genome

Scientists Say They Hope To Create A Human Genome In The Lab

12:44pm June 03, 2016

by Rob Stein

A synthetic version of the human genetic blueprint might used for a wide range of medical research, scientists say. But it's far from reality, and comes with big ethical and safety questions.

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The Power Of Genes, And The Line Between Biology And Destiny

9:09am May 17, 2016

Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee says genetics play a significant role in identity, temperament, sexual orientation and disease risk — but that environment also matters. His new book is The Gene.

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C4 proteins (green) are seen at the synapses in a culture of human neurons. (Heather de Rivera/McCarroll Lab/Harvard via AP)

Variations In A Gene Provide Clues About Schizophrenia

5:46pm January 29, 2016

by Katherine Harmon Courage

Scientists studied the genomes of more than 64,000 people and found that those with the debilitating psychiatric disease were much more likely to possess mutations of a particular gene.

A juvenile California two-spot octopus (Octopus bimaculoides).

Octopus Genome Offers Insights Into One Of Ocean's Cleverest Oddballs

7:26pm August 12, 2015

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Octopuses are cool. They can regrow lost arms, change the color of their skin, and are surprisingly smart. Scientists who sequenced the first octopus genome say it's nearly as big as a person's.

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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.

Screening Tests For Breast Cancer Genes Just Got Cheaper

12:21am April 27, 2015

by Rob Stein

A company has priced its test for mutations linked to breast and ovarian cancer at $249 — far less than the thousands of dollars another firm charges. But is there a downside for the worried well?

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Sequencing the genes of a cancer cell turns up lots of genetic mutations — but some of them are harmless. The goal is to figure out which mutations are the troublemakers.

Personalizing Cancer Treatment With Genetic Tests Can Be Tricky

6:52pm April 15, 2015

by Richard Harris

Genetic profiling of cancer cells can help guide treatment, but such profiles can be ambiguous. Results would be more accurate if all labs tested normal cells from each patient, too.

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Biologist Rob Knight, co-founder of the American Gut Project, recently moved the project to the University of California, San Diego's School of Medicine.

One Scientist's Race To Help Microbes Help You

8:26am January 20, 2015

by Katherine Harmon Courage

Moving the American Gut Project to a biotech hub like San Diego may speed the jump from basic research to real treatments. At least that's microbe tracker Rob Knight's plan.

The updated avian tree shows how many different kinds of birds evolved quickly after a mass extinction 66 million years ago.

Birds Of A Feather Aren't Necessarily Related

5:25pm December 18, 2014

by Geoff Brumfiel

Geneticists have revised the evolutionary tree of birds, revealing some unlikely relationships.

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This skull, from the Swedish archaeological site called Motala, is thought to have come from a hunter-gatherer who died there about 8,000 years ago.

Europe's Family Tree Gets A New Branch

5:26pm September 17, 2014

by Alison Bruzek

Genetic evidence from ancient humans and modern people suggests that travelers from northern Eurasia moved south several thousand years ago. They stuck around to have kids with early European farmers.