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NEWS ABOUT: genetic research

genetic research stories: 32 news summaries

1 - 20 of 32 Stories | 1 2 Next >>

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(Newser) - The entire structure of the virus that causes AIDS has been decoded for the first time, a breakthrough that may eventually lead to effective treatments for the disease and others like it, Reuters reports. University of North Carolina researchers, using a new method they liken to zooming out on a... More »

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drugs • AIDS • RNA • genome • University of North Carolina • pharmaceutical • HIV/AIDS • influenza • genetic research • rhinovirus

Scientists Retract Paper Touting Sperm From Stem Cells

But say attribution, not science itself, at issue

Jul 31, 09 2:56 PM CDT
(Newser) - A paper by British scientists on the creation of synthetic human sperm had to be retracted from the journal Stem Cell and Development, AFP reports. The paper, which reported the revolutionary creation of sperm from stem cells, included text written by another scientist, who was not credited. The retraction is... More »

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plagiarism • sperm • stem cells • genetic research • academic research • scientific journal

(Newser) - A newly unveiled gene linked to Alzheimer's disease could help determine when symptoms of the brain disorder will arise, the News & Observer reports. A team of Duke University scientists announced their finding today at a Vienna conference. “As soon as people start forgetting things, they want to... More »

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Duke University • genetic research • Alzheimer's Disease • symptoms

(Newser) - If Marie Antoinette really said "Let them eat cake," she probably knew the French wouldn't bite. Along with the British and other Europeans, the French have developed genetic variants that make them more sensitive to sweetness in food, a new study says. Africans, on the other hand,... More »

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food • study • genes • sugar • genetic research • women's issues

 Fungus Poised 
 to Kill Off 
 World's Wheat 

US scientists race to find plants resistant to the Ug99 fungus

Jun 14, 09 6:02 PM CDT
(Newser) - A rust-colored fungus could destroy 80% of the world's wheat crops in a few years unless scientists counter it with genetically resistant strains, the Los Angeles Times reports. The Ug99 fungus—an ancient wheat-killer that rose up again in Africa 10 years ago—is already threatening 19% of the world's... More »

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fungus • wheat • crops • genetic research • Uganda • Ug99 • stem rust

 Down Syndrome Gene 
 Holds Cancer Clue 

Downs patients long seen to have lower deadly tumor risk

Jun 1, 09 11:39 AM CDT
(Newser) - Scientists have noticed for years that Down syndrome patients are far less likely to die from solid tumors—and now, scientists in Boston think they know why. Down syndrome patients’ extra chromosome holds a gene that helps cut blood flow to tumors, restricting their growth, the Globe reports. “Individuals... More »

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cancer • genetics • tumor • genetic research • genetic abnormalities • Down Syndrome • malignant tumor

Heart and Gum Disease Linked by Gene: Study

Periodontitis patients should cut out risk factors, scientists say

May 26, 09 3:25 PM CDT
(Newser) - Scientists have identified a link between gum disease and heart disease, the BBC reports, finding the same genetic variation in a group of patients with heart disease and a group with severe periodontitis. “Now we know for sure that there is a strong genetic link, patients with periodontitis should... More »

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obesity • genetics • diabetes • dental health • heart disease • smoking • genes • genetic research • gum disease • gene mutation

(Newser) - A group of breast cancer and ovarian cancer patients has filed suit against the Patent Office for allowing a company to patent two human genes, the Courthouse News Service reports. The plaintiffs, who also include medical organizations and the ACLU, allege that Myriad Genetics' patents on the BRCA1 and BRCA2... More »

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breast cancer • ACLU • American Civil Liberties Union • genetic screening • ovarian cancer • lawsuit • BRCA1 • BRCA2 • genes • medical treatment • Patent and Trademark Office • genetic research • patent


 Scientists 
 Bet There's 
 a Gambling 
 Gene 

Study suggests genetics behind taking money risks

May 6, 09 11:00 AM CDT
(Newser) - Genetics might be behind your betting habits, researchers have found. People with a “short” type of a certain gene were more likely to take risks than those with the “long” type, the Daily Telegraph reports. In a study, 30 volunteers were, for example, given cash and allowed to... More »

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London • science • gambling • investment • genetic research • risk-taking

(Newser) - Why some people get steamed while others stay cool depends on which version of a certain gene they carry, the Daily Telegraph reports. German scientists isolated a gene that affects dopamine levels. In a study, people with the least common variation showed little anger. Those with the other two mutations... More »

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genes • anger • dopamine • genetic research • scientific study • temper • anger management

