Cancer risk can lurk in our genes. So why don’t more...
Jeremy Nottingham (bottom right) sits for a family photo with his parents, Junius and Sharon, and sister Briana. Junius Nottingham Jr. hide caption toggle caption Junius Nottingham Jr. Jeremy Nottingham (bottom right) sits for a family photo with his parents, Junius and Sharon, and sister Briana. Junius Nottingham Jr. A few years ago, Junius Nottingham…
Your Genes and Hormones May Play a Role in Hearing Loss,...
By now, we know the biggest factor that increases the risk of hearing problems is growing older. As many as half of adults age 75 and older have some degree of hearing loss, by some estimates. And as our world gets louder, hearing problems are becoming a younger problem too, which begs the need for…
How humans got a new gene that makes our brains larger
Enlarge / Building a bigger brain requires new genes, not a workout. On the DNA level, there's not much to distinguish humans from our closest relatives: chimpanzees and bonobos. At stretches of DNA that line up, human and chimp sequences are well over 90 percent identical. And, for the most part, the DNA does line…
After nearly 50 years, FBI identifies “Lady of the Dunes” murder...
Enlarge / The body of Ruth Marie Terry as she was found in 1974 in Provincetown, Massachusetts. A 12-year-old chasing after her barking dog discovered the mutilated body of a woman in the Race Point Dunes of Provincetown, Massachuestts, on July 26, 1974. Law enforcement was unable to identify the victim, who became known as…
Look for ‘Gay Genes’ Loses In Big New Research Study
Researchers looked for genetic variants linked to sexual behavior in new genetic research that analyzed DNA from donated blood samples from nearly half a million middle-aged people from Britain who participated in a project called UK Biobank. Christopher Furlong/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Christopher Furlong/Getty Images Researchers looked for genetic variants linked to sexual…
No, Mr. President, Your Skin Color Is Not The Outcome Of...
President Donald Trump speaks during the National Prayer Breakfast, Thursday, February 7, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)ASSOCIATED PRESS Since at least the 2016 campaign, Donald Trump's skin color has been a topic of conversation, but over the weekend, the New York Times quoted an anonymous senior White House official saying that the official…
How Do Researchers Show That Twin Children Had Their Genes Edited?
Questions are swirling after the announcement that the first gene-edited babies were born earlier this month — including what exactly researchers did and whether it worked. The announcement came via a YouTube video posted Sunday (Nov. 25) by Jiankui He, a Chinese scientist. He released the video after MIT Technology Review reported on the existence…
A Longer Life May Not Remain In Your Genes
Long life spans tend to run in families, a phenomenon that's often attributed to people's genes. But now, a large new study of data from the genealogy website Ancestry reveals that genetics may play less of a role in life span than previously thought. The reason? Previous studies failed to take into account a quirk…
23 andMe opened a phony home in New York City where...
It's been three years since 23andMe, a consumer genetics company, relaunched a new test that passed the scrutiny of the Food and Drug Administration and told you everything from how much DNA you share with our Neanderthal ancestors to how much caffeine you likely consume. But in addition to the ancestry data, it also gives…
Traces of an Ancient Infection in Our Genes Might Contribute in...
Hundreds of thousands of years ago, our ancestors were infected by a retrovirus. Now, some researchers think that that virus' ancient genetic traces still present in some people's genomes are silently promoting addictive behavior. Genetic traces of a retrovirus called HK2 is more commonly found in people with drug addictions than those without addictions, and…
