Human variation

Scientists identify genes involved in storing fat

Researchers using a mouse model have identified several genes that may lead to the unnecessary retention of fat. The study may explain why some people carry more weight than others, even when they have similar diets. 14/09/11

Gene 'overdose' significantly increases risk of extreme thinness

Scientists have discovered a genetic variant that makes men 23 times and women five times more likely to be underweight. The finding affects one in 2000 people. 01/09/11

Genome analysis provides evolutionary insights into exodus out of Africa

African and non-African populations continued to interbreed long after the evolutionary exodus out of Africa 60 000 years ago, according to a new study from researchers at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute. 14/07/11

We are all mutants

Each one of us receives approximately 60 new mutations in our genome from our parents, according to the first-ever direct measure of new mutations coming from mother and father in whole human genomes. 13/06/11

Genetic disease keeps sufferers unhealthily thin

New research from the University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories has revealed a rare genetic condition that prevents people from being able to produce fat cells correctly. 02/03/11

Is explaining variation in height a tall order?

Hundreds of common genetic variants across the human genome influence adult height, according to a study of over 180 000 individuals published today in the journal 'Nature'. The study itself identifies over a hundred new variants and shows that they are not randomly distributed, but are clustered around genes which have been previously linked to growth. 30/09/10

Researchers make first direct measurement of human genetic mutation rate

Scientists at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and colleagues have made the first direct measurement of the general rate of genetic mutation in humans. 01/09/09

Study finds genetic link to optimism

The tendency to see the glass as half full or half empty may be determined by your genes, according to research funded by the Wellcome Trust. 02/03/09

First genetic clues to synaesthesia revealed

Trust-funded researchers have found the first genetic regions with links to synaesthesia, the brain condition that leads some people to see sounds and hear written words. 17/02/09

Link between Y chromosome and surnames sheds light on family histories

Our surnames and genetic information are often strongly connected, according to a study funded by the Wellcome Trust. 11/02/09

Genetic variants link obesity to behaviour

Researchers have identified new genetic variants associated with obesity that are active in the brain - suggesting that many genetic variants implicated in obesity are not involved in storing and using fat, but are affecting our behaviour. 17/12/08

KCL research uncovers bald facts of hair loss

Investigators from King's College London and international colleagues have identified two genetic variants that, when present together, increase the risk of baldness seven fold. 14/10/08

New research adds to growing body of knowledge of genetics of height

Scientists are beginning to develop a clearer picture of what makes people stand head and shoulders above the rest. 07/04/08

Chromosomes and castles

Researchers studying Y chromosomes uncover the genetic impact of historical migrations into Lebanon. 27/03/08

High and mighty: First common height gene identified

Research partly funded by the Wellcome Trust has identified the first gene shown to influence directly a person's height. 02/09/07

Twin genetics: Similar siblings

The strange case of semi-identical twins. 09/08/07

Clear genetic link to obesity found

People with two copies of a particular gene variant have a 70 per cent higher risk of being obese that those with no copies. 13/04/07

PERIOD3's effects on coping with lack of sleep

Individual differences in the PERIOD3 clock gene predict decline of performance during sleeo deprivation. 08/03/07

Early Europeans unable to stomach milk

Five thousand years ago, Europeans did not have the gene that controls our ability to digest milk. 26/02/07

First genetic evidence of long-lived African presence within Britain

Research has identified the first genetic evidence of Africans having lived among 'indigenous' British people for centuries. 24/01/07

The lactase gene in Africa: Do you take milk?

Convergent evolution in human populations is revealed by the recent discovery in East Africa of new variants of the lactase gene. 20/01/07

Religious following: The Y chromosome in India

Research has revealed that the spread of Islam in southern India was down more to culture than to genes. 01/12/06

Sex and drugs and dopamine receptors

The DRD4 dopamine receptor is turning up in a range of human behaviours, from novelty-seeking to sexual drive. 09/10/06

Why some people dislike broccoli

A receptor gene's variation suggests an evolutionary excuse for our dislike of some vegetables. 18/09/06

Dancing gene

Is dancing ability down to your genes? 09/06/06

100 000-year-old DNA sequence allows new look at Neandertal's genetic diversity

By recovering sequencing-intact DNA from an especially ancient Neandertal specimen, researchers have found evidence suggesting that the genetic diversity among Neandertals was higher than previously thought. 07/06/06

Separate genetic mutations gave humans and chimps bitter-taste sensitivity

How humans and chimpanzees gained the ability to taste a bitter synthetic compound called PTC. 13/04/06

Losing gene activity can be good for your health

The caspase-12 gene may have been inactivated in the human population because the active gene can lead to poorer response to bacterial infection. 09/03/06

Manchu Y chromosomes

An unusually frequent lineage of Y chromosomes in northern China and Mongolia has been linked to the Manchu conquest of China and the Qing dynasty. 12/01/06

Fish gene sheds light on human skin color variation

With help from a common aquarium pet - the zebrafish - and the HapMap online database of human genetic variation, researchers have found an important human skin colour gene. 15/12/05

'Perception' gene tracked humanity's evolution

A gene thought to influence perception and susceptibility to drug dependence is expressed more readily in humans than in other primates, a difference that may coincide with the evolution of our species. 15/11/05

Human genetics: Redhead receptor

People have red hair because they possess a variant melanocortin-1 receptor gene. This also affects their sensitivity to pain and pain relief. 05/08/05

Mitochondrial DNA provides a link between Polynesians and indigenous Taiwanese

Mitochondrial DNA from nine Taiwanese tribes reveals a genetic link between aboriginal Taiwanese and Polynesian populations, to the exclusion of mainland Asians. 05/07/05

'Junk DNA' shapes social behaviour

Why are some people shy while others are outgoing? Variations in human DNA may hold the key. 09/06/05

The cryptic past of Madagascar

Study finds that the human inhabitants of Madagascar are genetically unique. 04/05/05

Mammoths maketh man

Did northeast Asian populations eat well 30 000 years ago? 21/04/04

Why do taste and smell differ among individuals?

Some genes for the nose's odour-detecting receptors found to be 'optional'. 20/08/03

The serotonin transporter gene and binge drinking

Students with particular genetic variant consume more alcohol. 18/08/03

Smoking, drinking and drug-taking could be 'in the genes'

Genetic differences may be related to attitudes to health or susceptibility to addiction. 17/06/03

Father's genes and lengthy pregnancies

Research from Denmark shows that a father's genes can increase the risk of a lengthy pregnancy by 30 per cent. 05/05/03

Genes may be main culprit in myopia

Study indicates that heredity is a primary cause of short-sightedness. 25/02/03

Genetics of fear?

A new study examines a genetic variant of serotonin transporter and the brain's response to 'fearful stimuli'. 19/07/02