Human Spotlight
DNA sequencing for mass data collection may lower consumer costs to zero
A well-organized, highly curated database of genetic data from millions of people is a potential goldmine for drug company researchers ...
Overcoming genetic risks with healthy lifestyle choices
It is often said in the context of lifestyle diseases that “genetics loads the gun, lifestyle pulls the trigger.” This ...
Why some Amish are genetically wired to live longer
Although known mainly for their adherence to an older, simpler way of life, some Amish folks also have a genetic ...
Building and coding your own video games with jellyfish DNA
[Engineer Helene Steiner] has developed a bio-pixel display that can play games such as Tetris, Snake or Pong using the ...
Gene drives: Nature editorial board calls out green groups for ‘unfair attempt to create damaging and polarizing spin’
[A]lthough it might not always be obvious, both critics and advocates of the technique — called a gene drive — tend to agree on ...
Skin color and ‘race’: Genetics reveal complicated relationship
For much of recorded history, skin color has been loaded with powerful social meaning. Skin color plays a major part ...
Could humans learn to love sex robots?
Kate Devlin says she does, occasionally, get a little weary of being pigeonholed as “that sex robot woman.” … “There’s ...
Should we accept the extinction of endangered species as just another part of evolution?
A recent opinion piece in the Washington Post from Dr. Robert Alexander Pyron has created quite the stir in the conservation and ...
DIY gene therapy? FDA is not a fan
A few biohackers (fans of do-it-yourself (DIY) science experiments) recently designed a gene therapy for HIV. Not only that, they posted a video ...
Era of unregulated stem cell therapies may be coming to an end
Is the Wild West of stem cell therapies coming to an end? Newly released guidelines from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) suggest ...
Exorbitant costs of gene therapy raise payment concerns for patients and government
[Editor's note: Executives from several companies developing gene therapies gathered for a panel discussion at the recent Forbes Healthcare Summit, ...
Viewpoint: Why using gene drives to eradicate pests might not be such a good idea
Using gene drives to eradicate pests has a potential downside—DNA is constantly changing. That means gene drives have the potential ...
Migraine relief: First drug in 20 years that can prevent and cut in half length of attacks
A new migraine drug that can halve the length of attacks has been hailed as “the start of real change” ...
Genetics and eating: Why diets don’t work the same for everyone
New research from scientists at Texas A&M University found that a standard diet doesn’t work for everyone, in a study ...
Neuron by neuron: We often examine the brain too closely to see the big picture
[Rafael Yuste thinks neuroscientists have been looking at the brain too close. “It’s just like a TV screen—if you’re watching ...
Surrogate granted limited parental visitation rights by UK court, rejecting genetic connection
In the surrogacy world, one of the worst case scenarios for intended parents is that the surrogate will change her ...
Reexamining common genetics lesson: At least 49 genes contribute to earlobe attachment
A common, hands-on method for teaching genetics in grade school encourages students to compare their earlobes with those of their ...
Genomics AI tool: Google’s DeepVariant released as open source
A novel artificial intelligence tool that can accurately call out variants in sequencing data was released as open source on the ...
Turning night owls into early birds? It may soon be possible
The discovery of a genetic mutation linked to night owl behavior raises the prospect of a drug treatment that would ...
Cuddling may change your baby’s epigenome, improve their immune system over the long term
The amount of close and comforting contact that young infants get doesn't just keep them warm, snug, and loved. A ...
Podcast: Who should have access to gene-editing tools?
Scientists and researchers from major labs are putting their minds and grant dollars into gene editing tools like CRISPR, which ...
‘Semi-synthetic’ organism expands DNA base alphabet
Every living thing on Earth stores the instructions for life as DNA, using the four genetic bases A, G, C, ...
Countering alarmist health reporting with scientific savvy
Without even thinking about it, the survival instinct is for ever on, which is why, says Brunel University’s James Carney, a ...
Uptown rats? Rodents in New York City have genetically adapted to different neighborhoods
As a whole, Manhattan’s rats are genetically most similar to those from Western Europe, especially Great Britain and France. They ...
Proof the yeti exists? DNA analysis shows bone ‘samples’ came from bears
In the fall of 2013, Charlotte Lindqvist got a call from a film company making an Animal Planet documentary about ...
How the brain resists when presented with scientific consensus on controversial issues
Why do people refuse to change their views when confronted with scientific consensus? Research is starting to show us how ...
Anatomy of the demon Demogorgon from ‘Stranger Things’: Is there a real-life counterpart?
The Demogorgon, a creature from the hit Netflix show 'Stranger Things', resembles real life cellular slime mold ...
Evolutionary tradeoffs: How DNA works so living things have a ‘competitive advantage’ to survive
Evolution is a game of trade-offs. Every trait an organism inherits may have benefits and drawbacks; what matters to natural ...
