Human Genetics Features
The first GMO (Hint: Human’s best friend)
Are dogs the earliest examples of GMOs? While the conventional definition of a genetically modified organism is the lab insertion ...
Drug trial, dubbed ‘Master Protocol,’ uses tumor genomics to customize treatments
According to a new article, the future of cancer drug research may lie in drug trials that are based on ...
Telomeres lengthened by weight-loss surgery
Researchers have found that gastric bypass surgery, which can assist in weight loss, may also lengthen telomeres and, as a ...
Are Republicans really anti-science?
For years, the Republicans have been labeled the "anti-science" party. But, a new article explores and challenges the basis for ...
Open-access genome project lands in UK
The open-access genome project in the UK, led by Genomics England, has a lot in common with the Personal Genome ...
A virus hitched a ride in our ancestors genome, and changed human brains forever
Long ago, part of one virus's genome merged with the human genome. Now it's in each of us, helping to ...
Is limb regeneration science fiction? Maybe not
Limb regeneration remains the stuff of science fiction for humans, but an accidental discovery suggests people may yet be able ...
Depression makes cells age faster
Even when adjusted to account for excluded lifestyle differences, a recent study shows that depressed patients have shorter telomeres, a ...
With just a few genetic changes, new species are able to evolve
By analyzing two closely related species of butterflies, scientists at the University of Chicago have found that it only takes ...
Twin study suggests politics and genetics go together
You may have your mom's laugh, and your dad's nose, but do you also inherit your parents' political leanings? A ...
Do the benefits of synthetic biology outweigh the risks?
In 2010, scientists created the world’s first synthetic life form. With this staggering achievement came the inevitable ethical and philosophical ...
You can’t control your child’s destiny through genetics
With the rise of prenatal genetic testing and the new techniques for editing DNA, you'd think we'd be able to ...
Farmers hope GM wheat could be next big bio crop
Using the tools of biotechnology, GM wheat would increase yields, lower food pieces and increase food security, which could make ...
Critics urge caution over UK genome project call for volunteers
British researchers are looking for volunteers to have their genome sequenced and made publicly available; critics warn about the loss ...
Speculation over insect photo shows human bias in interpreting nature
Does this photo show some sort of insect hybrid that is part ant, part fly, part spider? Recent speculation has ...
Precision gene editing paves way for monkey models of genetic disease
A new precise technique for editing genes may allow researchers to to create genetically modified monkeys and develop treatments for ...
Your allergies may save your life
According to new research, allergies may have evolved in order to save lives by forcing sufferers to reject and expel ...
Always catching colds? Blame it on your socioeconomic status
New research says that low socioeconomic status is correlated with shorter telomere length and, interestingly, a higher propensity for getting ...
Mutations in the brain
Not all genetic mutations are harmful. New research shows that mutations within neurons may be incredibly common, and even sometimes ...
Genetic clues in mammals could unlock secret to anti-aging
For years, scientists have studied how to combat old age. Now, new research suggests that genetic clues in mammals with ...
Are we headed for universal genome screening at birth?
Nearly all of the 4 million babies born every year in the United States undergo newborn screening for genetic disease ...
Who deserves the Nobel for sequencing the human genome?
There's a political angle to having the 10th anniversary celebration for the human genome in 2013: it implies the NIH ...
Scientists invent new technique for DNA repair
Researchers from the Berkeley Lab have invented a new technique for detecting and repairing errors in the genetic code, which ...
Gene-silencing could suppress genetic defect that causes Down syndrome
A team of researchers has demonstrated that the genetic defect that causes Down syndrome could be suppressed using the gene-silencing ...
Is HIV the hero that’ll help gene therapy rise above the hype?
We're seeing some successes in gene therapy, but cost remains an issue. Could a modified version of HIV save the ...
Project Einstein: Are there genes for mathematical genius?
An entrepreneur in gene-sequencing wants to find out what genes are linked to mathematical ability ...
Genome hacker builds largest-ever family tree
To help scientists investigate inheritance, so-called genome hacker Yaniv Erlich has built family tree with over 13 million people, using ...