Twin studies can help geneticists determine whether some trait or condition is caused by the environment, or by genetics. Since identical twins carry basically the same genome, if a trait is due to ...

Infants of mothers with diabetes have a three- to five-fold increased risk of congenital heart defects. Such developmental defects are likely caused by a combination of genetic and environmental ...

In 1967 Sigi Levine and Victor Denenberg made what seemed like minor observations. They noted that rat pups, when briefly stroked with a paintbrush during the first seven days of their lives ...

Bacterial cells can easily swap bits of DNA, and many of those pieces of genetic material carry genes that confer resistance to antibiotics. This gene sharing is one reason why antimicrobial ...