SNPWatch

By Bethann Hromatka, Ph.D. The MTHFR gene codes for a protein that helps people metabolize B-vitamin folate (also called folic acid or vitamin B9). Relatively common variations in the DNA...

By Alison ChubbWe’ve all known teenagers who grow several inches in a year, and then start bumping into people and furniture as they figure out what to do with their...

By David Tran Look at your hands. Is your ring finger longer than your index finger, or vice versa? The length of a person’s index finger relative to his or...

By Bertram K. Two days after his death in May, Zach Sobiech’s song “Clouds” became the number one download on iTunes and now has surpassed seven million views on YouTube....

Late last year researchers with support from the Chordoma Foundation identified a genetic marker associated with that rare form of bone cancer. The Chordoma Foundation has also partnered with 23andMe...

Researchers have long believed that genetics put some people at higher risk for mental illness than others, but exactly which genes are involved has remained a mystery. Even very large...

You probably know that smoking and excessive drinking are bad for you. But did you know that your genetics also factor into how much those vices can impact your health?...

Here’s something to file under “Thank Goodness!” Researchers at the University of Bristol found that people with the genetic variant making them more prone to smelly armpits are also more...

For back-to-school month we’re running a series of posts on genetic factors that may impact learning. Here we describe a variant that may influence a person’s ability to learn from...

If you have a big head, you may be subjected to a fair bit of teasing, but science may offer you some consolation. People with smaller heads may be at risk for dementia and other cognitive and mental illnesses. Now, scientists have found associations between common genetic variants and measures of head and brain size.