Futurity
Drugs that biologically block insomnia may also reduce addictive behavior and reduce cravings
Researchers think they’ve identified a biological process for drug and alcohol addiction and believe existing insomnia treatments could be used ...
‘Canary in the coal mine for agriculture’: Simple soil temperature test can predict and prevent spread of corn-ravaging worms without pesticides
Soil temperature can effectively monitor and predict the spread of the corn earworm, a pest that ravages corn, cotton, soybeans, ...
Childhood trauma leaves signs in our blood and can be inherited, studies suggest
[Researchers] identified a biological mechanism by which traumatic experiences become embedded in germ cells. People who live through traumatic experiences ...
Genetically engineered humans: How do we decide when it’s ethical to create them?
Bioethicist Matthew Liao is open to genetic engineering in theory, but he says he was rather horrified to learn that ...
RNA-based pesticides are coming, but how will they affect the ecosystem?
New research shows how a new kind of genetically engineered pesticide moves through and degrades in the soil. This new generation ...
Most adults want DNA testing – but don’t want to be ‘blindsided’ by results
Only a small percentage of people in their 50s and early 60s have had their DNA tested—for medical reasons, to ...
Clinically questionable consumer DNA tests challenging for genetic counselors to interpret
Home genetic tests like AncestryDNA and 23andMe are more popular than ever, with sales topping $99 million in 2017. But ...
‘Quantum leap’ in autism research could lead to better diagnosis, treatments
A new computational method has connected several target genes to autism, according to new research. The findings, along with other ...
‘Universal genetic scissors’: CRISPR Cas-9 sister protein cuts both DNA and RNA
Researchers have discovered a single protein that can perform CRISPR-style, precise programmable cutting on both DNA and RNA. This protein ...
Cutting gene therapy side effects by finding a better delivery system to the brain
Researchers have found a structure on the small viruses that deliver gene therapy that makes them better at crossing from ...
Parasitic dodder plant steals crops’ water and nutrients. Could gene editing stop it?
A parasitic plant called dodder can silence the expression of genes in the host plants from which it obtains water ...
Winning the fertility race: Does one ‘super gene’ control sperm size and shape?
The shape, size, and swimming speed of sperm all depend on one supergene, according to new research with zebra finches ...
Creating ‘leaks’ in blood vessels could aid in drug delivery
The endothelial cells that line blood vessels are packed tightly to keep blood inside and flowing, but scientists have discovered ...
From meat to veggies: Genetic markers tell us European diets shifted 8,000 years ago
The genes of Europeans reflect the dietary shifts that occurred with the rise of farming, report researchers. Before the Neolithic ...
Missing disease: Less-expensive whole-exome sequencing may flub diagnoses
A common DNA test used to find genes linked with disease may miss key genetic risk indicators, new research suggests ...
Nanotechnology-inspired inkjet printers are growing stem cells that could help regenerate nerves
Inkjet printers and lasers are parts of a new way to produce cells important to research on nerve regeneration. ... Researchers ...
Keys to heart disease, diabetes, cancer may be in genome’s ‘dark matter’
A new method lets researchers quickly screen the non-coding DNA of the human genome for links to diseases that are driven ...
Fighting bioterrorism, disease: ‘Radically redesigned’ antibiotics show promise
Early tests of radically redesigned antibiotics suggest the drugs could bolster defenses against biowarfare and bioterrorism. [R]esearchers used two inhibitors ...
Evolving immunity: Controlling obesity, mood with designer gut bacteria faces obstacle
Beginning in 2012, scientists discovered they could use CRISPR proteins to precisely edit the genomes of not only bacteria but ...
Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s linked to body’s mishandling of ‘garbage’
A new study...may help explain how diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s spread in the brain. Sometimes when neurons dispose of ...
Unraveling science mystery of how smoking causes lung cancer: It’s the basal stem cells
Years of painstaking tissue analysis have lead researchers to basal stem cells as the likely culprits that trigger a major ...
Disease risks as we age may be tied to size of our chromosome telomere ‘caps’
People who had more infections as babies harbor a key marker of cellular aging as young adults, report researchers. The ...
Genomics will allow plant breeders to use seed banks more effectively
There are vast numbers of seeds in gene banks around the world. A new approach uses their genomes to predict ...
Scientists can now deliver medicine with DNA ‘cage’ and flash of light
The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis. Getting drugs to go ...
Agriculture’s climate change costs could be minimized by trading crops
If countries and farmers make adjustments in what crops they grow and where, then the effects of climate change on ...
‘Melt’ chocolate gene discovery could lead to medical advances
Scientists have discovered a gene involved in determining the melting point of cocoa butter, a critical attribute of the substance ...
Genetic mix lets Tibetans thrive at high altitudes
Genetic adaptations found in people living at high elevations on the Tibetan plateau probably originated around 30,000 years ago in ...
Bioengineering modular viruses to fight disease
Imagine fitting viruses together like Lego pieces and using them as a vehicle to deliver gene therapy. Scientists at Rice ...