genes
Can we reduce schizophrenia risk with prenatal supplements?
Schizophrenia has a clear genetic basis, but genes don't tell the whole story. The other factors that determine whether or ...
The rise and fall of genetic determinism
We’ve all seen the stark headlines: “Being Rich and Successful Is in Your DNA” (Guardian, July 12); “A New Genetic ...
Bad decision: Did your genes make you do it?
Studies have picked out groups of genes associated with intelligence, academic achievement, criminal activity and other life outcomes. It now ...
Your genes may affect how much you exercise and sleep
Time spent sitting, sleeping and moving is determined in part by our genes, University of Oxford researchers have shown. In ...
This gene gets blamed for migraines and a litany of other health issues. Reality is more complex
The story of the MTHFR gene shows that genetics is a probabilistic science ...
What martyred Thomas Becket and his holy lice can teach us about evolution
It’s a tale of murder, sex, and vermin. And gorillas. Reader discretion advised ...
Why you could be genetically programmed to respond to placebos
Confounding drug research, some people appear genetically programmed to believe the placebo they take during drug trials actually works ...
Rewired brain: Faulty autism gene may affect expression of other genes
TBR1 is among a select set of genes with strong ties to autism. The new findings explain that connection: Mutations in TBR1 may disrupt ...
Genes and giraffes: What do those spots tell us?
Giraffes' spotty exterior provides more than camouflage ...
Rarely studied African genes fill in ‘blank canvas’ of early human history
Humankind’s early history in Africa is coming into sharper focus with a new study of 180 genomes from a dozen ...
‘There is no gay gene’: But study suggests genetics may play role in choosing same sex partner
In a large study of more than 490,000 men and women in the United States, United Kingdom and Sweden, researchers ...
Diagnosing rare infectious diseases with genetic sequencing
Early last spring, as flu season hit its peak, a woman checked into a Houston hospital with all the familiar ...
Marathon gene? Ancient CMAH mutation may have made us better runners
When Eliud Kipchoge broke the tape at the Berlin Marathon [in September]—setting a new world record by 78 seconds—he and his fellow ...
Using gene editing to control forest fires? It could be a reality if anti-biotechnology activists don’t block it
The American west has experienced devastating wildfires in recent years; while the number of fires has decreased a little over ...
Tracing the impact of genetics on autism
Autism is more heritable than anorexia, alcohol dependence, depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder, according to an analysis of data from nearly ...
DNA testing boom drives demand for genetic counselors
[W]ith precision medicine going mainstream and an explosion of apps piping genetic insights to your phone from just a few teaspoons of spit, ...
Understanding cancer risk: Why your genetic test results may need another look
The first wave of routine genetics testing has already helped millions of people learn about their hereditary risk for certain ...
Viewpoint: Why consumer DNA tests are more dangerous than you might think
Commercial DNA testing isn’t just harmless entertainment. It’s keeping alive ideas that deserve to die ...
25 Genomes Project: Conserving British wildlife through genome sequencing
Crucially, every single [Carrington’s featherwort] plant found in this secluded Caledonian enclave is male. … But hope is at hand ...
Viewpoint: New book ‘Blueprint’ revisits the dangerous theory of genetic determinism
It’s never a good time for another bout of genetic determinism, but it’s hard to imagine a worse one than ...
Why are most human genes ignored by researchers?
There are around 20,000 human protein-coding genes, but recent studies have suggested scientists actively study only about 2,000 of them. New ...
Patenting the genes of marine life and what it means for medicine
[Marine animal] DNA is included among thousands of patents owned by BASF, which calls itself “the largest chemical producer in the ...
How do we persuade relatives of cancer patients to seek genetic testing?
Cancer patients’ close relatives might be willing to get tests to see if they share genetic mutations that put them ...
Genetic Noah’s Ark intends to sequence DNA of 66,000 species
An international consortium involving over 50 institutions has announced an ambitious project to assemble high-quality genome sequences of all 66,000 ...
When consumer genetic tests disagree on critical mutations
[Matt Fender] wasn’t worried last December when he clicked a button to dump all the raw data from his 23andMe ...
This natural defense strategy could help some genes fend off CRISPR edits
Sowbugs, armadillos, hedgehogs… and DNA? The same strategy that some animals use to avoid being attacked — roll into a ...
How a broken gene may have given us the ability to become ‘marathoners’
A new study in mice pinpoints how a stretch of DNA likely turned our ancestors into marathoners, giving us the ...
