Ancestry & Evolution
The desire to understand our origins is primal. By examining our DNA over successive generations through the evolutionary process of inherited characteristics of human and animal populationsโas well as from those species from which humans share a common ancestryโwe can decipher our individual and collective past and develop medical innovations for the future.
Below is the complete archive of related articles sorted by date.
New fetal DNA test detects Down syndrome
A simple blood test done on maternal serum early in the first trimester of pregnancy to determine if a baby ...
California considers DNA privacy law
California lawmakers are weighing a bill aimed at protecting their state's citizens from surreptitious genetic testing but scientists are voicing ...
Seeing color traced back to genetic mutations
Why do we see the colors we do? Some of it goes back to the types of color-absorbing pigments that ...
New approach to ‘spell checking’ gene sequences
A PhD student from CSIRO and the University of Queensland has found a better way to 'spell check' gene sequences ...
New drug shows we must overcome taboos about stem-cell research
I'll be the first to admit that stem-cell research, as we typically view it, troubles me in many ways. The ...
Slew of rare DNA changes following population explosion may hold clues to common diseases
"This is a dramatic example of how recent human history has profoundly shaped patterns of genetic variation," said Joshua Akey, ...
Rare DNA mutations raise questions about theories of disease
Rare DNA mutations are so plentiful in the human genome that they make it difficult to precisely identify the genetic ...
The influence of genes on psychological well-being
Genes play a greater role in forming character traits - such as self-control, decision making or sociability - than was ...
Do genes really augur your future?
For some people, genes are key to predicting our future health. For others, genes as crystal balls are overhyped. Let's ...
Men can rest easy – sex chromosomes are here to stay
The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), looked at how genes on sex-linked ...
By accident, scientists discover how commonest DNA replication error is corrected
Scientists have discovered the enzyme in our cells which corrects the most frequently occurring mistake in DNA as cells divide ...
Human or superhuman?
Human genetic engineering has always been the stuff of science-fiction novels and blockbuster Hollywood films. Except that it is no ...
Genes are overrated, genetics is underrated
A few days ago Nathaniel Comfort pointed me to this post, Genetic determinism round-up. If you are curious go read ...
Abrahamโs genetic threads- Jewish genes
From looking at these patterns of relatedness the authors infer that despite the genetic variation in the modern Jewry, most ...
Long-held genetic theory doesn’t quite make the grade, biologists find
New York University biologists have discovered new mechanisms that control how proteins are expressed in different regions of embryos, while ...
Study shows how mitochondrial genes are passed from mother to child
Research conducted at the Oregon National Primate Research Center at Oregon Health & Science University helps answer some long-standing questions ...
Gene therapy extends mouse lifespan by 24 %
Scientists have successfully extended the lifespan of mice using gene therapy, a strategy never before employed to combat aging. The ...
We’re all mutants now
The field of study called population genetics has played a critical role in the development of modern biology, helping unite ...
Environmental influence on epigenetics
It is called epigenetics. This is where at the microscopic level the genes should function normal but something in the ...
Wolf found in New Brunswick for first time in 150 years, testing confirms
Genetic testing has confirmed that an animal fatally shot last month by a hunter in northern New Brunswick was a ...
Going hostile with $2.6 billion Human Genome offer
GlaxoSmithKline will take its $2.6 billion bid for long-time partner Human Genome Sciences direct to shareholders this week, after its ...
Tilghman reflects on DNA study
A solution to the ethical dilemma of using human embryonic stem cells to treat human diseases could be staring us ...
Fighting breed-related diseases
The refinement of purebred dogs over the past four or five centuries has created interesting versions of Canis familiaris, such ...
Pluristem stem cells save girl’s life
Pluristem Therapeutics Ltd. (Nasdaq:PSTI; DAX: PJT: PLTR)has announced that a seven year-old girl suffering from an aplastic bone marrow whose ...
Should we outlaw genetic discrimination?
The late US law Professor Paul Miller reflected recently that Beethoven, Stephen Hawking and Elton John were examples of individuals ...
Genetics of homosexuality: โDonโt ask, donโt tell, donโt publishโ?
Critics of homosexuals portray it as a โdeviantโ lifestyle choice and a violation of Godโs will. Some religious conservatives argue ...
Genes & obesity
The latest Genomics & Health Impact Update has a primer on genetic links to obesityโa must read. It also links ...