 Africans Have World's 
 Greatest Genetic Diversity 

Landmark study tracks modern humanity's origins to area in South Africa

May 1, 09 6:19 AM CDT
(Newser) - The people of Africa have by far the world's most diverse genes, says a new study that sheds light on humanity's origins. Researchers—who traveled deep into remote areas of Africa to study more than a hundred populations—have pinpointed the origin of modern humans to an area near the... More »

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Africa • African Americans • genetics • human evolution • human • genetic research

(Newser) - South Korean scientists have cloned a group of four female beagles that glow red under ultraviolet light, the AP reports. The researchers inserted fluorescent genes during the cloning process, an achievement that could lead to advances in human medicine and science. “What’s significant in this work is not... More »

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South Korea • genetic research • beagle • dog • animal cloning • ultraviolet light • fluorescence

Bo's DNA
Is No Secret
to Scientists

Portuguese water
dogs are top breed
for genetic study

Apr 14, 09 6:27 AM CDT
(Newser) - The Obama puppy may still be a bit of a mystery to a curious public, but his genetic code should be familiar to scientists: Portuguese water dogs are the top breed for genetic study, helping shed light on anything from how a dog’s size is determined to whether it’... More »

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genetics • White House • medical research • genetic code • genetic research • President Obama • Portuguese water dog • Bo Obama

Gene Mutation Instigates
Skin Cancer, Scientists Say

Sun exposure leads to certain gene mutation

Apr 7, 09 11:22 AM CDT
(Newser) - Some 70% of melanoma skin cancers may initially be caused by a particular gene mutation resulting from overexposure to the sun, British scientists says, in a finding that could help create targeted melanoma drugs. Researchers had already seen that the BRAF gene was often damaged in cancer patients, but they... More »

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skin cancer • sun • genetic mutation • melanoma • genetic research

Gene Discovery Lets Mice Gorge on Carbs, Stay Thin

Tweaked mice can munch carbs without getting fat

Mar 21, 09 8:33 AM CDT
(Newser) - Yet another breakthrough for mice: Genetic researchers have found a way to allow them to eat all the carbs they want and not get fat, reports the Los Angeles Times. The scientists turned off a gene in the liver that plays a role in turning excess glucose into fatty acids.... More »

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obesity • genes • genetic research • weight gain • mouse

Obesity Genes Mainly Affect
Your Brain

DNA behind appetites, tastes, and how likely we are to feel full: study

Dec 15, 08 10:33 AM CST
(Newser) - Overeating is all in your head, but you can blame that on your DNA, the Times of London reports. Of the seven gene variations connected with obesity, five affect the brain’s wiring, suggesting that an inherited tendency toward slimness has more to do with appetite and impulse control than... More »

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obesity • diet • eating • overeating • nature vs. nurture • genetic research • health research

Genetic Therapy Reverses Heart Disease in Mice

Trials in other animals have begun; humans would be up next

Dec 1, 08 11:52 AM CST
(Newser) - Damage to heart muscle can be stopped and maybe even reversed, but for now only in mice, the BBC reports. Blocking the activity of a specific type of genetic material that regulates gene expression, scientists found, avoided a type of cardiac scarring that leads to heart disease. "Heart function... More »

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medical breakthrough • heart disease • RNA • genetic research • lab mice

DNA Breakthrough IDs Genes That Boost Lung Cancer Risk

Localized variation could guide fight against disease

Nov 3, 08 10:51 AM CST
(Newser) - In a discovery that applies to both smokers and nonsmokers, researchers have identified two genetic variations that may increase the risk of lung cancer by some 60%, Reuters reports. A huge sample—15,000-plus subjects in 18 countries—yielded results that helped researchers locate the variations on the fifth chromosome,... More »

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genetics • lung cancer • cancer research • genetic research

Baldness Gene Can Pass From Father to Son

Think your mom's dad's lush locks mean your 'do is safe? Maybe not.

Oct 13, 08 11:58 AM CDT
(Newser) - The old idea that looking at the maternal grandfather's hairline to predict whether a man will go bald is about half right, genetic researchers have found. The female X chromosome carries one baldness gene, but two studies have identified another gene that can be inherited from Dad. Guys with both... More »

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genetic testing • baldness • hair loss • genetic research

 Sensitive Swiss
 Ban Plant Humiliation 

Genetic research must not violate the dignity of wheat

Oct 10, 08 5:37 PM CDT
(Newser) - Swiss scientists eager to carry out genetic experiments on plants can’t be rash—they must first consider the how their actions make that tulip feel. Government-backed ethicists studied the effects of such experimentation on plants’ dignity; they found that it was wrong to hurt plants for no reason, or... More »

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ethics • genetic testing • genetic modification • Switzerland • plants • genetic research

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