Biomedicine & Disease
What are the fixes if the world’s banana crops succumb to disease?
TR4 is the natural born killer of the banana world, capable of wiping out entire plantations within two to three ...
Genetically engineering humans for enlightenment?
Transhumanist David Pearce thinks the best way to create a better world is through genetic engineering to halt human and ...
Rare genetic disorder causes severe impairment in siblings, but also conveys super immunity
A brother and sister with an extremely rare genetic condition have a stunning ability to fight off viruses — an ...
Racial component to thyroid disease
Some diseases are more dominant in certain groups than others. Disorders of the thyroid may be among illnesses for which ...
Viral infections gave Strep bacteria killer genes
By examining decades' worth of stored bacteria samples, researchers have determined how a benign organism evolved into a deadly pathogen ...
Reverse engineered lung cells created
Consider the marvel of the embryo. It begins as a glob of identical cells that change shape and function as ...
Lab grown blood fit for human transfusion, a regenerative medicine first
“We have made red blood cells that are fit to go in a person’s body," says Marc Turner, medical director ...
Non-invasive prenatal testing a global reality, but what’s next?
Non-invasive prenatal testing offers benefits to the developing world. But without regulation and policy guidance, it's difficult to know how ...
Alzheimer’s gene risk varies by sex
Carrying a copy of the "Alzheimer's gene" doesn't significantly raise a man's risk of developing the disease. The gene does ...
Genetic engineering can save Mexico’s limes, but will we accept them?
If you are not a regular consumer of Mexican cuisine or gin and tonics, you may not have noticed that ...
Africa needs farming technologies to jumpstart Green Revolution
African governments need to invest in agricultural infrastructure and technology, and create a new Green Revolution for Africa ...
Clinician’s take on the promise of therapeutic CRISPR editing in humans
A powerful new genetics tool has the potential to correct human disease in a way that was unimaginable a few ...
DNA of cancer patients who exceptionally respond to drugs to become avenue for new treatments
The history of oncology is rife with reports of patients with advanced cancer who staged miraculous recoveries. Now scientists are ...
How much of our genome do we share with other organisms? Take this quiz.
Find out how much genetic material humans share with grapes, round worms and dogs ...
GE technology is necessary, not just for potato blight
UK’s leading Permaculture author Patrick Whitefield and SkeptEco blogger Graham Strouts recently exchanged a few tweets about genetically modifying potatoes ...
Inner life of your cells is controlled chaos
A new animated video sheds light on the jittery, jumbled inner lives of our cells. Carl Zimmer at the New ...
New gene target may be hope for obesity treatments
Many who struggle with their weight will often blame a “slow” metabolism – meaning their bodies do not burn calories ...
Pick the baby, then the mate?
A new computer technology allows potential parents to genetically screen sperm and egg donors for more than 600 conditions and ...
Publishing bird flu results remains controversial due to threat of biological weapon development
When does scientific research cause more harm than good? That question has been at the heart of controversy over what ...
Why embracing the “unnatural” can help us improve on—and preserve—nature
Can we improve on nature? Yes, argues agronomist Andrew McGuire, but he's only talking about farming. I take his argument ...
MRSA’s genetics affect how toxic it will be
The spread of the antibiotic-resistant pathogen MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) remains a concerning public health problem, especially among doctors trying ...
Embattled STAP stem cell researcher: I’m not guilty of miscounduct, technique works
Stem cell scientist Haruko Obokata -- recently accused by her employer, Japan's prestigious RIKEN institute, of research misconduct -- has ...
Confronting fear of genetic modification, a life-saving technology
GMO Skepti-Forum has begun featuring essays by readers on the GMO controversy. We’re going to be featuring some of them on the ...
Newborn genome sequencing: Would every newborn be a patient?
With cost and access decreasing, sequencing the genome of every child at birth could become part of standard newborn screenings ...
Stem cells may help treat stroke
Stem cells culled from bone marrow may prove beneficial in stroke recovery, scientists at UC Irvine’s Sue & Bill Gross ...
Schizophrenics age faster, genetics play a roll
For decades, evidence has suggested that people with schizophrenia have shortened lifespans. In the early twentieth century, doctors observed that ...
GM mosquitoes can control mosquito menace, if politics doesn’t block development
Mosquito-borne diseases kill millions of people annually, and cause suffering for many more. It takes only one bite from a disease-carrying ...
