genetic screening could save lives

HeridiGene: How the world’s largest DNA-mapping study is saving lives

The world’s largest initiative to map the DNA of an entire population will benefit patients for years to come, but ...
Groove to the music? A ‘rhythm gene’ might help set the limits of your dancing skills

Groove to the music? A ‘rhythm gene’ might help set the limits of your dancing skills

Vanderbilt University | 
The first large-scale genomic study of musicality — published on the cover of September 19 Nature Human Behaviour — identified ...
Australia’s plan to become first country to offer preventive disease gene screening is under microscope

Australia’s plan to become first country to offer preventive disease gene screening is under microscope

Sophie Black | 
Last month, Monash University launched DNA Screen, offering 10,000 people aged 18 to 40 “secure, free DNA testing to identify ...
Children of parents who live to be over 100 years old inherit survival advantages

Children of parents who live to be over 100 years old inherit survival advantages

Children of centenarians have a unique genetic profile that may account for why they are less frail than children of ...
germs

How germs and ancient migrations help explain our world of ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’

Patrick Whittle | 
The Gökhem graves provide hard evidence for the ancient community's demise: genetic traces of the plague bacterium, Yersinia pestis ...
Trouble finding an antidepressant that works? A personalized genetic test could help

Trouble finding an antidepressant that works? A personalized genetic test could help

According to recent research conducted by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, pharmacogenomic testing may assist doctors in avoiding prescription ...
Did you follow COVID lockdown rules? Whether or not you did is partially driven by your DNA

Did you follow COVID lockdown rules? Whether or not you did is partially driven by your DNA

All over the world, people suffered the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on their wellbeing. However, the impact was not ...
Deep voice, height, testosterone levels, angular face, finger digit ratio, muscularity: Which male trait best predicts finding a partner and having children?

Deep voice, height, testosterone levels, angular face, finger digit ratio, muscularity: Which male trait best predicts finding a partner and having children?

Ross Pomeroy | 
In a massive meta-analysis that was years in the making, psychologists from the University of Durham and the University of ...
Hate mosquitoes? Afraid of heights? Here is how to tailor your summer travels to your DNA

Hate mosquitoes? Afraid of heights? Here is how to tailor your summer travels to your DNA

If you seem to have more itchy red welts on your ankles than the people around you, your DNA may ...
A map of the human genome shows the function of every gene we know so far

A map of the human genome shows the function of every gene we know so far

Eva Frederick | 
The Human Genome Project was an ambitious initiative to sequence every piece of human DNA.... Now, over two decades later, ...
Viewpoint: DNA diets—Can knowing your genes help you nutritionally optimize your meal choices?

Viewpoint: DNA diets—Can knowing your genes help you nutritionally optimize your meal choices?

Harriet Hall | 
Recently several companies have been offering to examine your genome and figure out what you should eat based on your ...
spit

Did you get a DNA ancestry kit for Father’s Day? Here are some things to consider before spitting in that vial

Ricki Lewis | 
The media tales of familial surprises are the tip of an iceberg ...
Viewpoint: ‘Misuse, theft and discrimination’ — Here’s why it’s essential to keep your DNA data safe and private

Viewpoint: ‘Misuse, theft and discrimination’ — Here’s why it’s essential to keep your DNA data safe and private

Kris Vette | 
Incredibly, by 2025, 60 million people in the United States alone will have had their DNA sequenced and analysed for ...
Can you groove to the beat — or are you an awkward dancer? It may be in your genes

Can you groove to the beat — or are you an awkward dancer? It may be in your genes

Moving in time to musical rhythm is so automatic that people are often not conscious of the exquisite coordination that ...
‘Predicting the perfect embryo’? Another startup claims to help parents choose their ‘ideal’, disease-free baby. Does it work and what are the concerns?

‘Predicting the perfect embryo’? Another startup claims to help parents choose their ‘ideal’, disease-free baby. Does it work and what are the concerns?

Teresa Carey | 
Of course, [Rafal] Smigrodzki thinks his baby is special — most parents do. But Aurea is indeed unique. She was ...
One in 500 men have an extra sex chromosome. What does that mean and what are the signs?

One in 500 men have an extra sex chromosome. What does that mean and what are the signs?

Ian Sample | 
Twice as many men carry an extra sex chromosome as previously thought, according to researchers who called for more genetic ...
COVID risk genes: 1370 gene variants predispose people to severe virus and even death

COVID risk genes: 1370 gene variants predispose people to severe virus and even death

Researchers from the University of Sheffield and Stanford University in the US have discovered there are specific genetic signals in ...
DNA embryo screening: Huge gap between science behind polygenic scoring and parental desires to pick the ‘perfect kid’

DNA embryo screening: Huge gap between science behind polygenic scoring and parental desires to pick the ‘perfect kid’

Carey Goldberg | 
One challenge with leading killers like cancer and heart disease is that they’re usually polygenic: linked to many different genes ...
Genetic genie is out of the bottle: Distant relatives you don’t know likely have had their DNA mapped, so your lineage is circulating somewhere

Genetic genie is out of the bottle: Distant relatives you don’t know likely have had their DNA mapped, so your lineage is circulating somewhere

Josh Zumbrun | 
It is far too late to completely protect your genetic privacy via personal abstention. A brief exploration into the mathematics ...
Agriculture originated in the Middle East's Fertile Crecent. Who were the world's first farmers? 

Agriculture originated in the Middle East’s Fertile Crecent. Who were the world’s first farmers? 

The first signs of agriculture and a sedentary lifestyle are found in the so-called ‘Fertile Crescent’, a region in the ...
Race-based medical differences: Alzheimer’s blood tests designed for white patients less accurate on blacks

Race-based medical differences: Alzheimer’s blood tests designed for white patients less accurate on blacks

Shahla Farzan | 
Several blood tests used to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease are less accurate for African Americans than white patients, according to research ...
Precision medicine genomic testing is changing the way we treat leukemia and reducing reliance on chemotherapy

Precision medicine genomic testing is changing the way we treat leukemia and reducing reliance on chemotherapy

James McCloskey | 
For decades, until the turn of this century, treatment strategies for leukemia changed very little. Patients received chemotherapy, often with ...
South Korean twins separated early in life suggest environment may play larger role in human differences than previously thought

South Korean twins separated early in life suggest environment may play larger role in human differences than previously thought

David Nield | 
Researchers have taken advantage of a rare opportunity to study identical (aka monozygotic) twins who were separated early in life, ...
artificial womb

Artificial wombs: The coming era of motherless births?

David Warmflash | 
Scientifically, it’s called ectogenesis, a term coined by J.B.S. Haldane in 1924. The technology is on its way. How will ...
Some heavy smokers will never get cancer. Here’s why

Some heavy smokers will never get cancer. Here’s why

Cigarette smoking is overwhelmingly the main cause of lung cancer, yet only a minority of smokers develop the disease. A ...
Nutrigenomics: Can what you eat reprogram your genes?

Nutrigenomics: Can what you eat reprogram your genes?

Monica Dus | 
People typically think of food as calories, energy and sustenance. However, the latest evidence suggests that food also “talks” to ...
Short sleepers: This genetic mutation allows some people to thrive on as little as 4 hours a night

Short sleepers: This genetic mutation allows some people to thrive on as little as 4 hours a night

Ross Pomeroy | 
Too many Americans are sleep-deprived. Although the overwhelming majority of adults needs at least seven hours of sleep per night, ...
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