Latest Biology News

Surprise finding sheds light on what causes Huntington's disease, a devastating fatal brain disorder

Jan. 16, 2025 11:01 AM EST

Scientists are unraveling the mystery of what triggers Huntington’s disease, a devastating and fatal hereditary disorder that strikes in the prime of life, causing nerve cells in parts of the brain to break down and die. The genetic mutation linked to Huntington's has long been...

30 years after discovery of remains, DNA could identify all of a serial killer’s victims

Jan. 07, 2025 10:38 AM EST

WESTFIELD, Ind. (AP) — Decades after investigators unearthed thousands of human bones and bone fragments on a suspected Indiana serial killer’s property, a renewed quest is playing out in laboratories to solve a long-running mystery: Who were they? A new team working to identify...

'Tis the season for roasting chestnuts. But in the US, native ones are almost gone

Dec. 15, 2024 09:33 AM EST

It's been a very long time since vendors sold the American chestnut on city sidewalks. It's no longer the variety whose smell some people associate with Christmastime as it wafts from street carts. Because it's virtually extinct. But memories of the American chestnut's legacy keep...