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.
If gene editing had been approved, my brother would never have been born
[Editor's note: Joel Reynolds is a postdoctoral fellow in bioethics at the Hastings Center..] For the first time in the ...
Use of embryo selection in China is soaring: Is that a good thing?
Early experiments are beginning to show how genome-editing technologies such as CRISPR might one day fix disease-causing mutations before embryos are implanted ...
Do genetic tests inspire healthier habits? Evidence says ‘no’
If you learned your DNA made you more susceptible to getting a disease, wouldn't you work to stay healthy? You'd ...
Mutation identified that contributes to Lou Gehrig’s disease and possibly Alzheimer’s
A team led by scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and Mayo Clinic has identified a basic biological mechanism ...
Bodybuilder’s death offers warning about genetics and rising use of protein supplements
The death of an Australian bodybuilder with a rare genetic disorder should serve as a cautionary tale for those who ...
Viewpoint: Democrats’ GMO labeling push is an embarrassment to pro-science progressives
A group of House Democrats, who called the proposed federal GMO labeling standards 'weak' and 'confusing,' are being urged not ...
Alternative medicine can kill you
Chiropractic, homeopathy, acupuncture, juice diets, and other forms of unproven alternative medicine cannot cure cancer, no matter what some quacks ...
‘Super cows’: How genetic tinkering could turn farm animals into cancer-fighting drug factories
While the overall biotech industry in South Dakota is small — about 66 firms — the state is emerging as ...
Viewpoint on the STEM gender gap: Why women are less represented in most sciences
[Editor's note: Scott Alexander is a psychiatrist practicing in the US Midwest.] An article by [author and management professor] Adam ...
Lessons from Ground Zero: Key Haven rejected release of GMO mosquitoes because of a ‘mistrust of science’
When Monroe County [Florida] held a nonbinding referendum last year on whether to allow the experimental release of genetically modified ...
Microbiome and health: Stress, diet and genetics responsible for how bacteria influences our immune system
Could the idea that there are "good" and "bad" bacteria be a false dichotomy? … In a study on mice, scientists found ...
Americans shedding their skepticism of human genome editing
Earlier surveys of Americans (here and here) have found a reluctance to support human genome editing...But the new survey, conducted by social ...
How male DNA finds its way into women’s brains
Do women retain DNA from every man they have ever slept with? No. [But this study] found male cells in 37 out ...
White supremacists flock to genetic tests to confirm their ‘purity’—but most find they have mixed racial ancestries
With the rise of spit-in-a-cup genetic testing, there’s a trend of white nationalists using these services to prove their racial ...
Are cardiac stem cells a ‘fountain of youth’?
Cardiac stem cells derived from young hearts helped reverse the signs of aging when directly injected into the old hearts ...
RNA editing could help slow progression of symptoms of ALS and Huntington’s
The most common gene editing technique, CRISPR-Cas9, only modifies DNA. That's helpful in most cases, but it means that you can't ...
Viewpoint: Netflix movie Okja stokes unwarranted GMO fears, promotes anti-science worldview
The film about a fictitious evil corporation called "Mirando" that genetically engineers dangerous "superpigs" for food encapsulates all of the ...
Color Genomics’ cholesterol and heart disease test: Are expensive genetic screens worth it?
[Color Genomics] is releasing a genetic test for a condition called familial hypercholesterolemia, or FH, which causes sky-high cholesterol levels and ...
Mining the ‘dark genome’ for genetic mutations behind mystery diseases
When doctors can’t find a diagnosis for a patient’s disease, they turn to genetic detectives. Equipped with genomic sequencing technologies ...
Mapping the complex wiring of our brains
Marta Zlatic owns what could be the most tedious film collection ever...the neuroscientist has stored more than 20,000 hours of ...
5 companies leading the personal genomics revolution
As gene sequencing technology gets faster and cheaper, companies are finding more ways to commercialize DNA, from offering disease-specific genetic ...
High obesity rates among African Americans may be linked to gene variant
African Americans have the highest rate of age-adjusted obesity (48 percent) of all ethnic groups, according to the Centers for Disease Control and ...
Cancer treatment uses genetically engineered biomaterial to deliver drugs and block resistance
[M]any chemotherapeutic agents […] cause serious side effects because they kill healthy cells in addition to cancer cells; some forms ...
‘Super genes’ protect Arabian Gulf coral reefs from warmer waters — for now
Rising sea temperatures are a main cause of global coral reef bleaching — when the water is too warm, corals ...
‘Tissue paper’ made from organs could repair damage, restore function
Scientists have created paper-like biomaterials from organs such as the ovaries, uterus, heart, liver and muscle that are thin and ...
Could vitamin B3 supplements prevent birth defects?
An extra dose of vitamin B3 might help prevent certain kinds of complex birth defects, according to a new study ...
Neil deGrasse Tyson on why we need GMOs
When it comes to food ... there is one topic that Tyson is constantly addressing: GMOs. Most recently, he discussed genetically modified ...
