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Over 150 years after his assassination, Abraham Lincoln remains one of the most iconic figures of United States history. Serving as the sixteenth president of the country, Lincoln played an essential role in leading a divided nation during the Civil War. Today, his image lives on in the penny and his infamous memorial at the National Mall in Washington D.C. However, as ubiquitous as Lincoln is, a few mysteries remain surrounding his life. Most peculiarly, people have been speculating for decades whether the former president had Marfan Syndrome.  What is Marfan Syndrome? Marfan Syndrome is a relatively rare genetic disorder…

The discovery of DNA is often attributed to the famous duo, Watson and Crick. Though James Watson and Francis Crick were partially responsible for uncovering the structure of DNA, the discovery of the molecule itself is the achievement of a single researcher. This researcher, biochemist Friedrich Miescher, often goes unmentioned in conversations about great scientists. However, the impact that his work had on those in the field of genetics is nearly unmatched. Friedrich Miescher was born in Basel, Switzerland in 1844. Once Miescher completed his medical studies, he began working in the lab of Felix Hoppe-Seyler. Hoppe-Seyler is often referred to as the “founding…

The Neanderthals were a prehistoric species of humans that existed from about 400,000 years ago to about 40,000 years ago. They lived in Europe and Asia and, as a result, encountered modern-day humans as they migrated out of Africa about 55,000 years ago. In the past, scientists have wondered whether conflict with modern-day humans, also known as Homo sapiens, is what led to the extinction of Neanderthals. However, some theorize that Homo Sapiens may have absorbed them into their population by interbreeding with them. Whatever the reason for their extinction, interbreeding still occurred between the two species. And now, some living humans have genomes that…

The term "Habsburg jaw" references a jaw deformity present in many members of a German royal family collectively known as the Habsburgs. The deformity is believed to be a combination of two conditions that may share the same genetic causes. These conditions are mandibular prognathism and maxillary deficiency. Mandibular prognathism is a protrusion of the lower jaw while maxillary deficiency is an underdevelopment of the upper jaw. The severity of these conditions within the Habsburg family is thought to be the result of the inbreeding that they practiced in order to retain their power. Typically, inbreeding causes certain traits because it increases the likelihood that anyone who is the result…

Dwarfism is typically defined as having a height of 4 foot 10 inches or less in adulthood. Along with short stature, it can also lead to bowed legs, a disproportionately large head, and short limbs. It is most commonly caused by a genetic disorder called achondroplasia. This type of dwarfism is still rare and only seen in about 1 in 15,000 to 40,000 individuals. Because of this, the lives of those of short stature have always been very unique. Ancient Times (Egypt) Writings and imagery from ancient Egypt have shown that dwarfism may have been seen as a connection to the divine. It is thought…

Tutankhamun, or King Tut, was a young man that ruled ancient Egypt for a short period during the 14th century B.C. He, unfortunately, died as a teenager and was buried in an area called the Valley of the Kings. This site is where his body was found by archaeologists in 1922. The Health of King Tut Upon the discovery of Tutankhamun’s remains, researchers also discovered that the teenage king was not in good health before his death. They found that he had a deformity in the form of a clubbed foot and that bones in some of his toes were dying due to…