Work or Warmth
Genes influence whether mitochondria burn calories for work or for warmth.
Genes and Geography
A person's ancestry can be tracked by looking at their DNA
Mighty Rice
Genetically engineering rice to produce a sugar called trehalose makes the rice hardier.
Shark Test
A DNA test can identify species of sharks from just a small piece of fin or flesh.
Exercise Gene
Deletion of a gene causes mice to stop exercising, and they grow obese as a result.
Rodent Roundup
A gene blocks the effects of muscular dystrophy, pain and inflammation promote tumor growth, and old mole rats provide clues about aging
Bad Eyesight
Why didn't humans adapt to have good eyesight? (Eye adjusts to keep things in focus, but sometimes fails.)
Corn Protein
Genetically engineering corn to be more nutritious using its own genes
High Priority Genomes
Which genomes are next up for sequencing, and why
Predicting Evolution
Predicting antibiotic resistance by forcing bacterial genes to evolve in a test tube
Malaria-Proof Mosquitoes
Genetically engineered mosquitoes that don't transmit the malaria parasite.
Evolving Spiders
Female choice is driving evolution in a species of jumping spider in Arizona.
Looks and Lou Gehrig’s
Because I physically look like my mother, (who had ALS), do I have a greater chance of getting the disease? (no, because genetics only account for about 10% of cases and those genes do not include physical features)
Fingerprints
Why do people have different fingerprints? (Combination of genes and environment)
Long-Life Genes
Long life may be inherited- and those genes may be located on chromosome 4
Aging Genes
Gene expression changes negatively as we age, but in rats, cutting calories reverses some of those changes.
Cheetah Matchmaking
Matching cheetah mates with the most diversified DNA to perpetuate the species