Human Spotlight
Should hoarding of genetic info cause FDA to fear 23andMe?
The FDA recently demanded 23andMe stop selling its personal DNA test kits over concerns of its marketing strategy, but could ...
It may not be romantic, but genomics are part of the dating game now
Genetic testing is poised to play a big role reproduction planning and even romance. And that future might not be ...
The future of ancient DNA–Can we remake extinct species?
The study of ancient DNA has come a long way in recent years, forcing scientists to rethink much of human ...
Is the Food and Drug Administration killing personalized medicine?
The Food and Drug Administration's outdated regulatory requirements are choking pharmaceutical innovations in personal genomics and molecular medicine ...
Bio-artist uses bacteria and antibiotics to color textiles
Bio-artist Anna Dumitriu uses deadly bacteria, such as MRSA, and antibiotics to color textiles in an attempt to challenge the relationship ...
Researchers hammering away at a chink in HIV’s armor
HIV evades the immune system by use of a protein coat. Now researchers have shown that the coat can be ...
FDA action against 23andMe reveals importance of communication in regulatory process
The FDA’s halt of 23andMe’s DNA test kits has raised ethical and legal questions. But as new details emerge, it ...
Texas School Board beats back anti-evolution proponents in approving new science textbooks
The Texas State Board of Education has voted to adopt high school textbooks including accurate instruction on evolution and climate ...
FDA halt of 23andMe test kit could stall progress in personal genomics
This week, the FDA ordered genetic testing company 23andMe to stop selling its personalized DNA test kits. How will this ...
New, fast sequencing process uses online databases to ID new viruses
It can take weeks or months to identify a new virus, but only days for one to kill, so researchers ...
First Americans were Europeans. Sort of. It’s complicated.
Native Americans, who have a significant amount of East Asian genes, are thought to have first traveled to America from ...
Project that resurrected extinct frog one of 2013’s “best inventions”
Time magazine named the Lazarus project--a project that created an embryo of an extinct frog species from non-living genetic material--one ...
Could humans communicate with dolphins in the near future?
Animal researchers are working on a project that would allow humans to communicate with free-swimming dolphins in real time ...
Is the ‘designer baby’ debate more about gene patentability?
The controversial "designer baby" debate speaks to the larger issues about patent eligibility and the patent application process, according to ...
Battle developing over GM insects poised to fight olive pests
Scientists are developing GM insects to combat diseases and pests, but face opposition from anti-biotech organizations. If a field trial ...
Old age is programmed in human embryos
Researchers found senescent cells--normally associated with old and damaged tissue--in embryos. Now, they suspect senescence plays a role in differentiating ...
Scientists grow ‘mini-kidneys’ from human stem cells
For the first time ever, researchers have grown cell structures similar to adult kidney cells. The research could open doors ...
Genetics pioneer and Nobel winner Frederick Sanger dies
Biochemist and Nobel laureate Frederick Sanger died at age 95 on November 19th. His work created the basic tool kit ...
Life in genetic limbo: You’ve got the gene but, so far, no disorder
Genetic testing is teaching some people they have the genetic markers of disease, but no symptoms yet. Neither patients nor ...
Can organisms evolve the ability to evolve?
A new study finds that bacteria, like the species that spreads lyme disease, may have evolved the ability to evolve ...
Genetics of the human gut microbiome might be the next big thing
Even genetically similar individuals play host to vastly different communities of gut bacteria, a study says--a reminder of how little ...
Scientists demonstrate creativity of natural selection with E. coli research
Biologists at Michigan State University have frozen 50,000 generations of E. coli over the past 25 years to demonstrate Darwin’s ...
The first GMO (Hint: Human’s best friend)
Are dogs the earliest examples of GMOs? While the conventional definition of a genetically modified organism is the lab insertion ...
Drug trial, dubbed ‘Master Protocol,’ uses tumor genomics to customize treatments
According to a new article, the future of cancer drug research may lie in drug trials that are based on ...
Telomeres lengthened by weight-loss surgery
Researchers have found that gastric bypass surgery, which can assist in weight loss, may also lengthen telomeres and, as a ...
Open-access genome project lands in UK
The open-access genome project in the UK, led by Genomics England, has a lot in common with the Personal Genome ...
Are Republicans really anti-science?
For years, the Republicans have been labeled the "anti-science" party. But, a new article explores and challenges the basis for ...
