The Social Life of DNA is a new book that explores what cutting-edge DNA testing technology means for African-Americans who lost their history in the slave trade.
A genetic engineering technique raises hopes for eliminating diseases, such as malaria. But it is also sparking fears of unintended consequences if delicately balanced ecosystems are disrupted.
Experts say the field of forensic DNA is having a moment of truth about years of overstated claims, and it may tarnish its reputation as the "gold standard" of legal evidence.
Their work details how cells repair damaged DNA and preserve genes. And now three scientists — Tomas Lindahl, Paul Modrich and Aziz Sancar — have won the 2015 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
After Chinese scientists announced in April that they had edited the genes in human embryos, many researchers said it shouldn't be done. Scientists in London say they want to do it for research only.
A clump of a mammoth's fur bought on eBay led scientists to a long list of ways the extinct species was special. One specific gene likely played a role in helping mammoths thrive in icy weather.
Companies are assembling and churning out tailored stretches of DNA faster and more cheaply than ever before. The tool speeds research into diseases of plants and people. But what about eugenics?
By editing the genes in embryos in the lab, Chinese scientists showed that it's possible to change hereditary traits that cause a blood disorder. But the work also created unintended mutations.
LAS VEGAS - A Nevada judge rejected a call for a new trial for a Saudi Arabian air force sergeant found guilty of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a...
DNA can be a critical tool for solving crimes. New laws that require police departments to collect DNA from convicts and arrestees on crimes ranging...
Paleontologist Jack Horner has been laughed at before. When he said dinosaurs were really birds not reptiles, the idea was rejected but now it's the accepted view.
Ten years after Dwayne Jackson was convicted, the Las Vegas Metro Police Department has admitted that there was an error in its lab that sent Jackson to prison for four years. Only a chance hit on the national database brought the error to light.
In 2008, teenager Brianna Denison was kidnapped while she slept on a friend's couch. They found her body in a field - she had been raped and killed. The police arrested a Sparks pipefitter for the crime, who had also been convicted of two other rapes. Now, Brianna's family says if police had been able to swab for DNA for those earlier crimes, they would have caught the rapist earlier - and maybe prevented Brianna's death. The state assembly just passed a bill that would allow police to take DNA swabs after an arrest. But opponents say that's labeling someone guilty before there's a conviction, and that it violates civil liberties. Should police be allowed to collect DNA if a person is suspected - but not convicted - of a crime? We talk to members of Brianna Denison's family, and experts who support and oppose the bill.
Some murder cases lie unsolved for 20 or 30 years, gathering dust in a back room. But the Metro Police Department is dusting off those files and tracking down suspects - suspects who think their crimes are long forgotten.
