Science Controversies
Are animal traits the result of behavioral epigenetics?
A plant that is unremarkable in one environment becomes an invasive species in another, pushing through house foundations and sprouting ...
DNA construction technology makes genetic engineering cheaper, faster
Sequencing, splicing and expressing DNA may seem to be the quintessence of cutting-edge science—indeed DNA manipulation has revolutionized fields such ...
Whole-genome sequencing tracks spread of severe intestinal disease in sub-Saharan Africa
The emergence and spread of a particularly virulent and rapidly evolving strain of Salmonella bacteria may have been made worse ...
Study sheds light on bone marrow stem cell therapy for pancreatic recovery
Researchers at Cedars-Sinai's Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute have found that a blood vessel-building gene boosts the ability of human bone ...
Statistical method will analyze important, poorly studied areas of human genome
Each year, more and more pieces of the human genome puzzle fall into place, but large holes still remain. Researchers ...
DNA test for babies speeds diagnosis
A new technique for quickly analyzing the DNA of newborns zeros in on mutations that can cause disease, demonstrating that ...
Could hand-made humans may hold the key to saving the world?
I propose that we consider another solution to the problem of climate change that has not been considered before and ...
First large scale trial of whole-genome cancer testing for clinical decision-making
For the first time, researchers have conducted a large trial in which they tested the entire genome of individual breast ...
Plant stem cells: The next generation in skin care technology
Since the dawn of time, humans have stumbled upon various natural ways to keep their skin youthful-looking—even if they didn’t ...
Single gene may hold key to life itself?
"Your IQ depends on a single gene"; "Long life is all in the genes"; "A gene that could explain why ...
The genetics of white finger disease
Vibration-induced white finger disease (VWF) is caused by continued use of vibrating hand held machinery (high frequency vibration >50 Hz), ...
Chemotherapy may be creating cancer stem cells
Cancer treatments may be creating more dangerous and persistent cancer cells that are resistant to both chemotherapy and radiation. Three ...
Nutrient in eggs and meat may influence gene expression from infancy to adulthood
Just as women are advised to get plenty of folic acid around the time of conception and throughout early pregnancy, ...
Parrot genomics: Genome sequencing of endangered bird
The international open-access journal GigaScience(a BGI and BioMed Central journal) announces the publication of a unique study providing the genome ...
Mentally handicapped children may not have inhertited handicap from parents
In children with severe intellectual disabilities genetic causes are very frequent and we have found in more than half of ...
Genetic traces of extinct human species discovered
DNA collected from modern hunter-gatherers -- the Pygmies of Cameroon, the Sandawe and Hadza of Tanzania, and the Khoe-San of ...
Livestock genetics could be a valuable resource
Farm animal genetic resources are not only valued significantly for their current economic, environmental services social and cultural roles but ...
Association between obesity and consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages
It's hardly shocking, but a National Institutes of Health funded study finds that people with a genetic proclivity for obesity ...
Researchers plan whole-genome sequencing of hantavirus in public health study
California researchers and public health officials have launched what they describe as a groundbreaking series of studies of a rare ...
Researchers find possible key to regulation of ovarian cancer stem cells
Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center have discovered that the micro ribonucleic acid miR-214 plays a critical role in regulating ovarian ...
Zombie alert? Male DNA found in women’s brains might prevent disease
Male DNA found in the brains of women appears to have come from male fetuses they carried when pregnant, and ...
Turning point from the botched French maize study: GM opponents look like climate deniers
The highly controversial study by French scientist Gilles-Eric Seralini, who as we noted in last week’s update has a long ...
Genomic analysis of E coli shows multiple steps to evolve new trait
Several years ago researchers at Michigan State University (MSU) reported discovering a novel, evolutionary trait in a long-studied population of ...
Mouse pancreatic stem cells successfully differentiate into insulin producing cells
In a study to investigate how transplanted islet cells can differentiate and mature into insulin-producing pancreatic cells, a team of ...
Lawsuit: Should state allow DNA to prove native Hawaiian ancestry
A man who says he’s at least half Native Hawaiian but doesn't have the records to prove it is suing ...
UK: Modern genetics applied to 19th century potatoes
Researchers led by Professor Bruce Fitt, now at the University of Hertfordshire, have used modern DNA techniques on late nineteenth-century ...
Eurogenes Genetic Ancestry Project: There’s something very North Eurasian about Indo-European
Recently we learned that Europeans, especially North Europeans, are actually very North Eurasian genetically (see here). Then, last week, scientists ...
