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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: genetic mutation

genetic mutation stories: 19 news summaries

(Newser) - Think you can get by just fine on 6 hours of sleep a night? Unless you're part of a tiny portion of the population with a mutant gene, you better tuck yourself in a little earlier, reports USA Today. A new study in Science says 97% of the population needs... More »

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sleep • genetic mutation • sleep deprivation • sleep loss • REM sleep

 What if Swine Flu 
 Meets Bird Flu? 

A hybrid could stymie vaccines, increase disease's killing power

Jun 14, 09 8:59 AM CDT
(Newser) - Among the scarier prospects for the future of swine flu, which has reached pandemic status but killed relatively few people, is that it mixes with bird flu to form a lethal hybrid. Jokes about flying pigs aside, a mix of the easily spreadable H1N1 and the especially virulent bird flu... More »

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genetic mutation • virus • avian flu • influenza • pandemic • swine flu • H1N1 virus

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

Amish Gene May
Help Protect Heart

Missing gene could keep triglycerides low

Dec 12, 08 4:41 PM CST
(Newser) - About 5% of Pennsylvania Amish have a rare genetic mutation that makes them less susceptible to cardiovascular disease, Reuters reports. A new study shows that the 5% lack a second copy of a gene that inhibits the breakdown of harmful fats, or triglycerides, in the bloodstream that can harden and... More »

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heart disease • Pennsylvania • genetic mutation • heart attack • Amish • heart health • scientific study • triglyceride

100M-Year-Old DNA Regions Baffle Experts

Mice, humans share mysterious code immune to evolution

Oct 9, 08 3:11 PM CDT
(Newser) - Certain regions of mammalian DNA with no discernible purpose have one perplexing characteristic in common: They have survived, without mutation, for as long as 100 million years, LiveScience reports. Scientists speculate that the areas have some deep purpose, but for now they know only that they are “ultraconserved regions,... More »

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evolution • DNA • Stanford University • mice • genetic mutation • genome • scientific study • genetic engineering

Genetics May Play Role
in Smokers' Cancer Risk

Those who inherit variation from both parents are at greater danger

Apr 2, 08 8:50 PM CDT
(Newser) - Three new studies have found a genetic variation that may increase smokers' chances of getting lung cancer. A smoker who inherits the variations from both parents has a 70% to 80% greater risk of developing the cancer. The findings could shed light on why some  smokers get cancer and some... More »

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genetics • lung cancer • smoking • cigarettes • cancer research • genetic mutation • human genome

Schizophrenia Gene Find Surprises Scientists

Glitches vary from person to person

Mar 28, 08 6:08 AM CDT
(Newser) - Scientists have tracked down the genetic roots of schizophrenia, but in a surprising twist researchers found that the genetic errors to blame often vary from person to person, reports the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. The discovery suggests that multiple glitches in the genetic code are behind schizophrenia, with the exact combination unique... More »

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mental health • autism • schizophrenia • mental illness • genetic mutation • genes • genetic research

Scientists Link Gene Mutation to Longevity

Alteration makes cells less receptive to
growth factor

Mar 5, 08 11:42 AM CST
(Newser) - A genetic mutation that makes cells less responsive to growth hormone has been linked to human longevity, Scientific American reports. A recent study looked at children of Ashkenazi Jews with a family history of long life and an average age of 98, and compared their genes with the children of... More »

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medical breakthrough • health • growth hormones • aging • genetic mutation • genes • longevity • aging process • insulinlike growth factor 1 • Ashkenazi Jews

Africans Have Most Diverse DNA

Testing confirms man evolved on continent before migrating

Feb 21, 08 1:47 PM CST
(Newser) - A pair of wide-ranging genetic studies, published yesterday in the journal Nature, back up the idea that humanity first evolved in Africa before migrating elsewhere, Reuters reports. DNA testing of African Americans and European Americans found that people with African roots had much more genetic diversity. Other tests discovered that... More »

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Africa • genetics • DNA • genetic mutation • human evolution • genetic research

Baby Blues Come From Single Ancestor

A long-ago genetic mutation diluted brown eyes, scientists say

Jan 31, 08 7:21 PM CST
(Newser) - All blue-eyed people have a single, shared ancestor, scientists say. And all those baby blues are the result of a genetic mutation that occurred between 6,000 and 10,000 years ago, LiveScience reports. Before that, everyone had brown eyes. The mutation limits the effects of the gene that produces... More »

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genetics • science • genetic mutation • Denmark • human evolution • eyes

