genetic mutation

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Tiny Ecuadorean Villagers Free of Cancer, Diabetes
Tiny Ecuadorean Villagers Free of Cancer, Diabetes
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Feb 20, 2011 7:45 AM CST

Tiny Ecuadorean Villagers Free of Cancer, Diabetes

Genetic mutation may shed light on longevity

(Newser) - After studying a group of villagers in Ecuador for nearly a quarter-century, researchers think it's safe to say it: These people don't get cancer or diabetes. The villagers are dwarfs—more specifically, they have Laron syndrome—and their particular genetic mutation helps keep them free of those two common diseases...

Scientists Zero In on Genetic Clues to Anorexia

Markers linked to autism show up in eating-disorder patients

(Newser) - Researchers have found a set of genetic alterations linked to the development of anorexia, LiveScience reports. The eating disorder had previously been thought to be highly heritable, but specific genetic markers hadn't been identified. If more are found, people at risk for the disorder could be identified early.

Genome Breakthrough Zeroes In on Disease

New approach decodes entire genomes of individual patients

(Newser) - Two teams of researchers have identified the exact genetic cause of their patients' rare diseases by sequencing their entire genomes, a sharp but promising departure of the previous application of genetics to disease. “I suspect that in the next few years human genetics will finally begin to systematically deliver...

Researchers Find Cancer 'Fingerprints'

Rearranged chromosomes can be used to ID tumors, personalize treatment

(Newser) - Scientists have developed a new, more accurate method of tracking specific cancers using genetic “fingerprints”— the unique way every cancer rearranges chromosomes. Those rearrangements can be pinpointed with new genetic sequencing methods, allowing doctors to follow the cancer’s trail in the blood. The breakthrough is a key...

Stuttering Genes Found
 Stuttering Genes Found 
Feb 11, 2010 8:22 AM CST

Stuttering Genes Found

Breakthrough could help at-risk children get earlier treatment

(Newser) - Scientists have long known that stuttering runs in families, and now they may have found out why: Researchers uncovered three gene mutations linked to the disrupted flow of speech, potentially solving a centuries-old mystery and moving closer to offering hope of new treatments for the 1% of adults who suffer...

Six Hours of Sleep Not Enough—for Nearly All

(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...

What if Swine Flu Meets Bird Flu?

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

(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...

Gene Mutation Instigates Skin Cancer, Scientists Say

Sun exposure leads to certain gene mutation

(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...

Amish Gene May Help Protect Heart
Amish Gene May
Help Protect Heart
Dec 12, 2008 4:41 PM CST

Amish Gene May Help Protect Heart

Missing gene could keep triglycerides low

(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...

100M-Year-Old DNA Regions Baffle Experts

Mice, humans share mysterious code immune to evolution

(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,...

Genetics May Play Role in Smokers' Cancer Risk

Those who inherit variation from both parents are at greater danger

(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...

Schizophrenia Gene Find Surprises Scientists

Glitches vary from person to person

(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...

Scientists Link Gene Mutation to Longevity

Alteration makes cells less receptive to growth factor

(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...

Africans Have Most Diverse DNA
Africans Have Most Diverse DNA
Feb 21, 2008 1:47 PM CST

Africans Have Most Diverse DNA

Testing confirms man evolved on continent before migrating

(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...

Baby Blues Come From Single Ancestor

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

(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...

Study Finds Mutated Genes Raise Autism Risk

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

(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...

US Settlers Spread Rare Cancer Gene

Scientists trace 1630s couple to NY and Utah families

(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...

Breast Cancer Risk Seen for Latinos, Blacks

Scientists find higher prevalance of mutated gene in new study

(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%...

Humans Evolving at Warp Speed
Humans Evolving
at Warp Speed
Dec 11, 2007 3:59 AM CST

Humans Evolving at Warp Speed

New research contradicts theory that easier life slowed development

(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 ...

New Key to Breast Cancer Discovered
New Key to Breast Cancer Discovered
Dec 10, 2007 4:57 AM CST

New Key to Breast Cancer Discovered

Understanding BRCA1 mutation may lead to new treatments

(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...

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