Genetic Literacy Project
New guidelines for patients who opt-out of DNA screens too limiting
The American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics updated their policies to let patients decide if they want to participate ...
Ancient viral DNA may play key role in how human stem cells work
A significant portion of our genetic material is comprised of holdovers from viral infections long ago. Now it seems like ...
Another step towards designer babies?
A non-invasive test that is much more accurate than current methods to detect abnormalities in a fetus's genome is now ...
Most ‘dangerous’ anti-science GMO critic? Meet Mike Adams–Conspiracy junkie runs alternative ‘health’ empire
He just may be the most influential—and scientists say the most irresponsible—voice in the crusade to demonize GMOs and undermine ...
Epigenomic boom over hyped?
Epigenetics promises to explain the relationships between our genes and environments, but some scientists argue it may be going too ...
Breakthrough STAP stem cell researchers officially guilty of misconduct
Earlier this year researchers at Japan's RIKEN institute announced a remarkably easy way to produce stem cells -- the holy ...
CNN’s irresponsible article on ’10 ways to avoid GMOs’–No, GMOs are not unsafe
CNN's article about 10 ways to avoid GMOs was not grounded in fact and misled many readers, a clear example ...
French fries and skinny genes: Are we programmed to be obese?
Genes and diet interact to pack on pounds, but not as much as the media thinks. Even as we learn ...
MIT researchers use MRI to study genetic activity in brains
MIT researchers have used genetic engineering and a bit of chemistry to make it possible, for the first time, to ...
Gene studies suggest ‘races’ may exist but sociologists push back, fearing stereotypes
Sociologists worry that research into population differences will create a new kind of racism while geneticists believe that social scientists ...
Breakthrough biology: First synthetic chromosome for yeast created, capping month of biotech innovations
Scientists have created the first man-made chromosome for yeast, a landmark for synthetic biology that promises to push the boundaries ...
Birth of ‘living materials’ at MIT combines synthetic biology, materials engineering
Hot on the heels of the creation of bionic plants, MIT has announced the development of "living materials" using bacteria, ...
Can grapefruits be dangerous with drugs? The answer is in our genes
Many people believe that just because a food is unprocessed that it's safe. But many foods can interact with drugs, ...
Non-GMO beer? Label makes no sense
Beer's usual ingredients - water, barley or wheat, hops and yeast - are not available as genetically modified crops, yet ...
Largest genome ever sequenced: Loblolly pine
A new record: scientists successfully sequenced the genome of the loblolly pine, a 100-foot-tall tree with 23 billion base pairs ...
Honoring of Green Revolution’s Norman Borlaug ignites ideological skirmishes
Today would have been Norman Borlaug's 100th birthday. As the father of the Green Revolution he is credited with saving ...
Whole-genome sequencing in your doctor’s office? A reality check, but sooner than later
The cost of genome sequencing hasn't really plummeted, but it's still dramatically cheaper than it used to be. Does that ...
Organic farmer call to action: We can work with GMO farmers to feed the world
The debate should not be whether organics or GMOs are best suited to meet global food challenges. That's a false ...
Revisiting the “gay gene” controversy: Homosexuality is only a disorder if society makes it one
Earlier this year, findings shared at the annual AAAS meeting triggered a firestorm of "gay gene" headlines and reactionary op-eds ...
Bill Nye isn’t really an anti-GMO guy
The Physics Police blog uncovered an episode of Bill Nye's "Eye of Nye" from 2005 in which Nye might be ...
Your genes give you a unique world of smells–1.7 trillion scents
Humans can distinguish between 1.7 trillion smells on average. Ed Yong blogs about it at National Geographic, revealing in the ...
Transhumanism in the crosshairs: The dark side of radical longevity
Will the radical longevity promised by futurists like J. Craig Venter allow us to create hell on earth, intentionally or ...
New York Times flunks genetic literacy challenge: No, mutations don’t kill-off genes
The New York Times failed a recent genetic literacy 'test' in a story on the genetic roots of diabetes ...
Chicken genomes and human history: What can the DNA of our animal associates can reveal about our past?
A new study uses chicken genetics to poke holes in the theory that Polynesians reached South America before Europeans. It ...
GMO war of words: On “contamination”
The use of the word "contamination", as used by organic farmers worried about GM crops invading their fields from neighboring ...
Cornell Prof Davies dismantles claims in Hawaii that GMO crops are a “pesticide centered technology”
A subtle shift has occurred in the tactics of anti-GMO campaigners in Hawaii. As they began losing the science argument ...
Rootworm are evolving to resist GM Bt corn developed to kill it
Crop mismanagement may lead to rapid rootworm resistance to Bt corn, according to a study published in the Proceedings of ...
Milk genes: Why only some of us can drink milk
The Class Mammalia is, after all, defined by the gland that produces milk. But while most of us have lost ...
