New research that decoded the evolution of mosquitoes’ feeding habits from DNA could shed light on the murky timeline of prehistoric human ancestors.

For the first time, scientists have used DNA preserved in ancient sediments to examine how a major natural disaster affected ...

But it is the art of the Amarna period that has left the most indelible mark on history. Unlike the idealized, rigid, and muscular depictions of previous pharaohs, Akhenaten ordered his artisans to ...

The team calculated that the mosquitoes likely developed their “ anthropophily ”—their taste for human blood—at a point some ...

Scientists have identified how specific genetic changes function in cells to influence disease risk and other human health traits. By probing regions of DNA previously linked to disease, the work has ...

Katie has a PhD in maths, specializing in the intersection of dynamical systems and number theory. She reports on topics from maths and history to society and animals. Katie has a PhD in maths, ...

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Humanity’s relationship with fire is unique across all of ...

When we imagine alien life, we picture monsters, insects, or tentacles—but what if the most realistic aliens are human-like? Evolution tends to solve the same problems with similar designs, and ...

Researchers have reconstructed ancient herpesvirus genomes from Iron Age and medieval Europeans, revealing that HHV-6 has been infecting humans for at least 2,500 years. Some people inherited the ...

How much of our genome really matters? Some argue that because most of our DNA is active, it must be doing something important. Others say even random DNA would be highly active. This has now been put ...

When cells proliferate, genomic DNA is precisely duplicated once per cell cycle. Abnormalities in this DNA replication process can cause alterations in genomic DNA, promoting cellular ageing, cancer, ...