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NEWS ABOUT: genes

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Gene Tweaking Dramatically Extends Life

Altered yeast microbes live 10 times longer than control group

(Newser) - In a breakthrough that may have implications for humans, researchers have made the lifespan of yeast 10 times longer, doubling the previous record for life expansion, LiveScience reports. Genetic alteration and a low-calorie diet prolonged the microbe's existence from the typical 1 week to 10 weeks. The scientists involved have... More »

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... More »

Genes Make Mouse That Roared

Genetically altered Mickey has no fear of cats

(Newser) - Japanese scientists have modified mouse genes to make rodents unafraid of cats in a dramatic experiment that offers insight into the origins of terror. The breakthrough shows that fear is largely genetically hardwired rather than learned through painful experience, researchers say. Some of the mice, whose nasal cells were altered... More »

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 ... More »

Scientist Blasted for Racism Has Black Genes

Watson said blacks less intelligent than whites

(Newser) - Nobel laureate James Watson, famous for co-discovering DNA and infamous for his theory that black Africans are less intelligent than whites, turns out to have a genetic profile with 16 times as many black genes as the average white European, the Independent reports. Watson's genes are said to be comparable... More »

Sprouting Eyes in Petri Dishes

Research that gave tadpoles a third eye could be boon for human sight

(Newser) - A lab fluke that resulted in tadpoles growing third eyeballs could be a major boon for human sight, leading to replacement optic parts or even whole eyes grown in petri dishes. A recent research project accidentally happened upon a trigger for eye formation in frogs—a nitrogen-bearing molecule—that may... More »

Genealogy Site Wants to Swab Your Cheek

New service will allow members to submit DNA samples for comparison

(Newser) - Now even dead ancestors can join the social networking craze. Their descendants, today’s consumers, can submit cheek swabs to genetics company GeneTree, which compares the DNA to its database and creates an interactive digital family tree. Users can post videos, photos, and link up with other members of their... More »

Me Caveman, Me Talk

Gene indicates Neanderthals may have had language capabilities like ours

(Newser) - Neanderthals may have spoken much like we do, new research shows. Scientists examined a gene linked to language called FOXP2 in the DNA of cavemen bones discovered in northern Spain, and found that it was identical to ours. The gene is the only one known to be involved in human... More »

Lonely People's Genes Make Them Sick

Loners' DNA shows impaired immune system, study says

(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 »

"Skinny Gene" Found in Mice

Scientists discover a "volume control" for fat production

(Newser) - A gene dubbed "adipose," identified more than 50 years ago in fruit flies, has now been found to regulate  thinness, or its opposite, in worms and mice, according to a study in the journal Cell Metabolism.  Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center have determined... More »

Perfect Pitch Might Come Built Right In

Ability may be in genes, but early musical training a must, too

(Newser) - Sounds like absolute pitch—the ability to identify a note without a reference tone—might be genetically determined. “Either you have it or you don’t,” said the lead researcher in a report in Scientific American, who cautioned that even those with the theoretical genetic predisposition must be... More »

If I Said You Had an Incredible Body...

...would you be in this study? Researchers examine pickup lines

(Newser) - Cheesy pickup lines aren’t just a turn off, but a measure of a man’s “genes and fitness,” according to a new study in Personality and Individual Differences. They also reveal the personality the man is looking for. Men know ladies aren’t fond of sexual jokes,... More »

Redheads Wave Goodbye

Our flame-haired friends are bound for extinction: report

(Newser) - Across the globe, true redheads are declining in number and may soon be gone altogether. More human intermingling has lessened redhead coupling, the Daily Mail reports, and carrot-tops may be no more as soon as 2060. Some scientists make less dire predictions, according to National Geographic, and say the ginger... More »

25 Biggest Scientific Discoveries

From the unfathomably small to the mind-blowingly huge, the most significant breakthroughs

(Newser) - The invention of the wheel was pretty good. Fire, even better. But what has science done for us lately? USA Today lists the top 25 scientific discoveries; here are the top 10:
  1. Accelerating universe
  2. Human genome
  3. Climate accord
More »

Lefty Gene Found, Linked to Mental Illness

Southpaws run greater risk for schizophrenia than righties

(Newser) - A gene that increases the likelihood of left-handedness also boosts the risk of mental illnesses like schizophrenia, the BBC reports. Lefties’ brains often differ from righties’ in the location of controls for speech and emotions, scientists say, and the newly pinpointed gene appears to catalyze the switch. More »

New Genetic Ties to MS Found

Findings represent stunning medical breakthrough

(Newser) - Scientists have pinpointed two genes that may be linked to MS, signaling a breakthrough in the fight against the debilitating disease 20 years in the making. In separate studies published today by two medical journals, researchers revealed one specific gene receptor may trigger cells to inhibit the body's autoimmune reaction,... More »

Gene Doesn't Alter Cancer Survival Rates

Breast cancer triggered by BRCA1 and BRCA2 no more lethal than other forms

(Newser) - Women who carry one of the two known breast-cancer-causing genes—BRCA1 and BRCA2—are more likely to  be diagnosed with the disease before 50, but they're not more likely to die from it than other breast-cancer patients, a new study concludes. Tracking the 10-year survival rates of women in 22... More »

10 Worst Hereditary Conditions

Heart disease? Hair loss? Blame mom and pop

(Newser) - MSNBC lists the 10 lamest heredity conditions.
  1. Baldness: People usually blame mom on this one, but cue ball syndrome can come from either side of the gene pool.
  2. Lactose intolerance: Humans developed the ability to digest milk only in the past 10,000 years, and only where dairy farming is
... More »

Evolutionary Theory Takes Big Leap With Evo-Devo

Research in embryonic development reveals how organisms evolve

(Newser) - Evolutionary theory is in the early days of its third great expansion, the New York Times reports, following Darwin’s original formulation almost 150 years ago and the so-called “modern synthesis” of 1930-50. Dubbed “evo-devo” because it focuses on the embryonic development of organisms, the newest science explores... More »

Scientists ID New Breast Cancer Genes

Biggest breakthrough in a decade may advance prevention, treatment

(Newser) - Four newly discovered genes can increase a woman's chance of developing breast cancer by as much as 60%, say scientists who hail the isolation of the genes as the biggest advance in the field since 1994. The breakthrough raises hopes for more advanced treatment and even prevention of breast cancer... More »

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