Biomedicine & Disease
Scientists find mechanism by which Parkinson’s mutation kills brain cells
The following is an excerpt. March 3, 2013— (Bronx, NY) — Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have ...
Five major mental disorders share genetic link
The following is an edited excerpt. The psychiatric illnesses seem very different — schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, autism, major depression and ...
The gene machine and me
The following is an edited excerpt. It’s a fresh April morning in 2012 when I head to Connecticut to see ...
Circular RNAs throw genetics for a loop
The following is an excerpt. Behold the latest curio in the cabinet of RNA oddities: naturally occurring circular RNA molecules ...
Five most common mental illnesses may share genetic root
The following is an excerpt. The biggest study yet into genetics and mental health has come up with a stunning ...
Louse genome offers insight into human migrations
The following is an excerpt. A new genetic analysis of human lice from across the world sheds light on the ...
Human Genome Project leader weighs in on Supreme Court gene patenting case
The following is an edited excerpt. Late last year, the nation’s highest court said it would consider a legal challenge ...
Myriad Genetics wins Australia bid to patent human genes
The following is an edited excerpt. Myriad Genetics Inc., owner of patents for genes linked to cancer risks, won an ...
UK’s sale of personal gene data condemned as ‘unethical and dangerous’
Critics say companies could acquire personal information that would identify patients without their consent ...
A Ugandan farmer’s diary: Biotechnology and the future of farming
The following is an excerpt. For years we have been waiting for a law governing the use of biotechnology products, ...
Can they patent your genes?
The following is an edited excerpt. Can genes be patented? This spring, the Supreme Court will hear a case that ...
Al Gore: Human biotech is a “driver of global change”
The following is an edited excerpt. Al Gore has recently released The Future: Six Drivers of Global Change. One of the ...
UK debate: Should private firms have access to genetic data?
The following is an excerpt. Private firms will soon be able to buy people's medical and genetic data without their ...
Scientists savage each other over ‘Junk DNA’ study while journalists mis-report the science
The "junk DNA isn't junk!" headline ran rampant earlier this year, in the wake of the ENCODE project publishing reams ...
The “BioPiracy” myth at the heart of the Monsanto case
Anti-GMO campaigners and some farmers claim that Monsanto and other corporations use their deep pockets and unfair patent laws to ...
Gene therapy shows early promise for heart failure
The following is an excerpt. THURSDAY, Feb. 21 (HealthDay News) -- When it comes to treating heart failure, the ultimate hope ...
Misguided nostalgia for our paleo past
The following is an edited excerpt. It's hard to escape the recurring conviction that somewhere, somehow, things have gone wrong ...
Testing everyone for everything: The problems with genetic screening
The following is an edited excerpt. New techniques of DNA sequencing make it possible to test a single sample to determine carrier ...
Farm virus ‘can infect wild animals’
The following is an excerpt. A livestock virus sweeping through British sheep flocks and cattle herds has infected wild deer, ...
Supreme Court to weigh-in on human gene patent law conundrum
The Court’s decision in Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics, which will be argued in April, may finally settle ...
Nutrigenomics: There is no universal healthy diet
The ubiquitous Food Pyramid (and newcomer MyPlate) offer the same dietary recommendations for everyone above two years of age, including ...
New guidelines on testing kids’ DNA
When and how should parents have their children genetically tested? Ricki Lewis gives a Cliff’s Notes version of the new ...
Telomeres predict susceptibility to the common cold
The following is an edited excerpt. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have identified a biological marker in the immune system ...
Celltex v. the FDA: Do patients have a right to use their own stem cells for unproven treatments?
By classifying stem cells as drugs, regulations from the FDA have prompted Celltex, a Texas-based company that stores and multiplies ...
Designing life: The ethics of engineering babies
The following is an excerpt. The increasing power and accessibility of genetic technology may one day give parents the option of modifying ...
Be skeptical of Washington’s Initiative 522 on GMO labeling
The following is an edited excerpt. Consumers absolutely have a right to know what they are eating is safe, but ...
DNA test for rare disorders becomes more routine
The following is an excerpt. A new kind of testing is proving particularly helpful in diagnosing mysterious neurological illnesses in ...
