Surprises abound in our inherited ‘female’ mitochondrial DNA

James B. Stewart, Nils-Göran Larsson | PLOS | 
Since the unexpected discovery that mitochondria contain their own distinct DNA molecules, studies of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) have yielded ...
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Restoring eyesight, human embryonic stem cell trial marks major milestone

Ricki Lewis | PLOS | 
Wills Eye Institute ophthalmologist Carl Regillo delicately placed 100,000 cells beneath the retina of 52-year-old Maurie Hill’s left eye. She ...

“Bubble boy” breakthrough cure shows how some viruses can save lives

Ricki Lewis | PLOS | 
Beneath all the bad news about viruses this week lies a good virus: the one that underlies gene therapy for ...
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Promise of CRISPR gene editing–and the challenges

Tabitha M. Powledge | PLOS | 
Two papers published in the last week were signal events for agricultural genomics. First was the draft of the huge, and ...

When GMO critics use scare tactics, ask what they’re selling

Beth Skwarecki | PLOS | 
Nutrition is a wonderful playground for people who want to manipulate fear. We need food to live, yet can be ...

Mitohype: Three-parent IVF

Ricki Lewis | PLOS | 
If I turned in a 20,337 word article and the editor decided to replace 37 of those words, would I ...

Treating macular degeneration with a patient’s own induced pluripotent stem cells

Ricki Lewis | PLOS | 
Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, more commonly called reprogrammed cells, start out as skin or other somatic (body) cells, zip ...
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Truths and myths about left-brain, right-brain functions

Michael C. Corballis | PLOS | 
Handedness and brain asymmetry are widely regarded as unique to humans, and associated with left-brain and right-brain functions. But which ...

Finding the root of genetic disease in Amish communities

Ricki Lewis | PLOS | 
The story began at the Philadelphia children’s hospital late one night in spring 1989, when Dr. Morton found glutaric acid, ...

DNA testing can help untangle roots for Africa-Americans

Ricki Lewis | PLOS | 
Interest in African origins surged in 1976 with publication of Alex Haley’s historical fiction “Roots: The Saga of an American ...

Craig Venter: “Hysteria and misinformation” spread fears about posting an individual’s genome

Liza Gross | PLOS | 
When Craig Venter published the complete sequence of his genome in PLOS Biology in 2007, in some ways, it was old news. Though ...

A dispatch from the genetic frontier

Theo Bloom | PLOS | 
I never thought I had all that much in common with the glamorous film star Angelina Jolie – until May of this ...
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10 reasons why growing a human brain-in-a-dish is terrific

Ricki Lewis | PLOS | 
The growth of a mini-brain is revolutionary in more ways than one. PhD Ricki Lewis describes the ten most exciting ...
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