Tabitha M. Powledge
Total Recall: Are we nearing the era, for better and worse, of reprogramming memories?
Scientists are edging closer to a time when we can enhance good memories and banish paralyzing ones. While that offers ...
Should Down syndrome fetuses be terminated? Abortion, Richard Dawkins & morality
Richard Dawkins tweeted that abortion is the moral choice for a Down syndrome fetus. As usual, vilification ensued. But the ...
Alzheimer’s: Epigenetics and the APOE gene offer new reasons for hope
The genetics of Alzheimer's disease is complicated and still somewhat mysterious. But in the last week, researchers reported on two ...
Did the Hobbit have Down syndrome?
Was H. floresiensis aka the Hobbit really a different species of ancient hominid? Or, as a new study may indicate, ...
How much of human DNA is doing something?
How much of the human genome is functional? Depends on what you mean by "functional." Two studies that seem to ...
Can we regulate gene editing without killing it?
CRISPR and other gene-editing methods, plus gene drives, are suddenly here and now. They offer unprecedented possibilities for genetic modification ...
Promise of CRISPR gene editing–and the challenges
Two papers published in the last week were signal events for agricultural genomics. First was the draft of the huge, and ...
For your daily bread, give thanks to the latest genetic research
Bread wheat feeds about 30 percent of the human population, and thanks to two recent major genetic research developments, it ...
Cannabis Genome Project will discover medical mysteries of marijuana
Cannabis Genome Project plans to develop a fine-grained map of cannabis genes, involving two of the main strains of cannabis, ...
Are older dads genetically risky?
Dad's age at the time of conception increases risk of some genetically linked diseases including autism and schizophrenia. But older ...
DNA in rogue databases and genetic privacy
"Rogue databases," artistic renders, much can be learned from the DNA that each of us sheds all the time without ...
Step toward gene screening in the doctor’s office also reality check
Clinical Genome and Exome Sequencing, CGES, is an exciting step forward in human medicine that should also be taken with ...
Mexican genes, Mexican diseases, and the idea of race
Recently released study highlights misconceptions of 'Mexicans' as a 'race' despite the genomic and cultural diversity that exists within the ...
Crowdsourcing genetic disease: The Resilience Project wants you!
The Resilience Project, both ambitious and world-spanning, wants to collect a million DNA samples for sequencing in order to find ...
Prickly challenges of breakthrough fetal brain research: Learning about human differences
The brain remains an inscrutable mystery. A new research project gives us a peek at brain gene activity during fetal ...
New York Times, Science stumble in overstated reports on microbiome research
A flood of journalistic supposition and health advice has galloped way ahead of the data on the latest research on ...
Who founded the Americas? Meet Naia—Ancient DNA adds new layers to the mystery
Fourteen-thousand-year-old intact skeleton of a girl is providing modern science with complete DNA that is giving new light to the ...
Troublesome genetics and race
When some of us left Africa to spread all over the wider world, we began developing small differences in what ...
Procrastination? Impulsivity? Either way, is it in your genes?
Classic twin-study method used to try and explain procrastination and it's heritability. But what is procrastination? Is it impulsivity? Either ...
The X-Files: Looks like men aren’t on their way to extinction after all
The Y chromosome doesn’t get this benefit because it’s alone, and has nothing to swap with. It builds up harmful ...
Common Alzheimer’s gene APOE4 raises risk for women but not men
While many genes contribute to Alzheimer's disease, early onset Alzheimer's is caused by mutations in one of three autosomal dominant ...
Why you may not want to get off the couch to run: The skinny on genes and exercise
Genes underlie our ability to exercise, but for some, genes also appear to contribute to the irresistible urge to stay ...
Breast cancer genes: Beyond BRCA1 and BRCA2
BRCA1 and BRCA2 are classic tumor-suppressor genes that repair breaks in double-stranded DNA. But even with the BRCA mutations known ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
Gene therapy for HIV infection?
HIV has proven to be a frustrating challenge to scientists looking for a magic-bullet cure. Researchers are now evaluating an ...
Genetic odd couple: Humans traveling with (friendly?) infection-causing African bacteria for 100,000 years
Helicobacter pylori, which causes ulcers and stomach cancer, maybe the oldest our oldest bacterial infection: genetic studies suggest it came ...
