Tag: "genetics"

The Benefits of Radioactive Fallout

The Benefits of Radioactive Fallout

Wildlife seems to be thriving in the radioactive areas around Chernobyl. For now it looks like if animals had to choose, they'd choose radioactivity over humans.

 
We Don’t Want the Funk (in our Wine)

We Don’t Want the Funk (in our Wine)

Scientists are using DNA sequencing to protect our wines by keeping future sulfite-resistant forms of the yeast Brettanomyces bruxellensis at bay.

 
Gaming to Understand Disease

Gaming to Understand Disease

By playing Phylo, you help scientists better understand human disease and you get to have fun. Doing good by having fun is a win-win for scientists and the public.

 
Living Longer

Living Longer

Using a genetic trick, scientists were able to increase the lifespan of a worm by changing how it used its genes. This extended lifespan was passed on to its kids and grand kids but not to its great grand kids.

 
Sniffing Out Mr. Right

Sniffing Out Mr. Right

Biology may have made it so that women prefer the smell of men with different immune systems from their own. Disturbingly, the pill may turn this on its head so that women like the way men with similar immune systems smell.

 
Will He Have My Nose?

Will He Have My Nose?

I get these kinds of questions all the time. And except for a few traits, I have to pretty much say I don’t know.

 
Sequencing Within Reach

Sequencing Within Reach

The cost of figuring out what someone’s DNA looks like is dropping like a stone. For casual consumers, though, affordable DNA sequencing can be less than useful. In fact, it might even make a difficult situation worse.

 
Turning Chickens into Dinosaurs

Turning Chickens into Dinosaurs

If we are ever going to resurrect dinosaurs, it probably won't be like in the movie Jurassic Park. Instead, we'll have to throw evolution into reverse and turn a bird back into a dinosaur.

 
How Neanderthal are You?

How Neanderthal are You?

Graduate students at Stanford have created a tool called the Interpretome that lets you plug in your genome so you can figure out how Neanderthal you are.

 
The High Cost of Sex

The High Cost of Sex

Biologically speaking, sex is ungodly expensive. One reason it may have evolved in to keep our genomes stable and intact.

 
New Study Suggests Autism More Tightly Linked To Environment Than Genetics

New Study Suggests Autism More Tightly Linked To Environment Than Genetics

The scientists estimate that environmental factors common to twins explains 55% of susceptibility to autism, whereas genetics accounts for only 37%.

 
Autism More than Genes

Autism More than Genes

A new twin study suggests that the environment may play a bigger role in autism than scientists previously thought.

 
Patient-Specific DNA Sequencing Finally Paying Off

Patient-Specific DNA Sequencing Finally Paying Off

Here Dr. Starr talks about three patients who have dramatically improved lives because scientists sequenced their DNA and correctly interpreted the results. The dream of helping individual patients using data from the human genome project is finally being realized.

 
The Cloud in the Silver Lining

The Cloud in the Silver Lining

There are no free lunches in genetics. Having a certain version of a gene may protect you from one thing, but make you susceptible to another.

 
Osama’s Sister’s Brother

Osama’s Sister’s Brother

Scientists could definitely get DNA results from Osama bin Laden in less than 24 hours. And they could conclude with high certainty that the man killed was Osama bin Laden.

 
Better Left Unknown?

Better Left Unknown?

Just because we can find out about some of our genetic information, should we? Even though the results are often not very useful or even very informative, they can sometimes be a real burden.

 
DNA Diving for Alzheimer’s

DNA Diving for Alzheimer’s

I was able to figure out my APOE status and so one of my key risk factors for developing late onset Alzheimer's from my 23andMe test even though 23andMe doesn't officially report any results for Alzheimer's.

 
Missing Gene Suggests Rodents Aren't The Best Model For Diabetes Research

Missing Gene Suggests Rodents Aren't The Best Model For Diabetes Research

Rodents and other mammals might not be ideal for studying type 2 diabetes because of a gene that was deleted from the human genome millions of years ago.

 
Redwood Regeneration

Redwood Regeneration

QUEST has an inordinate fondness for albino redwoods. But after producing three videos, QUEST Producer Chris Bauer still had questions.

 
All (U.S.) Children Left Behind

All (U.S.) Children Left Behind

New test results confirm what many of us have feared: U.S. students suck at science.