Human Spotlight
Military blood serum bank advances research, raises privacy concerns
The US Department of Defense's huge blood serum bank is great for scientific research, but not all donors know they're ...
Petition to condemn Golden Rice vandalism gains support from scientific community
An online petition to condemn the activists who destroyed a Golden Rice field trial has gained 1500 signatures in just ...
Non-Jews hit by ‘Jewish’ diseases fall through the cracks of genetic screening
Today, the vast majority of babies born with Tay-Sachs disease are not Jewish. Why aren't non-jews getting prenatal screening? ...
Programming language based on the human brain
IBM has developed a new programming architecture based on the language of the human brain, taking us one step closer ...
NYTimes’ “Autism’s Unexpected Link to Cancer Gene”: an old story, made murky
It’s not news that disrupting a gene for tumor-suppressing proteins can result in non-cancer effects on many body systems, including ...
Why is Myriad still filing patent suits for breast-cancer tests after SCOTUS rebuke?
Science is complicated, and the US Supreme Court ruled narrowly on the Myriad case: Now lawsuits are flying ...
Ethical dilemma surrounds genetic tinkering with bird flu
Researchers have outlined plans to genetically experiment with the H9N7 bird flu to test how it might develop human-to-human transmission ...
Astronaut twin study could reveal genetics of space health
NASA's Identical twin astronauts are splitting up to help scientists understand genetics of space health problems ...
Kickstarter bans GMO handouts, giving way to anti-synthetic bio campaigns
In response to increasing anti-GMO pressure, Kickstarter bans rewarding GMOs for donations to fund hobbyist synthetic biologists. Future entrepreneurs will ...
Are genetic differences at the root of the Tutsi-Hutu Rwandan conflict?
Is there a genetic difference between the Hutu and Tutsi groups in Rwanda? To understand the horrific genocide in Rwanda ...
Jurassic Park and the race for ancient DNA
In the 1990's rush to find ancient DNA (aDNA) trapped in amber, palaeontologists destroyed priceless fossils ...
Science as social control: money, politics, and genetics research
The search for genetic predispositions is part of a longterm corporate and political effort to sway public opinion ...
Mammoth cloning: Big animal, big ethical concerns
Theoretically, mammoths could be cloned by recovering, reconstructing or synthesizing viable mammoth DNA but some object to “deep” human intervention ...
Smithsonian’s genetics exhibit inspires mixed review
Smithsonian's new exhibit explains how the human genome relates to health, medicine and ethics, but not really how it works ...
Literal gene-ius: The search for a genetic basis of intelligence
Barely out of his teens, Chinese prodigy Zhao Bowen is leading a multimillion-dollar research effort to solve a genetic mystery: ...
Single genetic glitch may explain most allergies and asthma
Researchers think there may be a common genetic driver behind almost all allergic diseases ...
‘Three-parent’ embryos: US should follow UK’s example and prepare for approval
The UK recently announced plans to approve "three parent" IVF techniques and both the United States and European Union should ...
Genetic exceptionalism and privacy
Despite privacy fears, genetic information may be less damaging than other forms of personal medical data ...
Egg donation: Some ‘progressives’ say women shouldn’t control own bodies
When stem cell research and egg donation are the issue, some of the same diehard advocates of women’s rights invoke ...
Would Rosalind Franklin have won a Nobel for her work on viruses?
Best known for her part in discovering the structure of DNA, Franklin also discovered the structure of viruses ...
James Watson weighs in against Myriad in gene patent debate
Last month, co-discoverer of DNA, James Watson, took a break making controversial remarks to file an amicus brief in the ...
Genetic descrimination claims on the rise
New lawsuits mark stepped up enforcement of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act. How are employers adapting? ...
DNA superstorage: Apocalypse-proofing the world’s data
In terms of information density, DNA outclasses anything we’ve been able to invent. Two scientists think all the world's information ...
Scientist create stem cells without genetic manipulation
Scientists demonstrate a new way to reprogram adult tissue to become cells like embryonic stem cells, without using genes ...
X chromosome may control male fertility
Researchers have found that the X (i.e."female") chromosome contains scores of genes that define male-only traits ...
How much does genetics dictate your mood and mindset?
Optimism and pessimism are not purely genetic: we have some control over our perception of the world ...
Shutting down the extra chromosome in Down’s syndrome
Researchers have shut down the third, extra, Down's-syndrome-causing copy of the 21st chromosome in human cells ...