More than 155,000 people who have taken part in a massive genetic study orchestrated by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) have already gotten something in return -- personalized DNA results that tell them whether they have an increased risk for certain health conditions.

Called "All of Us," the study aims to eventually include at least 1 million people, in an effort to accelera...

For some people, dozens of U.S.-approved drugs can lead to a rare but often fatal brain infection.

Researchers have now confirmed a strong link between four genetic mutations and this illness, called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML).

A new study found that in people ta...

A new genetic test may help determine which people with breast cancer can safely skip radiation after breast-conserving surgery to remove their tumor.

Individuals with invasive breast cancer who had low scores on an investigational gene panel were just as likely to experience a recurrence if they received radiation therapy after breast-conserving surgery or not, Swedish researchers r...

One might expect identical twins to have the same health outcomes.

But it's not just genetics that makes a notable difference in their weight and in how their genes behave, according to a new study. Exercise can alter genetic markers of metabolic disease -- any of the diseases or disorders that disrupt norma...

Is your pooch a herder or a hunter? You can try taking them to a trainer, but new research shows much of their behavior is hardwired in their DNA.

For the new study, researchers analyzed DNA samples from more than 200 dog breeds and surveyed 46,000 pet-owners to try to suss out why certain breeds act the way they do.

“The largest, most successful genetic experiment that humans hav...

While appendix cancer is rare, for a small percentage of patients the disease may be linked to a particular genetic variant, a new study suggests.

Researchers built on earlier research with this study, finding that 1 in 10 people with cancer of the appendix carries a genetic variant associated with cancer predisposition.

"Based on these data, we are able to recommend genetic counse...

Gene editing has for the first time produced modified immune cells finely honed to target and attack cancer cells, researchers say.

A team used the gene editing tool CRISPR to alter immune cells drawn from 16 patients who had a variety of solid cancers, including colon, breast and lung.

According to a report in the journal Nature, the genes of these immune cells were edited...

Autism is a more comprehensive disorder than previously thought, and appears to arise from brain changes located throughout the cerebral cortex, not just in specific areas, a new study reports.

Because of autism's specific symptoms, scientists had thought the disorder was likely caused by changes in brain regions believed to affect social behavior and language.

But the new study -- ...

Some children struggle to read or spell because of a condition called dyslexia that is known to run in families.

Now, researchers report they have pinpointed a large number of genes responsible for the disorder.

"Our findings show that common genetic differences have very similar effects in boys and...

The Black Death pandemic wiped out as many as half of the people living in some of the Middle Ages' most densely populated places, sweeping through Europe, Asia and Africa nearly 700 years ago.

Now genetic analysis has revealed why some of our ancestors died while others didn't — and how...

Stillbirth is heartbreaking tragedy for parents, but exactly what raises the risk of it remains elusive.

Certain health conditions in a pregnant woman can be a factor, but new research came up with a surprising finding: Stillbirth risk appears to be inherited through male members of the family on eithe...

The answer to how tall a child will be is typically an estimate based on an average of the parents' heights.

But an Australian study that included more than 5 million people has found that more than 12,000 genetic variants influence height.

“Eighty percent of height differences between people are dete...

The fight against malaria could hinge on genetically engineered mosquitoes that have something called "gene drive."

Researchers from the Transmission: Zero team at Imperial College London report that they have engineered mosquitoes that slow the growth in their gut of the parasites that cause malaria. This delay would mean the mosquito would reach its natural life span before the parasite...

Smoking around your child is unhealthy, but it could also harm your future grandchildren, a new study finds.

Children are more likely to develop asthma if their father was exposed to secondhand smoke as a child, according to researchers from...

Patients suspected of having amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) may soon be able to get a diagnosis much more quickly, not wasting the precious time many have left, new research suggests.

In 20...

A person's unrelated lookalike, commonly known as a doppelganger, may actually share genes that affect not only how they appear, but also their behavior.

In a new study, scientists did DNA analysis on 32 sets of virtual twins — people with strong facial similarities — and found they possessed similar genetic variants.

“Our study provides a rare insight into human likeness by...

More than 70 genes are very strongly associated with autism and more than 250 are linked to the condition, a major new genetic analysis has revealed.

The analysis is the largest of its kind to date, involving more than 150,000 participants, including 20,000 diagnosed with autism.

The researchers found t...

Men are known to be more likely to develop cancer than women, and a new study suggests that this is largely due to biologic differences between the sexes.

“After controlling for factors like smoking, alcohol use, diet, physical activity and common medical conditions [that increase cancer risk]...

It's important to talk to kids about family health risks, but the impact of sharing this kind of information has been unclear.

It's probably safe, according to a new study, but how are you supposed to do it -- and when?

Researchers found that kids generally have no problem coping when cancer risk information is shared with them. But it's not uncommon for parents to struggle with com...

Scientists have unearthed a possible reason why men tend to die at younger ages than women: Those who lose Y chromosomes from their blood cells as they age may be more vulnerable to heart tissue scarring and heart failure.

The research is the latest to look at the phenomenon of "

Genetically altered pig hearts could soon become a viable transplantation alternative for people with life-threatening heart disease, new experiments show.

A team at NYU Langone Health has successfully transplanted two such pig hearts into brain-dead humans on life support, making advances that may soon help address the nationwide organ shortage.

No signs of early rejection were obs...

Genes can put some men at heightened risk of prostate cancer, but a new study suggests they can undo much of that potential harm with a healthy lifestyle.

Researchers found that among men at increased genetic risk of prostate cancer, those who maintained a healthy lifestyle were much less likely to die of the disease over...

Researchers studying genes involved in Alzheimer's disease have identified a new gene, called MGMT, that increases risk for this common dementia in women.

"This is one of a few and perhaps the strongest associations of a genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's that is spec...

People who have never outgrown an aversion to broccoli, or an addiction to potato chips, can place part of the blame on their genes, preliminary research suggests.

The study, of over 6,200 adults, turned up correlations between certain taste-related genes and people's preferences for particular