Health
Through the study and use of genetics, we can identify measures that could lead to the improvement of human health and wellness. These methods and procedures aim to prevent years of chronic disease and thousands of dollars in health care costs, and provide families and communities with knowledge of how to live healthier.
Below is the complete archive of related articles sorted by date.
GMO ban in Chinese province highlights major difference between public and government on biotech crops
Heilongjiang province, the bread basket of north-east China, has banned the planting of genetically modified (GM) crops – the country’s first ...
New GMO corn study: ‘Transgenic maize is as safe and nutritious as conventional non-transgenic maize’
[Editor's note: Researchers studied the impact of GMO corn on rats in a 90-day feed study. For background on GMO safety ...
Infographic: 5 popular foods genetically modified by humans–before GMOs
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to eat a completely "natural" diet? Well, for starters, you wouldn't ...
Review of neonicotinoids’ effects on human health finds few studies, ‘methodologically weak findings’
Prior to 2000, neonicotinoid chemicals were virtually unknown, by farmers or anyone else. They have since become the most widely ...
14 new childhood developmental disorders identified
The largest-ever genetic study of children with previously undiagnosed rare developmental disorders has discovered 14 new developmental disorders...[T]he research led ...
Hype versus hope: Deciphering news about stem cell breakthroughs
For many people suffering from disabling conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease, spinal injury and paralysis, heart disease, and even cancer, ...
Video: Here’s how RNA interference works
RNA interference (RNAi) is a crucial process necessary for the regulation of gene activity. In essence, RNAi can silence specific ...
Resurgence in ‘mad cow disease’? Recent death sparks focus on mystery prion protein
The original wave of mad cow only infected a limited number of people with a very specific genetic signature. Can ...
Random acts of kindness may be fueled by microbes
Why do people commonly go out of their way to do something nice for another person...and how could such altruistic ...
Unraveling science mystery of how smoking causes lung cancer: It’s the basal stem cells
Years of painstaking tissue analysis have lead researchers to basal stem cells as the likely culprits that trigger a major ...
Too tall or too short? There could be 83 genetic reasons for it
Researchers have pinpointed 83 rare genetic variants that may directly affect a person’s height. These variants...don’t occur very often, but ...
How to stem farmer suicides in India? Help farmers expand farm size
Editor's note: GMO critics, most notably philosopher Vandana Shiva (Read her GLP profile here), have long contended that the introduction of Bt ...
Friends of the Earth activist campaigner calls for increased regulation of ‘GMO 2.0’ gene edited food
Editor's note: Dana Perls is the senior food and technology campaigner for Friends of the Earth, you can read GLP's profile ...
Epigenetics Around the Web: The dangers of romance?
Epigenetics Around the Web is a weekly roundup of studies and news in the field of epigenetics presented by GLP ...
UK votes support for first GMO crop since 1998, breaking with EU
A UK vote to approve EU proposals to authorise the first new GM crops for cultivation since 1998 suggests the ...
Cheaper blue jeans that are better for the environment? Genetic engineering can make it happen
Editor's note: This piece is written by Dr. Miller, a physician and molecular biologist, who was the founding director of the ...
How will CRISPR, gene editing be regulated?
[Editor's note: University of Virginia professor Randall Lutter talks about CRISPR and its regulation.] Now a member of the faculty at UVA’s ...
Tom Brady, ‘super human’? How genetics may contribute to his success
[NFL quarterback Tom Brady's] age-39 season was statistically among the best of his 17-year career with the New England Patriots...What’s ...
Why some autistic people can tolerate severe pain? Gene mice studies yielding answers
The gene SHANK3, a leading candidate for autism risk, helps sensory neurons respond to pain, according to a study in mice ...
Wisconsin farm couple to Rachel Ray: Stop spreading pseudo-science about antibiotics in milk
Scientists are increasingly alarmed about the junk science passed along in America's talk shows. Here, a celebrity nutritionist, encouraged by ...
Collateral damage from Trump’s family planning aid ban? What it means in fight against thalassemia blood diseases
Reversal of current US policy that provides aid for countries around the world for family planning, including abortion counseling, could ...
Regrowing heart muscles without cancer risk, using synthetic stem cells
A new revolutionary stem cell technique is being used to treat those suffering from damaged muscles without the cancer risk ...
Disease risks as we age may be tied to size of our chromosome telomere ‘caps’
People who had more infections as babies harbor a key marker of cellular aging as young adults, report researchers. The ...
How evolution is dampening disease-fighting effectiveness of gene drives
[Gene drives] can quickly disseminate genetic modifications in wild populations through an organism’s offspring, prompting some activists to call for ...
Two baby girls with leukemia ‘cured’ using gene-editing therapy
Two children treated with gene-edited cells to kill their cancers are both doing well more than a year later. The ...
Leading plant scientist says he’s skipping Science March on Washington: Here’s why
[Editor's note: Kevin Folta, a molecular biologist and chairman of the Horticultural Sciences Department at the University of Florida, offers ...
WHO’s much-criticized agency IARC’s quizzical flip flop on whether coffee poses cancer hazard
For decades, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) warned coffee drinkers that their favorite beverage might cause cancer ...
