Genetics behind schizophrenia just got more complex

Annabel Bligh | Conversation | 
An international team of researchers has found that the cause of schizophrenia is more complex than already believed, with rare ...

What will the $1,000 genome mean?

Clara Gaff, Paul Waring | Conversation | 
Sydney’s Garvan Institute is promoting its acquisition of an Illumina machine which it says can sequence the whole human genome ...
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UK Guardian botched ‘suicide gene’ story: ‘Terminator seeds’ will not usher in agricultural judgment day

Lucia de Souza, Mark Lynas | Conversation | 
UK Guardian botched its story on "terminator" seeds in Brazil, fanning misconceptions, undermining vaccine and drug research ...

What is heritability anyhow?

Kate Lynch | Conversation | 
Schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder and autism have all had recent attention for being “genetically caused." In scientific research, being genetically ...

Is eating DNA safe? Of course.

Merlin Crossley | Conversation | 
Eating DNA sounds scary but it’s completely safe. I do it every day. Let me explain. DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic ...

Computer scientists to thank for easy access to genetic testing

Heather Vincent | Conversation | 
Frederick Sanger, who died recently at the age of 95, won two Nobel prizes in chemistry for his methods for ...

One step closer to understanding cancer cells’ rapid reproductive rate

You were formed from a single cell. To build you, and then keep you alive, the DNA in your cells ...

Outcry over Australian prenatal screening for autism

Andrew Whitehouse | Conversation | 
The internet was ablaze last week with the news that health authorities in Western Australia (WA) have given approval for ...
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How glow-in-the-dark jellyfish revolutionized plant biology

Petra Kiviniemi | Conversation | 
In the 1960s, scientists discovered a jellyfish that could emit its own light. 30 years later, this bioluminescence has changed ...

For Myriad Genetics, the gene patent fight isn’t over yet

Diane Nicol | Conversation | 
Whether sequences of genetic material can be patented has been a matter of heated debate for the past decade or ...

No Nobel, but epigenetics finally gets the recognition it deserves

Tim Spector | Conversation | 
Adrian Bird, Howard Cedar and Aharon Razin were hotly tipped to win this year’s Nobel Prize for Medicine for their ...
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Personal values not science drive views on GM foods

Craig Cormick | Conversation | 
Because individual values dictate the attitudes with which we approach GM food, scientists should frame their messages to align with ...

Why GMO science may be rejected

Conversation | 
You’d be forgiven for thinking science is under attack. Climate science has been challenged by deniers and sceptics, vaccination rates ...

Righteous condemnation of ‘anti-science’ bias won’t change minds of GMO critics

Rod Lamberts | Conversation | 
The ABC recently reported that 400 people in the Philippines trampled vitamin-enriched “golden rice” trial crops because of fears to human health ...
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Campaigns against vaccination, GMOs reflect similar biases

David Tribe, Richard Roush | Conversation | 
The backlash against GMOs reflects a broader anti-science sentiment which delays important emerging technologies ...

We shouldn’t use just one approach to study genetics of obesity

Researchers have found many common gene sequence variants linked to obesity, but, so far, these only account for about 5% ...
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Mammoth cloning: Big animal, big ethical concerns

Theoretically, mammoths could be cloned by recovering, reconstructing or synthesizing viable mammoth DNA but some object to “deep” human intervention ...

Methods for cloning mammoths, from the creator of Dolly the sheep

Ian Wilmut | Conversation | 
It is unlikely that a mammoth could be cloned in the way we created Dolly the sheep, as has been ...
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Biotech ups food production, won’t feed world alone

Biotech's focus on increasing food production ignores the fact that mass hunger exists alongside a huge surplus ...

We’re carrying evolution’s excess baggage – why can’t we let go?

Matthew Cieplak | Conversation | 
The following is an excerpt. For 150 years or so, biologists have studied the human body for the vestiges of ...
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DNA folding patterns control gene expression

Tim Mercer | Conversation | 
A decade after sequencing the human genome, it's time to tackle the folding of a human’s entire suite of DNA ...

Researchers identify genetic mutation for deafness

Conversation | 
The following is an excerpt. Australian researchers have uncovered the mechanism by which a rare genetic mutation causes premature deafness ...

What makes us human: genetics, culture or both?

Daniel Zadik | Conversation | 
The following is an edited excerpt. Was there a single trigger that kickstarted the human revolution? Undoubtedly genetic mutation played ...

“You catch criminals with DNA” — What kids know (and don’t) about genetics

Jennifer Donovan | Conversation | 
The following is an excerpt of a longer story. “DNA is your blood in you, we can use DNA as ...

Ensure open access to genetic data to protect innovation

Anna George | Conversation | 
The following is an excerpt. Find a link to the full story below. Public investment in the Human Genome Project was expected ...

Male, female – ah, what’s the difference?

The following is an editorial summary. Find a link to the full story below. What distinguishes males and females? The ...

New gene testing framework ignores privacy concerns

[G]ene testing has the potential to transform the way we manage health. The Department of Health and Ageing’s soon-to-be-released framework ...
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Geneticists developing hens resistant to flu deadly to humans

Sunanda Creagh | Conversation | 
Research scientists at Australia's national science research agency are using a technique called gene silencing to “switch off” virus genes ...
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