Human Spotlight
Can’t get motivated? You may be able to blame your genes
Being apathetic may feel like following the path of least resistance. But studies of apathy in the brain show otherwise ...
Alcohol addiction: Can we blame our ancient ancestors?
[M]illions of years ago, being able to consume alcohol was likely vital to survival: our ancestors evolved to metabolize booze right around ...
‘Kelp highway’–not a land bridge–likely brought first humans to the Americas
For decades, students were taught that the first people in the Americas were a group called the Clovis who walked ...
Microsoft’s foray into the quest to cure cancer
As Digital Journal has recently reported Microsoft has recently launched Healthcare NeXT, which is a cloud-based, artificial intelligence and research project ...
Getting behind the genetics of high-altitude adjustments
People who both travel to and live at high altitudes typically cope with lower oxygen levels by increasing red blood ...
Epigenetics and addiction: Enzyme could help treat cocaine, alcohol and opioid dependence
Previously, it had been studied that an epigenetic drug could alter DNA methylation in the brain during drug withdrawal with hopes in ...
Video: Combating aging in our lifetime
[A] new video from Kurzgesagt presents several technologies close to completion that could make a big impact on how we ...
CRISPR at home: Is it really that easy to hack DNA?
I am not a DIY scientist, much less a professional scientist. You won’t find me swabbing my cheek cells for ...
NASA Twins Study finds thousands of epigenetic changes in astronaut Scott Kelly
When astronaut Scott Kelly returned to Earth after a year floating about the International Space Station, he was noticeably different from his ...
Viewpoint: It’s time to stop drawing links between mercury and autism
[Editor's note: Emily Willingham is a science writer and co-author of The Informed Parent: A Science-Based Resource for Your Child's First Four ...
Mars conundrum: How do we explore without contaminating the Red Planet?
Space exploration experts worry over what will happen if a human expedition introduces Earth's microbes to Mars. Are those concerns ...
Will we learn anything from the brain of Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock?
The brain that sat in the skull of the Las Vegas shooter [Stephen Paddock] as he planned out his attack, ...
Warm thoughts? Treating depression with whole body hyperthermia
[Editor's note: David Haggerty is a neuroscience graduate student at the Indiana University School of Medicine.] A collaborative effort, led ...
Gene therapy creates boy’s replacement skin from his stem cells
Doctors treated a 7-year-old boy’s devastating genetic skin disease—junctional epidermolysis bullosa—by genetically modifying his stem cells to create a new ...
Targeting RNA with CRISPR could reverse half of known pathogenic point mutations
The scope of CRISPR-based research has […] expanded because of the introduction of two new concepts. First, researchers began to ...
Immortal dictators: Is there a downside to life-extending technologies?
Suppose there was a country ruled by an evil dictator. Further, suppose the entire world was plagued by a terrible ...
Bacteria-armed mosquitos approved for US release in fight against Zika, dengue and yellow fever
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved the use of a common bacterium to kill wild mosquitoes that transmit ...
Artificial intelligence fears could lead to over-regulation
[A]s we begin to realise [artificial intelligence] opportunities, the potential risks increase: that AI will proliferate, uncontrolled and unregulated, in ...
Could Alzheimer’s originate outside the brain?
We associate Alzheimer’s with physical deterioration in the brain, but new research shows the nerve damage responsible for Alzheimer’s onset ...
Combatants prepping for next skirmish in battle over CRISPR patents
The long-running battle over US patents for CRISPR–Cas9 gene editing continues. On 25 October, the Broad Institute of Cambridge, Massachusetts, filed ...
Viewpoint: ‘Gattaca’ reminds us that gene editing has dark possibilities
[Editor's note: Osagie Obasogie is a professor of bioethics at the University of California-Berkeley.] Set in the not-too-distant future, the ...
Brain studies weakened by lack of diversity in participants
[S]ocial sciences [tend] to focus on people from WEIRD societies—that is, Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic. The results of such studies ...
Ancient viruses have become a permanent part of our genes
Transposons, also called transposable elements, are ancient viruses that have become a permanent part of our genes. Around half of ...
Neurologic disorders may be linked to brain’s immune system
New research suggests there could be a link between certain disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, and the brain's inability to clear ...
Mars missions: What would long-term space travel do to the brain?
In a NASA-funded study published on [November 1], Dr. Donna Roberts of the Medical University of South Carolina and her ...
Video: Exploring the possibilities offered by CRISPR gene editing
The CRISPR-Cas9 system has revolutionised gene-editing, but cutting DNA isn’t all it can do. From turning gene expression on and ...
Two of a kind? Twins offer unique glimpse into human development
In the world of genetics, identical twins offer a valuable source for study. And they've shown that our genetic makeup ...
