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.
Genetic disease breakthrough research: 10 million novel variants found in Swedish population
An extensive exercise to map genetic variation in Sweden has found 33 million genetic variants, 10 million of which are ...
Lab-created virus-free gene-edited piglets could mark breakthrough of pig-human organ transplants
Researchers in the US have created gene-edited piglets that are free of viruses that could be harmful to humans. This ...
Obsessive-compulsive disorder in dogs: What can we learn about ourselves?
Canine compulsive disorder, like the version that afflicts humans, can take over the animal's eating, sleeping and basic functions. In ...
Does talcum baby powder cause ovarian cancer?
Some people may sprinkle on powder after showering and never think much of it. But recent court cases have shined ...
What can ‘selfish genes’ found in kombucha tea tell us about how humanity has evolved?
For all of kombucha’s peace and love image, research at the Stowers Institute in Kansas City shows some rather sinister ...
Could astronaut urine be the key to safer space travel?
Yeast strains of Yarrowia lipolytica that naturally like to feed on urine have been bioengineered to produce omega-3 fatty acids, which are ...
Safer prenatal genetic tests: Fetal cells using antibody-coated chip
Every pregnant woman who has considered getting a prenatal genetic test is familiar with the dilemma: Amniocentesis and chorionic villus ...
Sunny predisposition? 2 genes linked to friendliness, social ability
A new study by researchers at the National University of Singapore reports that two specific genes play a role in ...
29 states pass ‘seed-preemption laws’ that block cities and counties from banning GMOs
With little notice, more than two dozen state legislatures have passed “seed-preemption laws” designed to block counties and cities from ...
Viewpoint: Anti-GMO movement—and label demands—lose steam under Republican administration
The new administration has chosen to follow the analysis of the National Academy of Sciences, which found no material or ...
Questionable ‘brain health’ quiz heightens Alzheimer’s anxiety
I recently received an advertisement from my own trusted health care provider warning that I may have Alzheimer’s disease, although ...
Marijuana legalization has spurred ‘space race’ to exploit medicinal and recreational benefits of cannabis
The federal government's restrictions on cannabis have hindered American scientists from studying it in depth. However states that legalized weed ...
Can we stop drug addiction with vaccines?
Between 2000 and 2015 half a million people in America alone died of drug overdoses...On August 8th Tom Price, the ...
Animal geneticist Alison Van Eenennaam: Agriculture supporters need to stand up to GMO fearmongering
Alison Van Eenennaam, an animal geneticist at the University of California-Davis, told the Idaho Milk Processors Association annual conference there ...
How technology can reduce pesticide drift
Though neither the EPA nor various state agencies could provide reliable statistics on the total number of [pesticide] drift incidents, ...
CRISPR co-creator: We should have freedom to choose our ‘genetic destiny’
[Editor's Note: Jennifer Doudna is a professor of chemistry and molecular and cell biology at the University of California Berkeley ...
Hate hitting the gym? Your ‘laziness’ might just be genetic
For some, the hardest part of hitting the gym is lacing up their shoes. But for others, it’s the actual ...
Australian scientists chasing genetic links to clinical depression
Two-thirds of Australians with clinical depression have used multiple antidepressants to manage their condition, the nation's largest study on depression ...
Billionaire Randal Kirk behind GMO salmon, apples and mosquitoes
The world’s first genetically modified fish farm is a subsidiary of Intrexon, a $2.2bn company headed by Randal Kirk, a ...
What sets humans, chimpanzees apart? Genetic markers could offer answers
What makes humans different from chimpanzees? Evolutionary biologists from Howard University and the Yale School of Public Health have developed ...
22 genes linked to increased intelligence
Genome-wide association studies—GWAS, for short, […] search for differences in people’s genetic makeup—their “genotypes”—that correlate with differences in their observable ...
Pesticide used on organic farms may cause breathing problems in farmworkers’ children
Elemental sulfur, the most heavily-used pesticide in California, may harm the respiratory health of children living near farms that use ...
Crippling costs blunt potential of drugs harvested from living cells
Biologics are drugs grown in living cells, rather than produced through chemical reactions. They can be incredibly effective, but are ...
Infographic: Why single out GMOs—one of many forms of crop modification—for labeling?
[Editor's note: Layla Katiraee is a scientist at Integrated DNA Technologies. She has a PhD in molecular genetics with a ...
High-dose vitamin C treatment suppresses blood cancer in mice
A study has recently revealed that vitamin C may tell faulty stem cells in the bone marrow to mature and ...
Heart attack vaccine? Innovative injection could prevent cholesterol buildup
Heart disease is the leading cause of death of men and women in the US. Over half a million Americans die from ...
Do we need mandatory genetic screening of sperm donors?
The multibillion-dollar sperm donation business has shockingly little oversight, leading to false promises of anonymity, insufficient medical testing and high ...
