All articles tagged with #genetics and genomics
Hair color is determined by melanin; two types, eumelanin and pheomelanin, shape shades from brown/black to blond/red. Research links hair color to health factors such as melanoma risk (redheads may face higher risk) and possibly pain sensitivity, while stress and genetics can influence graying. Overall, your natural hair color can reflect certain health risks and aging patterns.
Tests that claim to reveal your biological age (often via epigenetic clocks) are booming, but scientists warn results vary widely, aren’t FDA-approved for personal health decisions, and can mislead individuals or worsen health disparities; these clocks are more reliable for population studies than for individual diagnosis or guidance.
Scientists are studying Earth’s longest-lived animals—such as a 507-year-old mollusk, Greenland sharks that outlive civilizations, and long-lived naked mole rats—to uncover the biology of longevity and aging, with the aim of translating these antiaging insights into healthier lifespans for humans.
Ancient DNA confirms interbreeding between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens, showing a consistent pattern: Neanderthal fathers and Homo sapiens mothers produced hybrids, and these legacy genes are carried by many people today, illustrating the long-running process of archaic introgression.