Ian Sample
Making human eggs out of skin cells could change everything for infertile mothers or same sex parents. Here’s where the technology is today
New procedure could overcome common forms of infertility and help people have children who share their DNA ...
Night owls vs mourning doves: Neanderthal genes explain why some people find it easy to wake up early
Scientists find genes inherited from our prehistoric cousins increase tendency to rise early – useful in regions with short winter ...
Do opposites really attract? Partners in most successful relationships share political views, education levels, drinking habits and more
Scientists find that most partners have shared traits including political views, education levels and drinking habits ...
‘Groundbreaking IVF procedure’: First three-parent baby born in the UK through mitochondrial donation treatment
The first UK baby created with DNA from three people has been born after doctors performed a groundbreaking IVF procedure ...
Next generation medicine: Will the people who most need gene therapy and gene-editing tools have access to them?
One of greatest risks of gene editing tools ‘is that the people who would benefit most will not be able ...
‘If you want to stop the condition, you need to regrow brain cells’: Inside the ‘hugely complex’ fight against Parkinson’s disease
Parkinson’s was first described in medical texts more than 200 years ago, yet there is still no cure. It’s a ...
Synthetic embryos: What are they, and how are they challenging ethical constraints?
Scientists at the Weizmann Institute in Israel found that stem cells from mice could be made to self-assemble into early ...
Avoiding ‘hanger’: What’s the link between irritability and skipping meals?
For those who get snappy when they miss out on lunch, it may be the perfect excuse: researchers have confirmed ...
‘Reviving extinct species’: Can freeze dried skin cells rescue endangered animals?
Researchers have created cloned mice from freeze dried skin cells in a world first that aims to help conservationists revive ...
‘Designing babies’ to prevent diseases? UK public warming to the idea, particularly young people
More than half the UK backs the idea of rewriting the DNA of human embryos to prevent severe or life-threatening ...
One in 500 men have an extra sex chromosome. What does that mean and what are the signs?
Twice as many men carry an extra sex chromosome as previously thought, according to researchers who called for more genetic ...
Why aging often accelerates at 70
A groundbreaking theory of ageing that explains why people can suddenly become frail after reaching their 70s has raised the ...
Podcast: Could the food we eat be fueling a surge in autoimmune diseases?
Could the food we eat and the air we breathe be damaging our immune systems? The number of people with ...
Viewpoint: How can we ensure disease-resistant CRISPR livestock are treated ethically?
Powerful gene-editing techniques have the potential to improve modern farming by making animals resistant to heat and disease, reducing methane emissions and ...
Massive ‘dragon man’ skull found in Chinese well reveals possible new hominid family tree branch more closely related to modern humans than Neanderthals
The discovery of a huge fossilized skull that was wrapped up and hidden in a Chinese well nearly 90 years ...
Brain scans show how LSD works to unlock the brain and treat depression
By comparing scans of the brain on LSD versus placebo… researchers found that the drug reduced the amount of energy ...
‘Humans developed complex belief systems around death’: 78,000-year old gravesite marks oldest human burial in Africa
Archaeologists have identified the oldest known human burial in Africa during field work that uncovered the remains of a child ...
Twin peak: Global twin rates at historic highs, and here’s why
Researchers analysed records from more than 100 countries and found a substantial rise in twin birthrates since the 1980s, with ...
2% of us carry Neanderthal genes. We are at greater risk for COVID
Scientists have claimed that a strand of DNA that triples the risk of developing severe Covid-19 was passed on from ...
Exploring coronavirus patient DNA for answers: Why are some people hurt worse than others?
Thousands of UK patients who have fallen ill with coronavirus will have their genomes read in a major study to ...
Suspended animation used in ‘groundbreaking’ trial to buy time for critically injured patients
Doctors have put humans into a state of suspended animation for the first time in a groundbreaking trial that aims ...
Coping with death: Our brains are wired to think it only happens to other people
Warning: this story is about death. You might want to click away now. That’s because, researchers say, our brains do ...
Are we moving closer to mind reading? Facebook-funded study turns brain signals into text
With a radical new approach, doctors have found a way to extract a person’s speech directly from their brain. The ...
‘Evolution in action’: How ancient humans developed a mutation to protect against diabetes
An ancient mutation that spread through humans after the advent of cooking may protect people against high blood sugar and ...
Redesigning life: First living organism created with ‘fully synthetic’ genome
Scientists have created the world’s first living organism that has a fully synthetic and radically altered DNA code. The lab-made ...
Rare brain disorder—Angelman syndrome—could be treated with gene therapy in the womb
Scientists are developing a radical form of gene therapy that could cure a devastating medical disorder by mending mutations in the brains ...
‘Cheap and simple’ 10-minute blood test can detect traces of cancer
Scientists have developed a universal cancer test that can detect traces of the disease in a patient’s bloodstream. The cheap ...
Artificial placentas could transform research into miscarriages, still births and other pregnancy disorders
Scientists have grown “mini placentas” in a breakthrough that could transform research into the underlying causes of miscarriage, stillbirth and ...