Tag

Genetics

All articles tagged with #genetics

science2 days ago•20 min saved

Genes load the dice in obesity, but environment tips the balance

Two recent PLOS Medicine studies show that genetics explain a large portion of how BMI tracks in families (about 79% for mothers and 94% for fathers by age eight), but obesity remains a product of gene–environment interaction. With over 3,000 genetic variants involved, today’s obesogenic environment intensifies genetic risk, and genetic differences may influence how weight‑loss drugs work. The takeaway is that obesity is not fate; biology shapes risk while a healthy environment can mitigate it, and understanding this interplay is key to tackling the obesity epidemic.

via EL PAÍS English|

#bmi #environment #genetics

science2 days ago•4 min saved

Chernobyl’s Genetic Footprint: Mutations Found in Workers’ Children

Researchers sequencing the genomes of Chernobyl cleanup workers and others exposed to ionizing radiation found clusters of new mutations in their children, with the strongest signal tied to paternal exposure. The findings suggest a potential transgenerational signature, but the estimated increase in genetic-disease risk is small and results come with uncertainties and validation challenges. More extensive studies, like the ongoing TRIO project, are planned to clarify the effect.

via AOL.com|

#chernobyl #de-novo-mutations #genetics

science3 days ago•13 min saved

Neanderthal romance debunked by DNA, archaeology says

A new analysis cautions that the uneven distribution of Neanderthal DNA in modern humans cannot prove romantic attraction or social life between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens. The proposed 'partner preference' is a possible, not definitive, explanation, with biology, migration, and sex-biased demography also at play. Archaeology from El Sidrón suggests female mobility (patrilocality), while Goyet hints at violence or cannibalism, showing that social structures can shape genetic signals. Overall, genetics alone can’t reconstruct Neanderthal society and must be interpreted alongside archaeological and anthropological context.

via ScienceDaily|

#anthropology #archaeology #genetics

relationships-and-sexual-health3 days ago•26 min saved

Genetic study links early sexual debut to faster aging and frailty

A large Mendelian randomization analysis using UK Biobank data finds that genetic predisposition to earlier age at first sex is associated with shorter lifespans and greater late-life frailty, via pathways including physical frailty, depression, COPD, and ADHD; findings support targeted education and midlife health screening, but are mostly based on European ancestry and may reflect statistical artifacts, necessitating replication in diverse populations.

via PsyPost|

#aging #early-sexual-initiation #genetics

cognitive-science3 days ago•26 min saved

Different cognitive skills have distinct genetic links to psychiatric disorders

A massive genome-wide analysis finds that intelligence is not a single trait: reaction time, fluid reasoning, and crystallized knowledge each have distinct genetic links to psychiatric conditions, with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder tied to slower processing and lower fluid reasoning but higher crystallized knowledge and noncognitive educational skills; ADHD shows faster reaction time but lower fluid/crystallized/noncognitive skills; autism links to higher crystallized knowledge; Alzheimer's risk is linked to lower fluid reasoning. The study identifies 78 loci for crystallized knowledge, maps gene activity across development, notes overlaps with personality traits, and discusses possible evolutionary trade-offs, while highlighting limitations due to data mainly from individuals of European ancestry and urging researchers to treat cognitive domains as separate traits rather than a single score.

via PsyPost|

#cognitive-science #crystallized-knowledge #fluid-reasoning

science4 days ago•5 min saved

Genetic Overlap Across Psychiatric Disorders Reshapes Mental Illness Diagnosis

Large-scale analyses of over 1 million people across 14 psychiatric conditions identify five shared genetic signatures that drive most risk, with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder sharing about 70% of their genetic signal. The findings suggest common biological pathways across disorders, challenging traditional separate diagnoses and hinting at unified treatments targeting pleiotropic genetic factors.

via ScienceAlert|

#bipolar-disorder #genetics #pleiotropy

science6 days ago•14 min saved

Genome-wide analysis links 74 anxiety-associated loci, 39 of them novel

A GWAS of 693,869 individuals found 74 loci tied to anxiety symptom severity—the most in a single study, with 39 novel associations. By treating anxiety as a dimensional trait rather than a binary diagnosis, the study preserved more genetic signal and revealed a highly polygenic architecture with many small effects, including strong signals near brain-expressed genes PCLO and SORCS3. Some loci overlap genetically with heart disease, gut disorders, and migraines, suggesting shared biology. Common variants explain about 6% of anxiety-severity variation, and polygenic scores account for up to ~3% in individuals, far from predictive power, but the map provides concrete targets for biology-driven drug development and future functional studies.

