Human Genetics Features
Accuracy of eyewitness testimony: Is it all in our head?
The credibility of eyewitness testimony has taken some hits from DNA evidence-based refutation of memory. But there's more here than ...
Should healthy patients with disease genes be told of their genetic risks?
Many people with gene variants that might cause disease have a very low risk of getting sick. Telling patients may ...
Sports and war: When it comes to concussions, not much difference between football and fighting
Recent evidence is surfacing of ‘early aging’ in the brains of troops as a result of experiencing bomb blasts. It ...
Genes illuminate how the brain ‘thinks’
Monitoring brain functions can tell us a lot about neurobiological structures and what's going on. But now we have the ...
Concussion risk: How much weight should genetics carry
As we attempt to establish risk factors for concussions and similar traumas, how much weight should we give genetics? ...
Gene therapy is doing all that we’d hoped for* *(so far)
New gene therapies are showing evidence of advancing our treatment of genetic diseases. Scientists are 5 years along the 15 ...
Science deniers stay home: Synthetic biology crucial to human missions to Mars
Bioprocessing of lunar materials will allow us to transport more people and non-consumable supplies (such as equipment) back and forth, ...
Endocrine disruption and fat-causing “obesogen” theories crumbling as research rolls in
The theory that certain industrial chemicals disrupt our endocrine system and contribute to obesity gained traction in some rat studies ...
Not in our stars but our DNA: Is faith and embrace of religion (and astrology) hardwired?
Our beliefs, including irrational ones and an embrace of pseudoscience, have been shown to be largely independent of one’s educational ...
Cancer and the bad luck of random mutations
New research suggests the risk of most cancers can be attributed to environmental factors, countering the so called "bad luck" ...
Taboo: Modern genomics key to understanding basis of ‘race’
The fierce decades-long debate between postmodernist social scientists and population geneticists over the biological basis of group human differences is ...
Orthorexia nervosa: Do anti-GMO activists and shoppers have it?
Orthorexia nervosa is being evaluated as a possible psychiatric diagnosis -- which is causing symptoms of anxiety among some elites ...
Why humans uniquely live long enough to become grandparents
The Grandma Hypothesis suggests that humans were evolutionarily successful because older females helped their daughters raise children. But living beyond ...
White privilege? Will Western activists block CRISPR solution to protecting millions of Africans against malaria?
Scientists now have the ability to eradicate one the world's most deadly diseases--malaria, which kills as many as 2.7 million ...
What makes us take risks? Can viruses affect our thinking ability?
Our body surfaces contain a wide range of microorganisms. The biological effects of these organisms, including on our brain and ...
James Watson: Basing ‘war on cancer’ on genome research diverts resources
Billions have been spent on the "ultimate weapon" against cancer--gene-based, personalized medicine. But the money may be mis-aimed on the ...
Could we functionally cure HIV through gene editing?
Charlie Sheen’s HIV announcement put AIDs back in the headlines. Gene editing may provide the chance to eliminate the disease ...
Why Americans respond to drug placebos more than any other nationality
Remarkably the placebo effect--a fake treatment in which a person taking an inactive substance like sugar, water or saline solution ...
Obesity is in our head and in our genes
The sources of obesity look more biological, and less psychological, which opens new avenues toward addressing the crisis. Finding answers ...
Why elephants almost never get cancer–and why that might save human lives
Why don’t elephants die of cancer nearly as often as humans, even though they have about 100 times as many ...
Understanding the Obesity Paradox: Why being overweight may be less concerning than being unfit
Instead of focussing purely on weight, an approach that also considers physical fitness provides the greatest potential to promote health ...
Immune therapy for cancer needs the right gut stuff
A patient’s microbiome influences how well a new class of immune system cancer drugs work ...
Will Chipotle’s food poisoning scare and Fukushima rethink help society overcome radiation phobia?
Hype about radiation dangers is ever present, as we live in a radiophobic society, but the Chipotle food poisoning incidents ...
White House announces microbiome initiative but science on gut bacteria still unsettled
The Unified Microbiome Initiative seeks to unlock the mystery of the human biome and the role of genetics in shaping ...
Can GMOs cure cancer? Genetically engineered algae found to kill cancer cells
Scientists have genetically engineered algae, transforming them into targeted drug delivery systems to target cancer. It's worked in the lab ...
Clarifying ionophores: NRDC muddies science by suggesting all animal antibiotics lead to resistance crisis
The Natural Resources Defense Council is the latest advocacy group to call for a broad based ban on antibiotics in ...
Transgenic pigs may usher in brave new world of xenotransplantation
Genetic engineering is poised to make xenotransplantation a reality ...