Human Spotlight
Curing the disease known as aging
Is aging a process that we simply have to accept as a fact of life or is it something we ...
Gene therapy for baby born without immune system
Doctors re-engineered a girl's DNA using a ‘reprogrammed virus’ to splice in the vital gene she is missing into her ...
Spatial skills may be an early sign of creativity
A gift for spatial reasoning—the kind that may inspire a child to dismantle a clock—may be a greater predictor of ...
Is gene therapy coming of age?
Researchers are promising results from gene therapy trials for the treatment of two different rare diseases ...
Should we control sex to protect humanity’s future?
The more we know about the nature of reproduction, the more we can control it -- and our own future ...
Boston Strangler exhumation stirs DNA privacy concerns
Authorities surreptitiously collected DNA from the Boston Strangler's nephew and now intend to dig up the criminal's body to get ...
Myriad Genetics sues competitors for patent infringement
Myriad genetics is suing two competitors for infringing on patents not covered by the Supreme Court's ruling on human gene ...
UK joins project to make first synthetic eukaryote
UK researchers join a project to create the first synthetic eukaryote: designer yeast ...
Ancient bones’ DNA draws a direct line to people living today
A study of mitochondrial DNA reveals the long history of the Native American community in northern British Columbia, Canada ...
New genome sequencing technique produces its first genetically-screened IVF baby
The first IVF baby to screened using an inexpensive and fast genome sequencing procedure has been born in the US ...
Scientists watch DNA development in a growing brain
Researchers have used chemical tracking and genome sequencing to create a time-lapse map of human brains as they develop ...
The smallest bacterial genome, in context
Researchers find that a bacteria's tiny genome size is made possible only because its host's genetic code does some of ...
DNA screening is part of the new eugenics—and that’s okay
Modern genetic screening is not driven by a draconian desire to “improve” the species. This "new eugenics" is driven by ...
Pointing to breakthrough, human stem cells used to create tiny new livers
Organ transplant tissues created from stem cells have long been a medical hope. An international research team using human liver ...
Britain moves toward “three-parent” IVF babies
Three-parent IVF could head off inherited mitochondrial disease in babies in Britain ...
Genomic medicine for astronauts
Personalized genomics could be used to ensure that astronauts are in the best possible condition before they go into the ...
Neuroscience: Big promises, big problems
Neuroimaging is widely regarded as the key to understanding everything we do -- but is this wrong? ...
Glow-in-the-dark nightmares: Anti-synthetic biology campaigners play hysteria card
In the minds of those who fear synthetic biology, a project to create plants which naturally glow—what should be seen ...
The DNA data deluge
Computing, not sequencing, is now the limiting factor when it comes to genomics research ...
Ancient horse genome sequenced: Ancient humans next?
Researchers have assembled a draft of the genome of nearly 700,000-year-old horse. Can they do it for pre-neandertal humans? ...
The cancer genome in context: of mice and mutations
Researchers push the boundaries of cancer genomics--including making custom mouse models to develop personalized treatments ...
DNA folding patterns control gene expression
A decade after sequencing the human genome, it's time to tackle the folding of a human’s entire suite of DNA ...
Privacy and our genes: Is deCode’s DNA project ‘Big Brother’ or the gateway to a healthier future?
The massive collection of data that has resulted from genetic technology raising questions about who gets to control genetic information ...
Listening to the genome: music or noise?
How do we separate the signal from the noise in our "junk"-filled genomes? ...
The most detailed map of the human brain ever
A new 3D brain map called BigBrain is the most detailed ever constructed, with a resolution so high it can ...
Japan reconsiders chimeric experiments
Japan is considering relaxing restrictions on the production of chimeric animals for sake of trying to grow viable human organs ...
Be prepared for the big genome leak
The number of genomes in research databases is growing -- how long will it be before that information gets out? ...
