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Viruses are the most numerous biological entities on the planet. Now researchers have identified over 140,000 viral species living in the human gut, more than half of which have never been seen before.

Urinalysis has long been a staple of physical exams to detect and manage a number of diseases and disorders, but not cancer. What if it were that easy, though, and cancer was detected in its very earliest stages when the disease responds more favorably to treatment and improved outcomes are more likely?

Scientists have developed a method using a DNA biomarker to easily screen pregnant women for harmful prenatal environmental contaminants like air pollution linked to childhood illness and developmental disorders.

A specific SARS-CoV-2 spike protein mutation – one of several genetic mutations in the concerning variants that have emerged – makes the virus up to eight times more infectious in human cells than the initial virus that originated in China.

A team of researchers has identified that a chromosome instability gene called USP24, is frequently missing in pediatric patients with neuroblastoma, an aggressive form of childhood cancer.

In a world first genetic study, researchers from the Australian Centre for Precision Health at the University of South Australia found that that long-term, heavy coffee consumption – six or more cups a day – can increase the amount of lipids (fats) in your blood to significantly heighten your risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

A team of 22 researchers from nine countries – led by the Centre for Palaeogenetics (CPG) – has sequenced ancient DNA from the remains of three different mammoth species excavated in the Siberian permafrost. This is the oldest DNA to have been sequenced in the history of science. The study findings are published in the journal Nature.

Changes in the activity of five genes may play a critical role in determining whether a person will suffer from Lewy body dementia.

Last year, researchers showed that a major genetic risk factor for severe COVID-19 is inherited from Neandertals. Now the same researchers find that Neandertals also contributed a protective variant. Half of all people outside Africa carry a Neandertal gene variant that reduces the risk of needing intensive care for COVID-19 by 20 percent.

Human health and ecosystems could be affected by microbes including cyanobacteria and algae that hitch rides in clouds and enter soil, lakes, oceans and other environments when it rains, according to a recent study.