My surname – Holden – has gone through many incarnations since it originated in England nearly 700 years ago.   Letters were added, then dropped.   Some branches of my...

When the toxins in cigarette smoke are inhaled, lung cells don’t just sit there and take it. A complex network of proteins is activated with every puff. The proteins break...

Before genetics came into the picture, researchers interested in the introduction of agriculture to Europe had only the archaeological record to go on – a limited collection of primarily stone...

SNPwatch gives you the latest news about research linking various traits and conditions to individual genetic variations. These studies are exciting because they offer a glimpse into how genetics may...

In the world of genetic anthropology, mitochondrial DNA and the Y-chromosome are the major players.   They are regions of our genome scientists use most frequently when tracing both ancient...

Since 23andWe debuted in May, we’ve asked our customers about all sorts of things: their hair color, earwax consistency, whether they tend to look on life’s bright side. Sometimes people...

The complications of type 2 diabetes — damage to the kidneys, nerves, eyes, and cardiovascular system — result from chronically high blood sugar.While routine blood tests can provide a snapshot...

Every year more than two million Americans take part in clinical trials. Many may not realize when they sign up that there is no requirement for the investigators running the...

In the current issue of Nature Genetics, two teams of researchers identify nine new genetic locations associated with obesity. Almost all of them are within or close to genes that...

Genome-wide association studies, the research projects that connect SNPs to different traits and conditions (and fuel much of the 23andMe Health and Traits feature), focus on fairly common genetic variations...