Genetics articles from across Nature Portfolio

Genetics is the branch of science concerned with genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms. It seeks to understand the process of trait inheritance from parents to offspring, including the molecular structure and function of genes, gene behaviour in the context of a cell or organism (e.g. dominance and epigenetics), gene distribution, and variation and change in populations.

Featured

Scraps of viral DNA in biobank samples reveal secrets of Epstein–Barr virus

Viral DNA that is usually dismissed when sequencing the human genome could help to uncover useful information about complex diseases.
- Kristen J. Wade
- Jill A. Hollenbach
News & Views28 Jan 2026 Nature
Spotting viral invaders in koala family trees

Genetic analyses of koala pedigrees help to suss out virus-induced genome changes that affect cancer risk and reproductive success.
- Holly Smith
News & Views27 Jan 2026 Nature
Volume: 649, P: 1117
Written in our genes, epigenetically edited by infection

Understanding how infections reshape the human immune system requires integration of environmental, genetic and cellular sources of variability. Wang et al. leverage natural infection as a shared perturbation to reveal how genetic backgrounds modulate epigenetic responses.
- Luis B. Barreiro
- Musa M. Mhlanga
News & Views27 Jan 2026 Nature Genetics
P: 1-2

Related Subjects

Latest Research and Reviews

Characterizing the co-occurrence of alcohol experimentation and suicidal thoughts and behaviors in early adolescence
- Séverine Lannoy
- James M. Bjork
- Alexis C. Edwards
ResearchOpen Access30 Jan 2026 Translational Psychiatry
P:
Chromosome-level genome assembly of wild perennial soybean Glycine canescens
- Yongbin Zhuang
- Xiaoming Li
- Dajian Zhang
ResearchOpen Access29 Jan 2026 Scientific Data
P:
VSIG10L is a major determinant of esophageal homeostasis and inherited predisposition to Barrett’s esophagus

The factors contributing to the onset of Barrett’s esophagus, a precancerous stage of the highly lethal esophageal cancer, remain elusive. Here, the authors identify inherited mutations in the VSIG10L gene as a key etiologic determinant affecting esophageal biology and facilitating the development of Barrett’s esophagus.
- Durgadevi Ravillah
- Salendra Singh
- Kishore Guda
ResearchOpen Access29 Jan 2026 Nature Communications
P:
Heritable pulmonary arterial hypertension: new genetic findings and environmental triggers
- Memoona Shaukat
- Ekkehard Grünig
- Christina A. Eichstaedt
ResearchOpen Access29 Jan 2026 Scientific Reports
P:
Transcriptome analysis of perforated small cocoon from Bombyx mori mutants
- Keyi Zhou
- Xiaomeng Wei
- Zhiyong Qiu
ResearchOpen Access29 Jan 2026 Scientific Reports
P:
ALKB-1-dependent tRNA methylation is required for efficient paternal mitochondrial elimination

For proper mitochondrial inheritance, paternal sperm mitochondria must be eliminated. Here, authors identify ALKB-1 mediated tRNA demethylation as essential for this clearance in Caenorhabditis elegans, revealing an epitranscriptomic quality checkpoint tied to male fertility.
- Zhenhuan Luo
- Yimin Li
- Qinghua Zhou
ResearchOpen Access29 Jan 2026 Nature Communications
P:

All Research & Reviews

News and Comment

Genetically engineered ‘stinkweed’ comes up roses for making seed oil

Field pennycress could become a valuable winter crop, with benefits for both carbon storage and farm profitability.

Research Highlights29 Jan 2026 Nature
Bridging behaviour and genomics for tsetse fly control

In this Journal Club, Daniel Masiga recalls a 1986 publication by C. H. Green, which revealed how colour and odour cues influence tsetse fly (Glossina spp.) attraction, and a 2019 study by Attardo et al. on genomic insights across six Glossina species, advancing understanding of vector behaviour and control.
- Daniel Masiga
Research Highlights29 Jan 2026 Nature Reviews Genetics
P: 1
High-throughput identification of aptamer–target pairs with SPARK-seq

In this Tools of the Trade article, Qin Wu discusses the development of SPARK-seq (single-cell perturbation-driven aptamer recognition and kinetics sequencing), a method that enables high-throughput identification of aptamer–target pairs.
- Qin Wu
Research Highlights29 Jan 2026 Nature Reviews Genetics
P: 1
Type I interferonopathy in ATR-X syndrome reveals a transcriptional role for cGAS

A preprint by El-Daher et al. describes an interferonopathy-associated mutation in the chromatin remodeller ATRX, which identifies an unexpected role for nuclear cGAS in transcriptional regulation.
- Rachel Geltman
- Dusan Bogunovic
Research Highlights28 Jan 2026 Nature Reviews Immunology
P: 1
Acknowledgment to the reviewers in 2025
- Toshihiro Tanaka
Editorial28 Jan 2026 Journal of Human Genetics
P: 1-2
Scraps of viral DNA in biobank samples reveal secrets of Epstein–Barr virus

Viral DNA that is usually dismissed when sequencing the human genome could help to uncover useful information about complex diseases.
- Kristen J. Wade
- Jill A. Hollenbach
News & Views28 Jan 2026 Nature

All News & Comment

Genetics articles from across Nature Portfolio

Featured

Scraps of viral DNA in biobank samples reveal secrets of Epstein–Barr virus

Spotting viral invaders in koala family trees

Written in our genes, epigenetically edited by infection

Related Subjects

Latest Research and Reviews

Characterizing the co-occurrence of alcohol experimentation and suicidal thoughts and behaviors in early adolescence

Chromosome-level genome assembly of wild perennial soybean Glycine canescens

VSIG10L is a major determinant of esophageal homeostasis and inherited predisposition to Barrett’s esophagus

Heritable pulmonary arterial hypertension: new genetic findings and environmental triggers

Transcriptome analysis of perforated small cocoon from Bombyx mori mutants

ALKB-1-dependent tRNA methylation is required for efficient paternal mitochondrial elimination

News and Comment

Genetically engineered ‘stinkweed’ comes up roses for making seed oil

Bridging behaviour and genomics for tsetse fly control

High-throughput identification of aptamer–target pairs with SPARK-seq

Type I interferonopathy in ATR-X syndrome reveals a transcriptional role for cGAS

Acknowledgment to the reviewers in 2025

Scraps of viral DNA in biobank samples reveal secrets of Epstein–Barr virus

Search

Quick links