Study Finds Mutated Genes Raise Autism Risk

Could be 'tip of the iceberg' of gene flaws linked to disorder

Jan 10, 08 3:50 AM CST
(Newser) - Researchers studying the DNA of autistic children have discovered a pair of genetic mutations that raise the risk of developing autism as high as a hundredfold, USA Today reports. The defects in chromosome 16 occur in just 1% of autistic kids, but that figure represents some 10,000 children. A... More »

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autism • DNA • vaccine • medical research • genetic mutation • genes • genetic research

US Settlers Spread Rare Cancer Gene

Scientists trace
1630s couple to
NY and Utah families

Jan 7, 08 6:18 PM CST
(Newser) - Two American settlers braved cross-Atlantic travel in the 1630s with unusual baggage: a genetic mutation that increases the risk of colon cancer 17-fold, the Los Angeles Times reports. Researcher Deborah Neklason traced two cancer-ridden families, one in Utah and one in New York, back to colonists George Frye and his... More »

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colon cancer • genetic mutation • genetic defects • family diseases

Breast Cancer Risk Seen for Latinos, Blacks

Scientists find higher prevalance of mutated gene in new study

Dec 26, 07 6:40 PM CST
(Newser) - A genetic mutation that increases the risk of breast cancer has been linked to Hispanic and young black women, according to a new study. The findings could lead to changes in screening, the San Jose Mercury News reports. In the survey of 3,181 women with breast cancer, 16.7%... More »

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cancer • health • breast cancer • genetics • disease • women • ovarian cancer • genetic mutation • BRCA1 • American Medical Association • black women • Hispanic

Humans Evolving
at Warp Speed

New research contradicts theory that easier life slowed development

Dec 11, 07 3:59 AM CST
(Newser) - The pace of human evolution switched to the fast track when people began forming agrarian societies 10,000 years ago, researchers have discovered. Scientists had theorized that evolution would slow as challenges to survival waned, but the opposite appears to be the case with changes occurring surprisingly quickly, the Los ... More »

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evolution • milk • disease • malaria • genetic mutation • genes • population • human evolution

New Key to Breast Cancer Discovered

Understanding BRCA1 mutation may lead
to new treatments

Dec 10, 07 4:57 AM CST
(Newser) - Scientists believe they've made a breakthrough discovery in why a certain genetic mutation can cause a particularly deadly form of breast cancer. Mutations in the BRCA1 gene are apparently linked to the loss of an important protein, PTEN, that checks cell growth, according to a new study in the journal... More »

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breast cancer • genetic mutation • BRCA1 • tumors • PTEN

First Americans Migrated From Siberia

Research contradicts theory of multiple arrivals from Asia

Nov 27, 07 8:29 PM CST
(Newser) - Native Americans are descended from a single group that migrated from Siberia 12,000 years ago, new genetic research suggests. An alternate theory suggested that Native American ancestors migrated in several waves over land and sea from Asia, but the new study shows that native peoples from all over the... More »

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genetic mutation • Native American • genetic research

Lonely People's Genes Make Them Sick

Loners' DNA shows impaired immune system, study says

Sep 15, 07 6:05 PM CDT
(Newser) - Scientists say they’ve figured out why loners get sick and die young: “a highly suspicious conspiracy of genes” screws up their immune systems, Reuters reports. Their altered DNA can lead to heart disease, arthritis, Alzheimer’s and other problems. “There is something about being isolated and lonely... More »

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DNA • immune system • genetic mutation • genes • loneliness • health study

Grapevine Genome
Yields Secrets

Discovery reveals what makes wine taste good and why it's good for you

Aug 27, 07 4:24 PM CDT
(Newser) - Grapevines have extra genes that are responsible for making wine taste and smell so good, a new study finds. A team of researchers from France and Italy (where else?) mapped a pinot noir-related grapevine's genome and found it has twice as many genes linked to resin and oil—which give... More »

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genetics • wine • genetic mutation • genome • grapes • red wine • resveratrol • aging process • pinot noir

Drug Targets Hundreds of Disorders

Magic bullet hits mutations that prompt 1,800 genetic diseases

Apr 23, 07 8:42 AM CDT
(Newser) - A magic bullet that could treat cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, hemophilia and more than 1,800 other genetic disorders could be available by 2009. Lee Sweeney of UPenn, leader of the team developing the drug, tells the Times of London: “It doesn’t just target one mutation that causes... More »

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medicine • health • genetics • disease • muscular dystrophy • cystic fibrosis • hemophilia • medical research • PTC124 • mutation • genetic mutation

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