Small plastic or metal bits at the end of shoelaces, known as aglets, prevent laces from unraveling and protect them from wear and tear. Similarly, chromosomes are capped by telomeres—specialized ...

The findings reveal the biology behind segregation distortion, a phenomenon in which genes sway inheritance in their favor to beat the standard 50/50 odds predicted by Mendelian genetics. The team ...

Researchers have identified inherited genetic variants that may predict the loss of one copy of a woman's two X chromosomes as she ages, a phenomenon known as mosaic loss of chromosome X, or mLOX.

Some genes just don’t play fair. Researchers have uncovered a ‘selfish’ X chromosome in the fruit fly Drosophila testacea that manages to distort inheritance in both sperm and eggs. “Researchers have ...

Pentaploid Rosa canina’s flower reveals its unique sexual reproduction: asymmetric meiosis creates haploid pollen (anthers) transmitting only bivalent-forming chromosomes, while ovaries inherit both ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Telomeres, the protective caps at the ends of our chromosomes, act much like the plastic tips of shoelaces, preventing our DNA ...

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) occurs as a result of genetic changes on the X chromosome. If someone has a gene change that can cause DMD, their children may inherit that change. DMD is a ...