14 July 2021
To become an interplanetary species, we may have to genetically engineer ourselves to be more resilient, says geneticist Chris Mason. He has a 500-year plan for life away from Earth
17 February 2021
Curiosity about how well our bodies are ageing has fuelled an industry around telomere length tests, but the much touted “biological clock” in our DNA isn’t what we thought
9 December 2020
We’re slowly beginning to unpick the complex interplay of genes, environment and experience that make you who you are – and like no one else who ever existed
25 September 2019
The Americas were the last continents conquered by humanity. Now we know that those who settled there were a hardy group that first had to survive in the Arctic
10 October 2018
Prehistoric humans were sexual adventurers, mating with Neanderthals and Denisovans, but DNA studies reveal dalliances with populations we never knew existed
7 March 2018
The discovery that some animals thrive despite hugely mutated DNA hidden in their genome is forcing us to rethink some basics of evolution
28 February 2018
Jennifer Doudna's discovery of the CRISPR technique gives us unprecedented power over life itself. We can handle the challenge – despite Hollywood portrayals, she says
1 November 2017
A cellular machine so powerful that it gave rise to all of life and created our marble planet can tell us how it all began
27 September 2017
You’d be amazed how little evidence supports many of our ancient human ancestors. Here are the five species with the fewest fossils
23 August 2017
The past 15 years have called into question every assumption about who we are and where we came from. Turns out our evolution is more baffling than we thought
