genetics

Is It Time To Stop Using Race In Medical Research?

1:15pm February 05, 2016

by Angus Chen

Medical researchers often use race to define health risks. But a geneticist and a sociologist say racial categories don't accurately reflect who people are, and that science has to change.

Loneliness May Warp Our Genes, And Our Immune Systems

7:18am November 29, 2015

by Angus Chen

Loneliness takes a toll on many aspects of health, in part because it activates a fight -or-flight immune response. That may have helped ancestors survive lonely exile, but can slowly kill us today.

Rough night? Depending on specific tweaks to their genes, some fruit flies have trouble falling asleep, and others can't stay asleep. Getting too little shut-eye hurts their memory.

How Research On Sleepless Fruit Flies Could Help Human Insomniacs

5:59pm September 18, 2015

by Jon Hamilton

Research on fruit flies with different types of insomnia has revealed the same brain pathways that interfere with sleep in people. The result may be better sleeping pills that don't leave you groggy.

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Are Statins Bad For Me? Personalized Medicine Can't Yet Say

4:39pm September 02, 2015

by Wendy Wolfson

Statins made her feel wretched, so she took a DNA test to find out why. But even the doctor with the genetic testing company admits that the test doesn't tell you much more than you already know.

The area around the confluence of the Silverthrone and Klinaklini glaciers in southwestern British Columbia provides a glimpse into how the terrain traveled by Native Americans in Pleistocene times may have appeared.

2 Gene Studies Suggest First Migrants To Americas A Complex Mix

2:42pm July 22, 2015

by Christopher Joyce

Scientists assume a wave of people from what's now Siberia crossed into North America via Alaska, maybe 23,000 years ago. Genetics support that, but may also suggest another wave from Australasia.

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Mammoths had a distinctive version of a gene known to play a role in sensing outside temperature, moderating the biology of fat and regulating hair growth. That bit of DNA likely helped mammoths thrive in cold weather, scientists say.

Checking DNA Against Elephants Hints At How Mammoths Got Woolly

7:55am July 03, 2015

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

A clump of a mammoth's fur bought on eBay led scientists to a long list of ways the extinct species was special. One specific gene likely played a role in helping mammoths thrive in icy weather.

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Don't Get Your Kids' Genes Sequenced Just To Keep Up

3:10pm July 02, 2015

by Nancy Shute

Just because you can get your children's genome sequenced doesn't mean it's going to do their health any good, a report finds. Most benefits from genetic medicine come from a tight focus.

This clay facial reconstruction of Kennewick Man, who died about 8,500 years ago in what's now southeast Washington, was based on forensic scientists' study of the morphological features of his skull.

DNA Confirms Kennewick Man's Genetic Ties To Native Americans

5:34pm June 22, 2015

by Christopher Joyce

The new evidence suggests the ancient skeleton is closely related to members of a Washington state tribe. The findings are likely to rekindle an old debate between scientists and Native Americans.

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Children born to older moms and dads tend to have higher rates of autism, but researchers aren't sure why.

More Evidence That Parents' Ages Could Influence Autism Risk

12:04pm June 11, 2015

by Maanvi Singh

A large, international study found that kids born to older parents had higher rates of autism. Having a teen mom or parents with a large gap between their ages also increased the autism odds.

Do Creativity And Schizophrenia Share A Small Genetic Link? Maybe

5:31pm June 09, 2015

by Angus Chen

The notion goes back to the ancients — that minds given to flights of fancy are on the healthy side of a spectrum that includes what we today call psychosis. An Icelandic gene study offers new clues.