Tabitha M. Powledge
Three parent baby debate: FDA ponders mitochondrial manipulation and, perhaps, germline modification too
Next week, the Food and Drug Administration is meeting to consider how a very controversial new form of assisted reproduction ...
Latest on rewriting genomes, humans’ included
A genetic modification system, CRISPR/Cas, has shown breakthrough success in primates and is poised to make the futurists' dreams of ...
Were Neanderthals a different species?
Up to 40% of the Neanderthal genome may be preserved across our collective genomes, and the areas of the human ...
Clocks versus rocks: Genetics and the origin of placental mammals
Of the 5500 extant mammal species, 95 percent bear live young with a placenta. Yet ancestral mammals laid eggs, and ...
The $1000 human genome: A reality check
Illumina, the leading maker of DNA sequencers, recently announced that it will soon begin producing a new piece of equipment ...
Injecting DNA in the brain: What’s the promise of gene therapy for Parkinson’s disease?
Gene therapy has been used to successfully treat a number of challenging diseases, such as leukemia. Now, scientists are hoping ...
Disruptive genomics: Is China’s BGI the epicenter of the world’s biotech revolution?
What might be the consequences when we isolate the genes for IQ? Is cheap sequencing a good thing? Is there ...
Can we inherit fear of a smell? The latest on transgenerational epigenetics
Can humans inherit the experience of fear? Male mice trained to fear a particular harmless smell before they sire offspring ...
The future of ancient DNA–Can we remake extinct species?
The study of ancient DNA has come a long way in recent years, forcing scientists to rethink much of human ...
First Americans were Europeans. Sort of. It’s complicated.
Native Americans, who have a significant amount of East Asian genes, are thought to have first traveled to America from ...
The first GMO (Hint: Human’s best friend)
Are dogs the earliest examples of GMOs? While the conventional definition of a genetically modified organism is the lab insertion ...
Are we headed for universal genome screening at birth?
Nearly all of the 4 million babies born every year in the United States undergo newborn screening for genetic disease ...
Should there be more marijuana genome projects?
The momentum for legalizing marijuana in the United States has been picking up steam in recent years, with nearly half ...
Diamonds in the junkyard of noncoding DNA? About humped bladdeworts and being human
Genes comprise only about two percent of the human genome. The other 98% is noncoding DNA, often referred to as ...
Scientific American’s new Food Matters blog is all about the science of food, including GMOs
Plant geneticist Pamela Ronald, who advocates a mix of organic and GM agricultural techniques, is among the many voices joining ...
Time to stop fighting GMO labeling?
Familiarity will be a powerful dampener of Unreasoning Fear of GMOs; Perhaps we can nudge familiarity along with a out-and-proud ...
Ethical dilemma surrounds genetic tinkering with bird flu
Researchers have outlined plans to genetically experiment with the H9N7 bird flu to test how it might develop human-to-human transmission ...
