genes

Over 150,000 Americans Have Rare DNA Fluke and Don’t Know It, Study of 23andMe Data Finds

A supposedly rare genetic quirk might be more common than we think, according to new research out Thursday. The study, based largely on 23andMe data, suggests that one in every 2,000 people are born with two copies of a gene from only a single parent, often with no serious health consequences. Ordinarily, a person’s egg…

How Genetic Engineering Will Change Everything

The future is going to be genetically modified. That means the future could be disease-free with babies being designed in labs by parents who live in a world where aging has stopped all thanks to genetic engineering. Or the future might be something else entirely with state-mandated genetic engineering to turn citizens into super soldiers.…

Gene-Editing Tool Approved For Use in Humans

Brace yourself for GATTACA comparisons. A powerful gene-editing tool that could pave the way for genetic engineering has been approved for use in humans to fight cancer. Scientists will use the tool, called CRISPR cas-9, to change immune-system cells. That way, when they’re put back into the patient, the cells attack the tumor cells responsible…

Powerful New Gene-Editing Tool May Finally Be Used on Humans

Next week, a federal advisory committee is set to review a proposal to use CRISPR—the cheap, powerful and buzzy gene-editing tool—on human patients for the first time. The Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee, a panel that works with the National Institutes of Health, will examine a proposed cancer treatment experiment that uses CRISPR/Cas9 technology, according to…

We’ve Been Completely Wrong About How Cats Get Their Black-and-White Spots

For quite some time, scientists had a working theory of why certain piebald (patchy black-and-white) mammals look the way they do. They assumed the coloring is a directed pattern that involves pigmented cells instigating a controlled expansion. Turns out, it’s all just random. Scientists at the University of Bath and the University of Edinburgh have…

Don’t Get Too Excited If a DNA Test Says You Have Royal Ancestors

People love finding out that they have a famous relative, or they’re descended from royalty. Thanks to genetic testing services like 23AndMe, it’s easy to send your spit away and get a rundown of your potentially regal DNA. But being related to long-ago kings doesn’t make us special—it just makes us human. Geneticist Adam Rutherford…

The World’s First Handheld DNA Amplifier Is a Genetics Lab In a Box

DNA sequencing is crucial for identifying and tracking nasty viruses like E. coli and the flu. But current tabletop-size DNA sequencing machines aren’t readily portable. Researchers at the University of Otago in New Zealand have a solution in a brick-sized DNA sequencer that connects wirelessly to a smartphone or laptop. The device, called Freedom4, brings…

A controversial new study suggests we choose our friends because they share our genes. An analysis of nearly 2,000 people shows that our friends are as genetically similar to us as our fourth cousins. But critics say other factors could affect the results, such as ethnicity or other types of population stratification.

Predict What Your Future Children Look Like in “Virtual Embryos”

Remember those slightly horrifying sites that mash up two faces to tell you what your hypothetical babies might look like? With genome sequencing and “virtual embryos,” we might actually be able to do that—using science. Those days are not quite here yet, but New Scientist has an intriguing report about a company called GenePeeks. We…

Are there some vegetables you can’t stand? It may be genetic.

Ever wonder why some people think cilantro tastes like detergent while others scatter it over everything? Or why brussels sprouts are delectable to some and disgusting to others? Part of that difference of opinion may lay in our genes. Is food preference genetic? To some extent. There is still a lot about human perceptions of…

Scientists Found the Wolverine Healing Gene

Deep within our bodies are all kinds of genes that turn on and off over the years, including the very genes that make you grow a body in the first place. This is where scientists are looking for the magical code that could enable us to regrow organs and regenerate limbs. A Harvard researcher thinks…

Monitoring Gene Activity Across Thousands of Cells Sure Is Pretty

Scientists have developed a new technique which allows them to visualize gene activity in thousands of cell, simultaneously. That will allow them to understand how our cells function like never before—and it looks damn pretty, too. While scientists have been able to measure gene activity in cells for a long ol’ time, until now the…

Scientists Ditch Guns For Lasers To Insert DNA Into Cells

Step one in any project involving genetic modification is to get the genes you want into the cells you want changed. Traditionally, this meant shooting microscopic DNA-coated bullets at the cells and hoping the DNA got inside without blowing the cells to smithereens. It sounds messy, and it is. Now, researchers in South Korea have…

Scientists May Have Found a Genomic Off Switch for Down Syndrome

One in every thousand or so babies born today will suffer from Down Syndrome, a genetic disorder caused by the presence of a third copy of chromosome 21 that results in learning disabilities, a heightened risk of bowel and blood diseases, and a severely heightened risk of dementia later in life. But a radical new…

US Supreme Court Says Your Genes Can’t Be Patented By Corporations

Today is a good day for all humans in the United States: the US Supreme Court says that nobody can patent human genetic material. This means that no evil corporation would be able to block the development of some lifesaving gene therapy based on a patent claim. It also means scientific progress will be able…

Too Many Sleepless Nights Can Actually Shut Down Important Genes

While it’s easy enough to brush off a few sleepless nights with a pot of coffee and the occasional desk-nap, you may be doing more harm than you realize. According to a new study from Surrey University, snagging less than six hours of sleep per night can actually shut down genes that play a key…

The Placebo Effect May Be Genetic

The placebo effect seems to make little sense: get ill, take a dummy pill, and you’ll recover in much the same way as someone taking real drugs. While there have been many theories bandied about over the years to explain how it works, new evidence suggests that it may be genetic. https://gizmodo.com/we-could-have-evolved-the-placebo-effect-to-save-energy-5940942 A team of…

Genetic Proof That You Really Do Hate Cilantro

Scientists have had a hunch for some time that cilantro hating might be partly inherited. But now a genetic survey of nearly 30,000 people has given us a definitive answer: hating cilantro is hard-wired into your genes. https://gizmodo.com/is-cilantro-hating-genetic-5911387 A large chunk of the US population—including the likes of culinary goddess Julia Child—have claimed that it…

Harvard Scientists Make Graphic Designers Look Lazy by Using DNA to Create a New Font

Three postdoctoral students at Harvard Medical School—Bryan Wei, Mingjie Dai, and Peng Yin—have found a way to turn individual DNA strands into a fully-loaded font: all the letters of the Roman alphabet, punctuation marks, emoticons, and digits 0-9. The shapes are made using individual, unique single strands of DNA, each one just 42-letters long. The…

Scientists Discover Sperm-Crippling Gene That Could Lead to Non-Hormonal Male Contraceptives

Boffins in Edinburgh, Scotland have discovered that a single mutated gene in male mice can inhibit the last stages of sperm development, thus inducing infertility. As a result, we are that much closer to hormone-free, reversible, and surgery-free male contraception. https://gizmodo.com/the-pill-can-lead-to-a-long-marriage-of-bad-sex-5849089 Researchers discovered the gene by inducing random mutations in the genetic code of a…