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Preventing preterm birth: Preemie genes identified

Ricki Lewis | 
A global team of researchers has zeroed in on genes that affect the length of pregnancy and may foretell elevated ...
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Are sperm counts declining? What’s the role of ‘endocrine disruptors’?

Geoffrey Kabat | 
The science community is divided over whether reports of declining sperm counts in men is actually occurring. One explanation--exposure to ...
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Genetic testing lags for mental illness, forcing parents to seek answers online

Andrew Porterfield | 
Genetic counseling for potential mental illness in children should be just as responsive as counseling for "physical" disease. Right now, ...
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How to argue evolution with creationists

Paul Braterman | 
Creationists and scientists have separate definitions for the word "theory." Getting caught up in arguments about the word's meaning is ...
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‘Genome cloaking’ and the quest to keep DNA test results private

Ricki Lewis | 
Stanford University researchers have developed a tool to keep individual genetic information private, reducing the risk of discrimination by employers ...
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Obsessive-compulsive disorder in dogs: What can we learn about ourselves?

Shayla Love | 
Canine compulsive disorder, like the version that afflicts humans, can take over the animal's eating, sleeping and basic functions. In ...
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Unraveling the paradox: Why GMO drugs and GMO foods are treated differently by critics

Ben Locwin | 
Many of the people who express outrage over genetic modification of crops because it 'tinkers with nature' are supportive of ...
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Crippling costs blunt potential of drugs harvested from living cells

Ian Haydon | 
Biologics are drugs grown in living cells, rather than produced through chemical reactions. They can be incredibly effective, but are ...
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Does the ‘Nordic diet’ reduce stroke risk? Maybe, maybe not

Ben Locwin | 
Study gives teeth to claims that the Nordic diet--which limits foods to what people in Denmark, Sweden and other northern ...
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Yoga may be good for your mind, body–but what about your genes?

Kristen Hovet | 
Research suggests that yoga, and similar mindfullness-focused activities, may foster genetic changes that help people cope with stress and avoid ...
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Could a Planet of the (Talking) Apes ever really evolve?

Ricki Lewis | 
War for the Planet of the Apes is the latest entry in the 50-year old franchise. A scientist asks: do ...
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Can we trust the eyes of those who witness crimes?

Andrew Porterfield | 
The credibility of eyewitness accounts has taken some hits from DNA evidence-based refutation of trial testimony. But there's more here ...
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It’s time to talk about the ethics of CRISPR-edited human embryos

Jessica Berg | 
With groundbreaking human gene editing research moving forward, and human enhancement becoming a reality, decisions need to be made about ...
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Micro RNA: Genetic suppression might control insect-borne diseases and limit pesticide use

Richard Levine | 
New methods of controlling mosquitos without chemicals include releasing sterile males, spreading confusing pheromones and, most recently, disrupting egg development ...
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Three-person IVF as an infertility solution has a long way to go

Meredith Knight | 
The procedure is typically targeted at parents who want to avoid passing a potentially fatal mitochondrial disease to their child ...
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Could gene editing have saved Charlie Gard?

Ricki Lewis | 
The British infant died of a mitochondrial disease as news broke that US scientists had successfully edited a human embryo ...
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Sports and war: With concussions, there’s little difference between football, fighting

Ben Locwin | 
Evidence suggests "early aging" in the brains of troops is a result of experiencing bomb blasts. It may be similar ...
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CRISPR revolution: How scientists are turning gene-editing hype into food and medical breakthroughs

Ian Haydon | 
The powerful gene-editing tool is becoming ubiquitous, appearing in the media with ever increasing frequency. But it's more than just ...
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Have the BRCA mutation? Debating a precautionary mastectomy? Your genes may provide a guide

Jennifer Cable | 
A new study offers a better understanding of the risks, by age, associated with the BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations. It ...
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Pioneering gene therapy restores vision to people with rare retinal blindness

Kathrine High, Ricki Lewis | 
Spark Therapeutics is moving forward with its treatment for a type of inherited retinal dystrophy. In the wake of the ...
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The obesity paradox: Why being fit may be more important than losing weight

Ben Locwin | 
Instead of focusing purely on weight, a better approach is one that also considers a person's physical fitness when assessing ...
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How can the human race survive? By overcoming biological urge to procreate

John Baird | 
Physicist Stephen Hawking adds to a growing chorus of catastrophists in claiming that humans could face extinction in the next ...
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Designer babies? US scientists swap DNA in embryos, replacing mutation that causes heart problems

Ricki Lewis | 
The breakthrough procedure might better be called 'gene correction' rather than gene editing. It could revolutionize genetic disease treatments, but ...
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‘We are all mutants’: Why genetic testing struggles to provide answers

Carrie Arnold | 
Genetic tests often can help us diagnose disorders and determine risk factors for disease. But uncertainties surrounding genetic mutations makes ...
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Are our views on religion, astrology and new-age beliefs hardwired?

David Warmflash | 
Our beliefs, including irrational ones such as an embrace of pseudoscience and 'fake news', have been shown to be somewhat ...
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Isolated influenza mutations may help predict future global flu trends

Jesse Bloom, Katherine Xue | 
A study of flu evolution in four patients with long-term infections revealed mutations that later appeared, independently, around the world ...
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How facial recognition software may help identify genetic disorders

David Warmflash | 
The technology might help in diagnosing rare genetic disorders. But the depiction of its promises and challenges by the media ...
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