Health & Medicine
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.
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 ...
Viewpoint: After Christopher Wild departure, next IARC chief must fix ‘beleaguered’ agency
With the sudden departure of IARC head Christopher Wild, here's a wish list put together by David Zaruk, who offers ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
Food fears: How anti-science myths—like ‘clean eating’ and GMO health risks—make eaters anxious
We talk about food in the negative: What we shouldn’t eat, what we’ll regret later, what’s evil, dangerously tempting, unhealthy ...
‘Science Moms’ documentary counters anti-GMO, anti-vaccine misinformation
In an era of fear-based marketing targeted to parents, one group of moms hopes to launch a movement of science-minded ...
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 ...
EU farmers union: Glyphosate herbicide renewal dispute ‘undermines’ Europe’s scientific credibility
EU farmers’ union Copa-Cogeca has rejected the Commission’s revised proposal for a five year re-authorisation of glyphosate, claiming that such ...
How the ‘Dunning-Kruger’ effect explains public’s anti-GMO views
[A] new study from Carnegie Mellon University has provided key information on what factors influence public acceptance of GMOs and ...
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 ...
USDA scraps overhaul of GMO and gene edited crop regulations that biotech advocates viewed as ‘unscientific’
The Trump administration withdrew a proposed USDA rule change made by the Obama administration that would have been the first ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
What’s the excitement over gene therapy?
Gene therapy has been in the news a lot of late as a potential cure for a variety of genetic ...
GMO canola high in omega-3 oils up for regulatory approval in Australia
The first genetically modified canola with health benefits is being scrutinised by [Australia's] Office of the Gene Technology Regulator. The ...
‘Young blood’ infusions may boost cognitive abilities of Alzheimer’s patients
The first controlled, but controversial and small, clinical trial of giving young blood to people with dementia has reported that ...
How do you define ‘species’? Turns out, it’s not so easy
At first glance, “species” is a basic vocabulary word school children can ace on a test by reciting something close ...
Natural insecticide created with spider venom and genetically modified yeast
Scientists have noticed the powerful punch some spider venoms pack, and have started looking to them for inspiration for all kinds ...
Viewpoint: Challenges to glyphosate, neonic safety shows science under attack from ‘viral misinformation’
The news of scientific prejudice [in the decision by IARC stating that glyphosate was a likely carcinogen, on top of ...
EU glyphosate herbicide ban would make weed control harder for French winegrowers
Bad weather this year has already prompted a steep drop in French wine output, contributing to a 50-year low in global ...
Closing gap between rich and poor farmers: CRISPR gene editing targets disease, pests and climate
Gene editing technology could revolutionize the way scientists breed high-yielding drought, disease and pest resistant, quality plant seeds, greatly reducing ...
