Brenna Henn had a long-term grant to study the genetic diversity of Africans and people of African descent. Then her N.I.H. funding was cut.
Author: CARL ZIMMER
For Real, a Natural History of Misinformation
It’s not just humans who suffer from leading one another astray. So do fish, flies and even bacteria.
Mapping the Brain’s Sense of What Goes On Inside the Body
Scientists are learning how the brain knows what’s happening throughout the body, and how that process might go awry in some psychiatric disorders.
What Scientists Are Learning From Brain Organoids
Lab-grown “reductionist replicas” of the human brain are helping scientists understand fetal development and cognitive disorders, including autism. But ethical questions loom.
He Studied Why Some Female Birds Look Like Males
Jay Falk explored a fundamental question: How do genes give rise to different bodies? But without funding, “there’s not really a future here.”
Life Lessons from (Very Old) Bowhead Whales
A gene that helped bowheads adapt to frigid Arctic waters also granted them extraordinary longevity. Could it help aging humans become more resilient?
Save the Whales. But Save the Microbes, Too.
Conservation biologists propose a daunting task: protecting Earth’s diversity of bacteria and other microbes.
How Did Hands Evolve? Look to Your Anus, a New Study Suggests.
The evolutionary blueprint for hands was borrowed in part from a much older genetic plan for our nether regions, a new study suggests.
Uncovering the Genes That Let Our Ancestors Walk Upright
A new study reveals some of the crucial molecular steps on the path to bipedalism.
How the Pygmy Sea Horse Lost Its Snout
The genome of a small, remarkable sea horse offers a surprising lesson in nature’s creativity.