"Fifty years from now, will there be Masai giraffes? I don't know. I think it's a 50/50 proposition," Douglas Cavener, who has published a new study on the risks facing the species, told Live Science.

The small size and isolation of the endangered population of Southern Resident killer whales in the Pacific Northwest have led to high levels of inbreeding. This inbreeding has contributed to their ...

Quick Take Inbreeding occurs when relatives mate and can cause inbreeding depression, with abnormalities, health issues, and reduced fertility. Cheetahs have very low genetic variation, leading to ...

Increasing levels of inbreeding is a threat against the viability of the Scandinavian wolf population. A study just coming out in the new journal PLoS ONE now demonstrates that inbreeding is not ...

Mountain gorillas’ DNA reveals a long decline in numbers that has led to massive inbreeding. An international group of researchers examined the genomes of seven mountain gorillas and six eastern ...

This photo shows flowers of a self-incompatible taxa of petunia exhibiting diverse petal structures and colors. Self-incompatibility is system that allows the pistil of a flower to recognition and ...

The Habsburg dynasty, which ruled Spain during the height of its power and influence, may have been brought down by genetic disorders caused by inbreeding, according to a new study. The 174-year ...

For many animals, genetic diversity is crucial to survival because it affords the population some flexibility when encountering changes in the environment. Individuals may be lost, but variation helps ...

What drives a female to sleep around? For red flour beetles, too much inbreeding may do the trick, according to new research showing that when populations of the beetles become inbred, females get ...