himself on the podcast, arguing that “we will understand IQ genetically. I think most of the picture will have been filled in by 2025—there will still be blanks, but we’ll know basically what’s going on.” And he proposed that, in seven years…

Hello, what programs can be used for biometric analysis of plants? I only know "STATISTICA". Are there simple and convenient to use?

Do races have different DNA? Caucasian, Spanish, African, Arab, Indian and Japanese? Google says they are close, I am hoping for some more clarity.

Healthy Hair growth today is attributed to quite a few factors stress, genetics, age, hormones pollution.. they all have the ability to effect strong hair or the ability to create major hair loss... I'm interested in the internal factor and what causes hair loss, as you get older it's blamed on the increase in testosterone, women normally up until they reach middle age in general has it balanced out by oestrogen levels, that is until the onset of menopause. But I'm curious...in men testosterone if anything is the reason why areas of the body grow thicker hair which is normally why they usually have larger areas covered by hair and in youth some women who exhibit u…

My curiosity is about if blocking diseases with gene editing is doable.And if it is,how can it be done,or is there any researches about this?if so,please share me the link or explain it

After reading this, I was wondering how much of a threat could arise from the recent work in AI engineered viruses. https://wapo.st/4myUS35 (Free gift link) We’re nowhere near ready for a world in which artificial intelligence can create a working virus, but we need to be — because that’s the world we’re now living in. In a remarkable paper released this month, scientists at Stanford University showed that computers can design new viruses that can then be created in the lab. How is that possible? Think of ChatGPT, which learned to write by studying patterns in English. The Stanford team used the same idea on the fundamental building block of life, training “genomic langu…

Why do our traits disappear or even appear throughout our bloodline? can someone explain it to me, because ı am confused.

What's the genetic mechanism behind this? It happens quite often. One mechanism is de novo mutations. Anything else?

Out of curiosity, what ethnicity (or mixed ethnicity) would produce a person with white skin, black hair and green eyes? As far as I can tell, naturally black hair seems a rarity amoung western caucasians, for some reason or another. Green eyes are also far less common than, say, blue or brown. To get the ball rolling, I'm guesing Northern European is largely out of the question (fair hair and skin)... Any suggestions?

We know the proximate causes of aging — DNA damage, telomere shortening, stem cell exhaustion — but these explain only how we decline, not why biology allows it. To understand the deeper reason, we need to look at evolution. Life began as bacteria and other simple organisms, which can divide indefinitely under the right conditions. But once multicellular life emerged, a split occurred: some cells became germline (immortal), while the rest became soma (disposable). The body exists to protect and propagate the germline, not to maintain itself forever. Repair systems are “good enough” to support reproduction and child-rearing, but evolution never invested in perfect, indefin…

I understand that attempts to make a humanzee have failed because of the two chromosome difference. However, people with Down Syndrome have 47 chromosomes. Would it not be possible to use one of them to make a humanzee?

@swansont mentioned that Joe the Bartender is sub Saharan African. hence why is has a low Neanderthal genetic profile. Ever since then (in the last 2 hours), I have had an extreme curiosity for Joe the Bartenders genetic makeup, could you tell me more about him so I may draw a better analysis please?

I have a very specific question. Lets say perhaps an individual is 47% from the Deccan 19% from Northern China 17% from Western Himalayas/Hindu Kush 3% for Southern India, 3% from the Indo-Gangetic plain 2% from the Gulf of Khambhat 2% from various Tibetan peoples and 1% from Western China Knowing this information, would you estimate the individual to have higher or lower Neanderthal ancestry?

