Health & Medicine
Genetic testing pitfall: Major genetic company missed 50,000 cancer screenings
As fun as it is to find out where your great-great-great grandparents came from, the real promise of genetic testing ...
23andMe chasing Parkinson’s clues through genomic data mining
In 2015, 23andMe began inking lucrative research agreements with pharma giants like Genentech and Pfizer, in addition to launching its own R&D ...
Why is type 2 diabetes difficult to diagnose in African Americans?
One of the tests used to diagnose type 2 diabetes and monitor blood sugar control is influenced by 60 genetic ...
Why do gene therapy treatments cost so much?
The first gene therapy treatment in the United States was approved recently by the Food and Drug Administration, heralding a new ...
Genetics and obesity: Expanding waistlines can’t be blamed on poor lifestyle choices alone
The sources of obesity look more biological, and less psychological, which opens new avenues toward addressing the crisis. Finding answers ...
How genes influence mouth bacteria and tooth decay
The composition of our oral bacteria when we are very young is predominantly influenced by our genetic background. But as ...
Tiny genetic alteration linked to devastatingly large brain size
An international collaboration led by scientists and doctors from the UK, Netherlands and United States has identified a new genetic ...
Genes suggest who is most likely to get tuberculosis
Tuberculosis is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In 2016, this was the most common causative pathogen for death by infectious diseases. Therefore, ...
Diabetes and heart disease share common genetic links
Scientists out of the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Medicine say that they’ve uncovered 16 new genetic risk factors for ...
Will the public embrace CRISPR to ‘edit out’ birth defects as it has other reproductive technologies?
As CRISPR becomes more widespread, will the public accept gene-edited alterations in the same way we embraced in vitro fertilization? ...
Public education about QR codes important to success of proposed federal GMO label, study finds
The study, the release of which was the subject of a now-moot lawsuit from the Center for Food Safety last ...
Evidence confirms likely link between regular exercise and reduced cancer risk
Researchers have long recognized an epidemiological link between exercise and a lower risk of certain cancers, including breast cancer. But ...
Viewpoint: Organic industry misleads consumers with fear, unethical sales tactics
[Editor’s note: Michelle Miller, the "Farm Babe", is an Iowa-based farmer, public speaker and writer.] While acting like the “little guy” ...
Italy’s GMO corn ban unlawful, European Union court rules
The European Union court ruled Wednesday (September 13] in favor of an Italian activist farmer who has defied his nation's ...
Glyphosate herbicide not an ‘endocrine disruptor’, European Food Safety Authority concludes
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has concluded that the world's most used pesticide, glyphosate, does not have endocrine disrupting ...
Is brain hacking possible?
Accessing the human brain to enable functional connections with electronic technology may sound incredibly futuristic, but a handful of entrepreneurs, ...
Alcohol consumption by fathers could lead to fetal alcohol syndrome
Fathers-to-be have been warned to avoid alcohol or risk affecting the health and well-being of their unborn child. Paternal alcohol ...
Netherlands wants CRISPR gene-edited crops exempt from Europe’s GMO laws
The Netherlands believes the new plant breeding techniques should not come under the GMO legislation as they are as safe ...
Genetic obesity risk influenced by lifestyle as well as DNA
The risk for developing obesity is influenced by our lifestyle as well as our genes. In a new study from ...
Genetic mutation that causes paleness, light sensitivity may be responsible for legend of vampires
Erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP), the most common kind of porphyria to occur in childhood, causes people's skin to become very sensitive ...
Blood clot risk, other health problems, may increase with height
Height can be an independent predictor of your risk for venous thromboembolism, or VTE, also known as blood clots, according to ...
New generation of biotechnology could unlock brain mysteries
Though genetics has fundamentally changed the pace of drug development for many therapeutic areas, the brain has been slow to reveal ...
Activist witch hunt? PETA targets Yale postdoc researcher known for progressive research on bird stress
It started in May with a web post by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). “Tell Yale University to Stop ...
Suffering for the love of birds: A scientist’s battle to save birds — and now her career
PETA begins to harass and intimidate a rising researcher in the field of animal behavior, scientist Kevin Folta urges the ...
Brain ‘flexibility’ could help explain why people learn differently
As a person learns, connections between brain regions can change. Some neural partners connect, then split apart […]; others form ...
Homeopaths beware: Natural teething beads found to contain lead
A nine-month-old baby in Connecticut had dangerously high levels of lead in her blood after chewing on a homeopathic “healing ...
Marijuana and epigenetics: Are we moving too quickly with legalization?
Some research suggests there could be health implications related to a surge in legalized marijuana use in the US. One ...