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.
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Wrong message? Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen ‘pesticide-soaked’ fruits, vegetables to avoid may make us less healthy
Regardless of whether you’re a parent, an environmentalist, or just a plain old shopper, chances are you’ve gazed out over the supermarket ...
Is genetic testing devolving into ‘hucksterism’?
[Editor's note: David Shaymitz is the chief medical officer of DNAnexus, a genetic data management company.] The ready availability of ...
Cystic fibrosis, sickle-cell anemia could be corrected in embryos with new CRISPR variant
Since the discovery of the genome-editing tool CRISPR/Cas9, scientists have been looking to utilize the technology to make a significant ...
Cancer treatments could be guided by evolving ratio of mutated/normal driver genes
Choosing among cancer treatments increasingly involves determining whether tumor cells harbor specific, mutated “oncogenes” that drive abnormal growth and that ...
Quest for a cure: Gene therapy offers hope for children with rare form of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease
A couple strives to help their daughter, who was born with a rare form of Charcot-Marie-Tooth, a muscle-wasting disease that ...
More inherited colon cancer risks identified by new genetic test
Genetic testing technology is always evolving, and one newer kind of test — that identifies inherited genetic mutations linked to increased risk ...
Not so fast: Nature’s defenses may dampen effectiveness of gene drives targeting entire species
Rest easy, folks. Armies of genetically modified super-species are unlikely to conquer Earth anytime soon. In a paper recently appearing ...
Video: Fruit, vegetable shelf life extended by spray made from plant extracts
[Editor's note: Watch the video here.] “We use food to preserve food,” [Apeel Sciences CEO James] Rogers said. They start ...
Fact or fiction? 80% of all rare diseases are genetic
The frequently given answer to the question ‘What proportion of rare diseases is genetic?’ is ‘80%’. But where does this ...
European farmers caught in middle of political battles over pesticide bans, biotech mergers
[Editor's note: Robert de Graeff is senior policy officer for the European Landowners’ Organization.] It is fair to say that pesticides ...
Pakistan nears 5-year deal with Monsanto for GMO cotton, despite opposition
The Punjab [provincial] government [in Pakistan] is finalising a deal with Monsanto — a leading producer of genetically modified (GM) seed — to ...
Nestlé bucks trend, won’t add GMO labels despite activist pressure
The organic faction is back at it with its bullying tactics. This time, they're going after Nestlé. In a February ...
Golden Rice could help relieve vitamin A deficiency if countries ditch ‘misguided regulations’
[Editor's note: Justus Wesseler is a professor in the Social Science Department at Wageningen University in The Netherlands. David Zilberman is ...
Life on Earth’s roof: Ancient interspecies mating with Denisovans helps Tibetans thrive at high altitudes
[A]fter looking more closely at the EPAS1 gene from the Tibetan genomes, [Rasmus Nielsen from University of California in Berkeley] ...
Environmentalists pressure Canadian schools to drop food waste webinar because it mentions non-browning GE apple
[Editor's note: Read the GLP's profile on the genetically engineered non-browning Arctic Apple and the potential for genetic engineering to ...
Switchgrass biofuel? New gene that makes plant sterile could ease contamination concerns
Switchgrass has been lauded as a promising source of biofuel.... Genetically modifying switchgrass could boost crop yields and its commercial ...
Why hasn’t India embraced GM food as it did Green Revolution technologies?
[Editor's note: Vivian Fernandes is editor of Smart Indian Agriculture, a website devoted to promoting modern practices in agriculture including use ...
Is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) a legitimate diagnosis?
Is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) a legitimate diagnosis or is it mostly a fraud? The answer has important implications ...
Return of the woolly mammoth and 3 other ways CRISPR could change the world
The woolly mammoth has been extinct for more than 4000 years. Now scientists are talking about bringing it back with ...
Why do so many people with hereditary cancer risks avoid genetic testing?
Once a person is found to have a hereditary colorectal cancer syndrome, usually after a diagnosis of colorectal cancer, all ...
Sickle cell gene therapy offers hope to afflicted families in Africa, where proper care is sparse
[Editor's note: This article is an interview with Sia Evelyn Nyandemo who runs a campaign group to support sickle cell ...
Green genes: Germany’s top organic researcher says environmentalists should embrace CRISPR editing
[Editor's note: The following is a Q&A with Urs Niggli, director of the Research Institute for Organic Agriculture in Germany ...
Even if organic food was as cheap as conventional, not everyone would buy it, study finds
[Editor's note: Jayson Lusk is a professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Oklahoma State University.] I presumed most ...
How CRISPR gene editing can speed up domestication to make crops more sustainable, nutritious
Out of the more than 300,000 plant species in existence, only three species – rice, wheat, and maize – account ...
Washington state judge fines activists on both sides of 2013 GMO law debate
A Washington state judge has ordered the Grocery Manufacturers Association on Wednesday to pay nearly $1.1 million in legal fees, ...
Epigenetics Around the Web: Oprah Magazine fumbles ‘inherited trauma’ story, and more
This week’s features: Writer for Oprah Magazine falls for classic epigenetics pitfalls; life insurance company is using methylation data to ...
Skin cells of schizophrenia patients reveal faulty genetic pathway that began in womb
The skin cells of four adults with schizophrenia have provided an unprecedented "window" into how the disease began while they ...
