The Power of DNA Testing Archives - Page 2 of 8

Identical Twins Accumulate Genetic Differences in the Womb

DNA replication errors during cell division cause monozygotic twins to diverge from each other even during the earliest stages of development, a new study finds. Rather than having exactly the...

Identical twins don’t share 100% of their DNA

Identical twins form from the same egg and get the same genetic material from their parents — but that doesn't mean they're genetically identical by the time they're born. That's...

How an Alberta researcher’s discovery of hepatitis C led to the Nobel Prize and saved lives

This year, the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine was awarded to virologists Harvey J. Alter and Charles M. Rice and biochemist Michael Houghton for the discovery of the hepatitis C...

This Gene Can Make Viruses Invisible to the Immune System — Up to a Point

Our immune system is great at protecting us from the germs that surround us everyday — but every machine has its kinks. One gene, which protects the body from autoimmune disorders (in...

New SARS-CoV-2 Variant Spreading Rapidly in the UK

The significance of the variant remains unclear, but experts remain confident that it will not evade the protection offered by a COVID-19 vaccine. As public health officials worldwide mount vaccination...

Coronavirus may dice heart muscle fibers into tiny snippets, remove cells’ DNA

The new coronavirus seems to slice heart muscle fibers into small, precisely sized fragments — at least when it infects heart cells in a lab dish, a new study reveals....

First life on Earth may actually have been built from both RNA and DNA

Key building blocks of DNA and RNA can be made from the same raw materials. This finding suggests that instead of one or the other kick-starting life on Earth, both...

Your risk of severe COVID-19 may be affected by blood type, new genetic analysis suggests

People with blood type O may have a reduced risk of developing severe symptoms Genes associated with certain blood types may increase the risk of severe COVID-19 infections, leading to...

What is RNA?

More than just DNA's lesser-known cousin, RNA plays a central role in turning genetic information into your body's proteins. This remarkable molecule also carries the genetic instructions for many viruses,...