2,470 results
2,470 results for: mutations
- Life
Horses may have become rideable with the help of a genetic mutation
To make horses rideable during domestication, people may have inadvertently targeted a mutation in horses to strengthen their backs and their balance.
- Health & Medicine
These medical breakthroughs and advances gave patients new hope in 2025
Advances delivered what may feel like medical miracles, including the first bladder transplant, a lifesaving personalized gene therapy and more.
- Anthropology
Mosquitoes began biting humans more than a million years ago
A DNA analysis suggests mosquitoes shifted from nonhuman primates to early humans nearly 2 million years ago.
- Animals
Spider silk-making organs evolved due to a 400-million-year-old genetic oops
An ancient ancestor of spiders and relatives doubled its genome about 400 million years ago, setting the stage for the evolution of spinnerets.
- Genetics
Genetics reveal the origin story of East Asia’s favorite sweet bean
The origin of red beans — also called adzuki — has been murky. A new study says Japan is where it all started.
- Animals
Science taught us a few new tricks about our pets in 2025
Are we reading our dog’s moods right? Does TV really comfort them when we’re away? These pet stories were catnip to us this year.
- Health & Medicine
Personalized gene editing saved a baby, but the tech’s future is uncertain
The personalized CRISPR treatment could be the future of gene therapy, but hurdles remain before everyone has access.
- Health & Medicine
In a first, Huntington’s disease is slowed by an experimental treatment
An experimental gene therapy slowed Huntington’s by up to 75 percent in a small clinical trial. While not a cure, it may give patients longer lives.
- Science & Society
Our relationship with alcohol is fraught. Ancient customs might inspire a reset
As evidence of alcohol's harms mounts, some people are testing out sobriety. Look to ancient civilizations' ways for a reset, scholars suggest.
- Health & Medicine
Why are so many young people getting cancer?
Diagnoses for several cancers before age 50 have been increasing rapidly since the 1990s. Scientists don’t know why, but they have a few suspects.
- Health & Medicine
mRNA vaccines hold promise for many diseases. Now the tech is under fire
Researchers warn that halting federal contracts for mRNA vaccine research could weaken pandemic preparedness and slow medical advances.
- Plants
A leaf’s geometry determines whether it falls far from its tree
Shape and symmetry help determine where a leaf lands — and if the tree it came from can recoup the leaf’s carbon as it decomposes.
