Category: Genetics
RFK Jr. Vowed to Find the Environmental Causes of Autism. Then He Shut Down Research Trying to Do Just That.
Research conducted over the past two decades has established that environmental factors can combine with genetics to increase the risk of autism. Some of those environmental risks could be reduced by the very measures the Trump administration is rolling back.
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23andMe users’ genetic data is at risk, state AGs warn
The fate of more than 15 million customers’ genetic data remains in limbo after popular DNA testing company 23andMe filed for bankruptcy in March.
The data is up for sale, stoking fears about how it might be used and prompting attorneys general from more than a dozen states to warn 23andMe users: Delete your data.
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New guidelines aim to improve cystic fibrosis screening
Many newborn screening protocols miss cases of the disease in Black, Hispanic, Asian, and Native American newborns.
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How long will you live? New evidence says it’s much more about your choices than your genes
A new study’s findings come down very clearly on the nurture side in the “nature versus nurture” debate. It suggests environmental factors influence health and longevity to a far greater extent than genetics.
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Dietary restriction or good genes: new study tries to unpick which has a greater impact on lifespan
The genetic cards we’re dealt dictate how long we can expect to live. Just as important in this study, however, lifestyle interventions such as diet and exercise that aim to improve lifespan should be effective regardless of the genes we have.
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Your genetic profile may have a dominant effect on how well you lose weight through exercise. This might explain why two people who do an identical workout will see very different results.
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X-chromosome inactivation may reduce autism risk, UW study finds
In mice, the pattern of X-chromosome inactivation in female brains altered the effect of a mutation linked to the disorder.
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Your biological age predicts dementia and stroke regardless of your actual age – new study
while we all grow older chronologically at the same pace, biologically, our clocks can tick faster or slower. Relying solely on chronological age – the number of years since birth – is inadequate to measure the body’s internal biological age.
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COVID origins debate: what to make of new findings linking the virus to raccoon dogs
While this latest data is one additional piece of the puzzle that supports an origin of the pandemic linked to Wuhan’s animal trade, it is unlikely to provide irrefutable evidence.
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Are you a rapid ager?
Biological age is a better health indicator than the number of years you’ve lived, but it’s tricky to measure
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Epigenetic and social factors both predict aging and health – but new research suggests one might be stronger
For years, researchers have been using clinical factors normally collected at physicals, like hypertension, cholesterol and weight, as indicators to predict aging. The idea was that these measures could determine whether someone is a fast or slow ager at any point in their life cycle. But more recently, researchers have theorized that there are other biological markers that reflect aging at the molecular and cellular level. This includes modifications to a person’s genetic material itself, or epigenetics.
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Genetics might explain why some people have never had COVID
. . . but we shouldn’t be too focused on finding out
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Experts Debate the Risks of Made-to-Order DNA
By one expert’s estimate, perhaps 30,000 scientists worldwide have the skills to build a strain of pandemic influenza, provided they can find someone to synthesize the DNA for them. The consequences of unleashing such a pathogen could be catastrophic.
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A blood test that screens for multiple cancers at once promises to boost early detection
Testing to look for circulating tumor DNA in the blood is not new. These liquid biopsies – a fancy way of saying blood tests – are already widely used for patients with advanced-stage cancer. Doctors use these blood tests to look for mutations in the tumor DNA that help guide treatment.
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NIH initiative to systematically investigate and establish function of every human gene
Creating a catalog of what all human genes do is no easy feat. Most genes are likely to have more than one function and behave differently depending on the type of cell in which they are expressed. In addition, genes may turn on or off depending on the cell’s relationship to surrounding cells, environment and age.
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