Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain
the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in
Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles
and JavaScript.
Non-invasive techniques for prenatal diagnosis are extremely advantageous in terms of both safety and cost. The discovery of fetal nucleic acids in the maternal plasma has led to the development of many non-invasive tests.
Despite the key role of recombination in meiosis, increasing evidence indicates substantial variation in recombination rates among humans, and between humans and other mammals. Understanding the forces that shape this variation will require a combination of evolutionary and molecular perspectives.
How were hereditary traits understood before genetics emerged as a field? Insights from science, medicine and agriculture shaped thinking in this area, setting the scene for the crucial advances of Mendel and Darwin in the nineteenth century.
New developments in genomics require changes in the policies of various government bodies to address the legal and ethical implications of genomics and prioritize research and educational needs. This article surveys the changes that have been and need to be made.
Both genetic and physiological studies are contributing to our understanding of insect body size, a trait that affects fitness in many ways and is therefore subject to intense selection. Many of the genes that determine body size in insects have similar roles in mammals.
Using cancer as an example of complex disease, the authors revisit the evidence for the hypothesis that human diseases result from interactions between genetic variants and the environment.
Intense investigation of the laminopathies has revised the traditional structural view of the nuclear lamina, highlighting crucial roles in processes including gene regulation and differentiation. This research has also led to a range of promising therapies for these rare diseases.