Health
Smoking one pack of cigarettes each day can cause 150 DNA mutations in single year
Smoking a pack of cigarettes a day causes an average of 150 mutations a year in lung cells, according to ...
Florida Keys voters back trial release of Zika-fighting GMO mosquitoes
On Tuesday, voters in the Keys voted by a solid majority to go ahead with a plan proposed by British ...
Pituitary problems decrease production of oxytocin, reduces empathy
Oxytocin is a hormone...[that] has earned the nickname "the love hormone" because we secrete it when we form bonds with our ...
Genetically altered mosquitoes have proven their reliability in tests across the globe
[In November 2016,] the first U.S. experiment to release genetically modified (GM) mosquitoes into the wild gets put to a ...
Why some people struggle with shift work fatigue: It’s in the genes
Some people adapt easily to shift work, but not everyone can handle constant disruptions to their daily rhythm. Finnish researchers ...
Does the herbicide glyphosate cause cancer? The GLP does a deep dive into the science
Glyphosate--an herbicide pioneered by Monsanto but now off patent--has emerged as a proxy for critics of crop biotechnology and intensive ...
One family’s story of misdiagnosis reveals harsh reality: DNA tests aren’t perfect
Personal genetic tests and precision medicine are becoming increasingly popular tools but caution is appropriate. The technology is still evolving ...
Motivation to exercise may depend on your genes
At one point or another, we've all wondered: What makes some of us gym rats and some of us couch ...
Modifying gene-delivering viruses decreases risk of cancer in gene therapy
Scientists have developed a new safer gene therapy that may reduce the risk of cancer and can be used for ...
Questions about wisdom of early mammograms raise stakes for genetic profiling
Conflicting screening recommendations are sure to confuse women — which raises the importance of factoring in genetic factors in risk ...
How biologist Jeffrey Gordon’s once obscure study brought microbiome to forefront of health research
Jeffrey L. Gordon is a biologist and director of the Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology at Washington University in ...
Turning nightmares off: Genes related to sleep may answer why we dream
Waking suddenly sweating and with your heart pounding after a vivid nightmare can be terrifying no matter how old you ...
Ebola evolved during latest outbreak to become deadlier to humans
What made the recent Ebola outbreak in west Africa so virulent? The virus that seeped across borders and killed more ...
Nebraska agronomist Don Lee, Journey of a Gene co-creator, on how genetic engineering can address crop disease
University of Nebraska's Don Lee, co-developer of 'Journey of a Gene', on how genetic engineering can address crop disease ...
Closer to curing Alzheimer’s as new drug reaches landmark stage in clinical trial
Although there are currently no approved therapies that slow or stop progression of [Alzheimer's Disease], several approaches are showing promise ...
CDC investigating increasing foodborne illnesses and deaths linked to organic food
A newly published study of outbreaks linked to organic food concludes that while more data are needed to assess whether the ...
Farmers’ view: NYT’s GMO analysis ignores environmental benefits of GMO crops
[Editor’s note: A recent article in the New York Times claims that GMO crops have not lived up to their promises ...
DNA sequencing of pap smears non-invasive alternative to prenatal genetic screening
Targeted DNA sequencing of fetal cells from Papanicolaou (Pap) smears may offer an improved and earlier route to prenatal genetic ...
Cancer is a death sentence for many women in low-income countries
A woman diagnosed with breast cancer in most high-income countries is very likely to survive. The opposite is true for ...
Unnecessary genetic tests wastes $500 million annually
We hear a lot about the wonders of genetic testing, how it can revolutionize medicine and find cures for fatal ...
Why there is no male version of ‘the pill’
The search for an effective male contraceptive drug has experienced a setback. An ethics committee prematurely ended a clinical trial ...
Miami Beach requests emergency permission from FDA to use GMO mosquitoes
Aerial pesticide spraying has not eradicated the Zika virus in Miami Beach so far,...[so] the city is resorting to less conventional ...
More athletes relying on genetic testing to tailor workouts despite meager scientific evidence
Genetic analysis companies are forging alliances with personal trainers, chiropractors, and coaches around the world to market genomics tests that ...
Fight against Zika turns into money-driven contest between different eradication strategies
The fight against dengue and Zika in Latin America is turning into a contest between mosquito-altering technologies, and between profits ...
Humans would not exist if viruses hadn’t intervened in our evolution
Viruses are parasites that cause a number of devastating diseases: AIDS, cervical cancer, the flu. They have led to a ...
Genotyping Jamaica’s best sprinters may reveal genes linked to speed
Jamaica has the best sprinters in the world. Why should we not also genotype them? The key is sample size ...
Women who postpone parenthood have genetic mutation linked to later menstruation
Until now, human reproductive behavior was thought to be mainly linked to personal choices or social circumstances and environmental factors ...