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Monday

My Grandmother Was Italian. Why Aren't My Genes Italian?

As mother and daughter, Carmen and Gisele Grayson thought their DNA ancestry tests would be very similar. Boy were they surprised. Meredith Rizzo/NPR hide caption

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Meredith Rizzo/NPR

Shots - Health News

My Grandmother Was Italian. Why Aren't My Genes Italian?

Popular DNA ancestry tests don't always find what people expect. That is because of how DNA rearranges itself when egg meets sperm — and the quirks of genetic databases.

My Grandmother Was Italian. Why Aren't My Genes Italian?

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Wednesday

Monday

Would You Want To Know The Secrets Hidden In Your Baby's Genes?
Scott Bakal for NPR

Shots - Health News

Would You Want To Know The Secrets Hidden In Your Baby's Genes?

WNYC

A study offering the parents of newborns a scan of thousands of the baby's genes raises a big question: Do you want this kind of information on disease risk in your child's permanent record?

Would You Want To Know The Secrets Hidden In Your Baby's Genes?

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Sunday

Czar Nicholas II is shown with his family in the 1910s. All were executed shortly after the 1917 Russian Revolution. Remains of the czar, his wife, Alexandra (top right) and their children — Olga (from left), Maria, Anastasia, Alexei and Tatiana — have all been identified. Now the Russian Orthodox Church has ordered new DNA tests to confirm the identities of Maria and Alexei.

Czar Nicholas II is shown with his family in the 1910s. All were executed shortly after the 1917 Russian Revolution. Remains of the czar, his wife, Alexandra (top right) and their children — Olga (from left), Maria, Anastasia, Alexei and Tatiana — have all been identified. Now the Russian Orthodox Church has ordered new DNA tests to confirm the identities of Maria and Alexei. Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images hide caption

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Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images

Parallels

Will DNA Tests Finally Settle Controversy Surrounding Russia's Last Czars?

Alexander III's remains have been exhumed for DNA tests to confirm the identities of two grandchildren. Historians say the Russian Orthodox Church wants to reaffirm its ties to the imperial family.

Will DNA Tests Finally Settle Controversy Surrounding Russia's Last Czars?

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Tuesday

In California's Protected Waters, Counting Fish Without Getting Wet

A diver swims in a kelp forest in California's Channel Island National Park, where several of the state's marine protected areas are located. National Park Service hide caption

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National Park Service

Environment

In California's Protected Waters, Counting Fish Without Getting Wet

KQED

Using divers to monitor whether life is returning to the 100 or so marine protected areas is pricey. Now, advances in DNA sequencing mean scientists just need a seawater sample to do a marine census.

In California's Protected Waters, Counting Fish Without Getting Wet

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Friday

DNA Tracking Of Ivory Helps Biologists Find Poaching Hotspots

A Maasai boy and his dog, near the skeleton of an elephant killed by poachers outside of Arusha, Tanzania, in 2013. Jason Straziuso/AP hide caption

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Jason Straziuso/AP

Science

DNA Tracking Of Ivory Helps Biologists Find Poaching Hotspots

To stop elephant slaughter in Africa, zoologist Sam Wasser spent years extracting DNA from elephant dung and tissue. Much of the world's poached ivory, he discovered, comes from just two hotspots.

DNA Tracking Of Ivory Helps Biologists Find Poaching Hotspots

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Thursday

Family Of Unaccounted For USS Oklahoma Sailor Wouldn't 'Let Him Go'

Edwin Hopkins with his mother, Alice, and father, Frank Jr. Hopkins was killed aboard the USS Oklahoma during the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, but his remains never were identified. Courtesy Tom Gray hide caption

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Courtesy Tom Gray

History

Family Of Unaccounted For USS Oklahoma Sailor Wouldn't 'Let Him Go'

Edwin Hopkins was on the USS Oklahoma when it was attacked in Pearl Harbor, and was one of hundreds buried as an unknown. His family is grateful for the decision to try to ID some of the remains.

Family Of Unaccounted For USS Oklahoma Sailor Wouldn't 'Let Him Go'

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Wednesday

DNA Evidence Frees Illinois Man Convicted Of Rape, Murder In 1984

Christopher Abernathy (center) is released from the Stateville Correctional Center on Wednesday in Crest Hill, Ill. Terrence Antonio James/TNS /Landov hide caption

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Terrence Antonio James/TNS /Landov

The Two-Way

DNA Evidence Frees Illinois Man Convicted Of Rape, Murder In 1984

A judge agreed to vacate Christopher Abernathy's 1987 conviction in the killing of a 15-year-old girl after a request from the prosecutor. Abernathy, now 48, spent nearly 30 years in prison.