via Space Daily|

#anxiety #genetics #gwas

science7 days ago•5 min saved

Medici Murder Mystery Solved: Malaria Found in Remains, Not Poison

An international team analyzed ancient DNA from the Medici brothers’ remains and detected Plasmodium falciparum infections, confirming malaria as the cause of death for Francesco and Giovanni and ending centuries of poisoning speculation.

via New York Post|

#ancientdna #genetics #malaria

health7 days ago•5 min saved

Genetic Taste for Onions Linked to Lower Diabetes and Hypertension Risk

A UK Biobank analysis found that people with a gene variant that makes them more likely to like onions also have a lower risk of type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. Experts caution that onions alone are unlikely to prevent these conditions and that overall healthy eating patterns matter more; more research is needed to establish causation.

via Prevention|

#diabetes #genetics #health

science9 days ago•95 min saved

Genetics link infant temperament to later behavior across diverse populations

This GWAS meta-analysis across European and multi-ancestry cohorts (up to ~78k infants) identifies ten loci associated with four temperament traits in the first three years: emotionality, activity, shyness, and sociability. SNP heritability ranges from ~3% to ~15%, two loci colocalize with adult cortex eQTLs (RHEBL1 and MR1), and genetic correlations link early temperament to adult neuroticism, ADHD, autism and extraversion. Findings replicate across ancestry groups, and polygenic scores explain modest variance, with within-family analyses supporting genetic influences on temperament.

via Nature|

#genetics #gwas #infancy

science9 days ago•13 min saved

Ancient hybrid between tomato and a tuberless relative created the potato’s distinctive tuber

Genomic analysis published in Cell (2025) shows the potato lineage arose from an ancient hybrid between a tomato-lineage ancestor and an Etuberosum ancestor about 8–9 million years ago in southern South America, with two key genes (SP6A and IT1) from each parent driving tuber formation; domesticated ~7,000 years ago near Lake Titicaca, the potato is an evolutionary novelty that could inform modern breeding using wild relatives.

via Space Daily|

#agriculture #evolution #genetics

science13 days ago•5 min saved

Evolution's Shadow: Aging's Cost and the Path to Healthier Longevity

A recent review tests the ‘selection shadow’ idea—that natural selection weakens after reproduction, allowing late-life mutations to accumulate and drive aging. By analyzing large human genetic datasets and cross-species aging data, the researchers find evidence for weaker late-life selection and identify conserved aging pathways, suggesting that interventions targeting upstream aging processes could compress morbidity and improve healthspan, not just extend lifespan.

via ScienceAlert|

#aging #evolution #genetics

anthropology14 days ago•8 min saved

Northwestern Europe’s Neanderthals Revealed as a Connected Regional Population, DNA Study Finds

A Nature study sequenced 27 Neanderthals from Belgium and France (plus a high-quality genome from a 45,000-year-old Goyet Cave individual) and found that late Neanderthals in northwestern Europe formed a connected regional population with close ties across the region. Belgian specimens show no signs of mating among close relatives, and none of the Neanderthal genomes carry recent human DNA, suggesting asymmetry with modern humans. There is no evidence that harmful mutations accumulated over time, indicating extinction was not simply due to genetic deterioration; the final chapter of Neanderthal life in this region remains open, highlighting regional diversity and connectivity prior to their disappearance around 40,000 years ago.

via Sci.News|

#ancient-dna #anthropology #belgium-france

science15 days ago•114 min saved

Northwestern European Neanderthals Were Genetically Diverse, Challenging Inbreeding Doom

A new study of Neanderthal DNA from Belgium and France shows late Neanderthals in northwestern Europe were more genetically diverse and faced little inbreeding, existing as a large, interconnected population split into at least four groups. The genome from a high-quality Neanderthal sequence revealed no evidence of recent Neanderthal–modern human mating in these samples, suggesting that reduced genetic diversity and inbreeding were not the primary drivers of Neanderthal extinction. The findings imply multiple interconnected Neanderthal populations persisted across the region, challenging the idea that inbreeding alone doomed them.

via Live Science|

#ancient-dna #genetics #human-evolution

science17 days ago•6 min saved

Onion Preference and Health: A Gene-Based Clue to Diet–Disease Links

A study analyzing taste and smell genes in over 160,000 UK adults finds that liking onions correlates with a variant in the OR2T6 smell receptor and associates with lower risk of type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure via Mendelian randomization; the approach aims to clarify diet–disease links but causality isn’t proven and replication in diverse groups is needed, with onions’ bioactive compounds a potential focus.

via ScienceAlert|

#diabetes #genetics #mendelian-randomization