genetics

Nature Communications, Published online: 22 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-74677-7 Rice root-knot nematode (RRKN) is one of the most destructive pathogenic nematodes threatening rice production worldwide. Here, the authors report the identification of RRKN susceptibility factor 1 (Rsf1) and show its usefulness in enhancing RRKN resistance without impacting yield in field conditions.

Benchmarking the Honesty of Fine-Mapping Credible Sets Fine-mapping has a promise built into its output, and almost nobody checks whether the promise is kept. When you run SuSiE on a GWAS locus, it hands you a credible set : a small group of variants that, at a stated confidence level like 95%, should contain the true causal variant. That 95% is a claim about reality. Among all the loci where SuS…

A massive new meta-analysis reveals that individual cognitive abilities, like reading and math, rely on inherited DNA just as much as overall intelligence, suggesting people possess heavily customized genetic cognitive profiles independent of general smarts.

Researchers have identified a gene that appears to balance a powerful evolutionary trade-off, boosting growth and reproductive success early in life while carrying hidden costs later on. The biological processes that help build a healthy young body may also sow the seeds of aging and cancer. Researchers have now identified a gene that appears to [...]

Our genetic heritage is not a blueprint or an algorithm, as many biologists have imagined, but something else entirely.

Consanguineous marriages, defined as unions between biologically related individuals, remain prevalent in several regions of India due to cultural and social traditions.

A study of long-lived families has identified rare genetic variants that may help people stay healthier for much longer as they age. One standout mutation appears to temper inflammation, potentially delaying disease and extending years of healthy living.

The results show that effects of adversity are not solely cumulative and the type of adversity experienced may be uniquely related to mitochondrial function, the researchers said

Nature Communications, Published online: 21 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-74103-y Here authors use human iPSC-derived cerebral organoids to model the pathogenic m.3243 A > G mitochondrial mutation and reveal heteroplasmy-dependent, cell-type-specific vulnerability in human cortex neurons.

A massive new meta-analysis reveals that individual cognitive abilities, like reading and math, rely on inherited DNA just as much as overall intelligence, suggesting people possess heavily customized genetic cognitive profiles independent of general smarts.

Genes account for roughly 50 percent of hoarding risk among women, while the shared family environment contributes little. Individual life experiences account for the rest

Nature Communications, Published online: 20 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-74695-5 The study reveals how the 3D genome changes during germ cell formation across vertebrates that split over 350 million years ago, uncovering shared and species‑specific patterns and showing that genome size and chromosome shape drive DNA folding.

Nature Communications, Published online: 20 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-73714-9 Brain networks are heritable, but their genetics remain incompletely understood. Here, authors show that the genetics of cortical similarity networks relate to cortical evolution, causally predict functional connectivity, and link to psychiatric risk.

A genetic study of 2,000-year-old grape seeds is shedding new light on ancient winemaking. For centuries, the vineyards of Tuscany have been associated with some of the world’s most celebrated red wines. But a cache of grape seeds buried in ancient wells is revealing a very different story about what people were growing and drinking [...]

For over a century, the origins of the Bronze Age Minoan civilization (c. 2600–1100 BCE) on the island of Crete were shrouded in intense archaeological controversy. Sir Arthur Evans, the British archaeologist who unearthed the magnificent Palace of Knossos, famously hypothesized that the Minoans were a displaced, elite elite population from North Africa or the Middle East, arguing that their high…

Nature Communications, Published online: 20 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-74726-1 RNA polymerase II drives gene transcription through dynamic chromatin interactions. Here, the authors use single-molecule imaging to show that most binding events are short-lived, with rare productive events, and identify TAF1 as a regulator promoting pause release and elongation.

Scientific Data, Published online: 20 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41597-026-07654-w A chromosome-level genome assembly of the scaly osman Diptychus maculatus

Scientific Data, Published online: 20 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41597-026-07646-w A high-quality chromosome-level genome assembly of Ficus carica cultivar ‘Green Peel’