February 28 is Rare Disease Day – a concept first initiated by the European Rare Disease Organization (EURORDIS) and now recognized around the world. Around 6,800 rare diseases have been...

Yesterday 23andMe added a new report on beta thalassemia to our more than 40 reports on inherited genetic conditions. About 1.5% of people globally carry a mutation that causes this recessive disease, and our report covers 15 of the most common beta thalassemia mutations.

In the United States alone, about 100,000 people have sickle cell disease and roughly one in 500 black or African-American babies is born with it. The genetic mutation underlying this condition causes red blood cells to take on a "sickle" shape, which makes it harder to deliver oxygen to certain parts of the body. But why would a mutation that causes a harmful disease survive through evolution to the high frequency with which we observe it today?

Almost since the 1871 publication of “The Descent of Man,” in which Charles Darwin applied his theory of natural selection to the human species, biologists have argued over whether the...

Last week in the Spittoon we reported on a new study that identified an interesting genetic trade-off – a genetic variant known that has one effect on a person’s vulnerability...