It's been a while since I used my ancient biology files. I hope they aren't so outdated that what I'm about to post and what I'm about to ask isn't just plain nonsense. Well, here goes ... Genes come in pairs, for every trait there is, let's say for trait T, there's a recessive gene a and a dominant gene A. Offspring inherit combinations of these genes from their parents. Using a Punit square we can see that we have for trait T, 4 possible genotypes: AA, Aa, aA, aa. I recall being taught that dominant genes fully express themselves in the offspring with genotypes AA, Aa, aA. That's 3 out of 4 children that'll manifest the phenotype encoded by the dominant g…

Hello fellow genetics enthusiasts and parents, I've been contemplating the creation of a comprehensive genetic resource specifically tailored for parents and soon-to-be parents. The idea is to provide accessible, easy-to-understand information on various genetic topics relevant to family planning and child development. The resource would cover areas such as: 1. Genetic screening for prospective parents 2. Basic genetic concepts to help understand the risks of various genetic diseases 3. Management strategies for genetic conditions 4. Genetic factors influencing child growth and development My question to the community, especially parents or those planning to become pa…

Doing a bit of brainstorming for science fiction stories. I'm trying to avoid any stupid blunders in my science that would make the story implausible to readers. (I know there are some things we just don't know yet, but I'm trying to make a good faith effort.) I'm thinking about unintended consequences of genetic engineering. How plausible is it that if you added a gene (or genes) to a genome to produce a certain protein (or proteins) because it adds a certain health benefit that there might be unexpected and mostly harmless but very visible side-effects? For example, if you modified human genes so they would produce proteins that help with bone growth so people …

since our bodies are primarily made of carbon that is readily reactive to form proteins its however less durable and this is one of the factors that could have delayed space exploration so what if we converted life from being carbon based to something like silicon using the knowledge of genetics hence re-writing all bochemistry

I was wondering how the environment can affect the genotype of a population over certain periods of time. Just like we all know of Lamark's theory of evolution that talks about this condition happening. I am open to any thoughts.

How does a person with a genetically-based degenerative disorder develop apparently normally from conception, through birth and often into advanced adulthood? (Muscular dystrophy often manifests in early childhood, arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy in the teens, and Parkinson's after 50.) One would think the genetic variation/mutation would not allow for normal development.

Why does APOε starts from ε1? APOε1 is extremely rare in human body and scientists have selected APO group to start from ε1 ! An allele which is very rare in human body, but whyyy?? How APOs are named and numbered??

https://vcresearch.berkeley.edu/news/what-did-earliest-animals-look I thought it was interesting to see that these animals seem to be still around in some form and have lasted longer than any ocean in which they live.

Hi everyone, I’m really interested in diving into the study of DNA, but my curiosity goes beyond just understanding the science. I’m hoping to gain some insights that might also influence how I perceive life in general. I’m looking for recommendations on resources, study tips, or even someone who might be willing to guide me through this journey. Whether it’s books, courses, or personal experiences, I’m open to any suggestions that can help me explore both the technical aspects of DNA and its broader implications. Thanks in advance for any advice or help you can offer!

I have created some tools on my genetics related website about traits like predicting baby eye color or hair color. As a doctorate in genetics, I am well aware that these traits are not monogenic and are controlled by many factors, but for the sake of the site I can just make simplified models based on the punnet square calculations. Which often give accurate results but not always. A few users found unexpected results and one day it was a trending topic in one of the subReddits. Though I have the disclaimers posted on those tools that these are simplified models, I am debating should I be creating those tools for people who are searching for these kind of answers.

Hi 👋 I would like to build a understanding of how all things share life through DNA. Now my understanding of this topic as a whole is quite limited or I simply don't feel content no matter how much I read about it. And other people's views seem to be quite indifferent making it harder to understand.

Hi fellow wage slaves, for a HTS experiment i would need a permanent open "ssDNA bubble" similar to a transcription bubble (>13 nucleotides). I am not sure if that's even possible, but the following criteria are important: 1. Open ssDNA bubble within replicable (in E. coli) genetic element. 2. No proteins, nucleic acids, or other toxic chemicals supporting the bubble. Can help during nucleation, but bubble has to be accessible for protein interaction. 3. Stable in bioorthogonal conditions. Physiological pH, salt, 37 °C, etc. I am truly at a loss here, but maybe one of you has the sparking idea. I will put your name on the paper if this w…