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Heart and Gum Disease Linked by Gene: Study

Periodontitis patients should cut out risk factors, scientists say

(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...

Suit Challenges Patenting of Cancer Genes

(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...

Got a Temper? Blame Your Genes

(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...

Bovine Industry Boon: Cow Genome Sequenced

(Newser) - A 5-year, $53 million project has resulted in the sequencing of the cow genome, the Houston Chronicle reports. The results will likely take the guesswork out of breeding, but also mark the end of big-money sequencing projects. “It was pretty dumb to do the cow for $50 million when...

Deadly Genes Make Euro Jews Smarter: Scientist

Scientists spark furor with controversial DNA theory

(Newser) - The genes that make European Jews susceptible to deadly diseases may also increase their intelligence, two scientists say. Arizona physicist Gregory Cochran stumbled on the theory when pondering why natural selection hasn't removed bad DNA from the gene pool that makes Ashkenazi Jews get so many diseases. His answer: ...

Gene Discovery Lets Mice Gorge on Carbs, Stay Thin

Tweaked mice can munch carbs without getting fat

(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....

Amid Outcry, Doc Backs Off Designer Babies

Clinic will only screen embryos for disease, genetic disorders

(Newser) - After backlash from doctors, ethicists, and the public, a fertility clinic that had promised parents the option to choose certain traits for their new babies has changed its claim slightly. “We’re going to limit it to people with genetic diseases because we just cannot keep up with what’...

Screening Technique Improves In Vitro Odds

Scientists can now safely analyze eggs' chances of conception

(Newser) - Scientists have discovered a way to greatly increase the chance of success for in vitro fertilizations, Time reports. Under current procedures, fresh eggs yield only a 25% success rate, necessitating multiple—and expensive—attempts. Many eggs hold chromosomal defects that make them incapable of conception, but it has, until now,...

Wallflower or Life of the Party? It's in Your Genes

Study of twins finds genetic link to social position

(Newser) - Whether a person becomes a wallflower or social butterfly and what group of friends they develop is apparently significantly affected by their genes, National Geographic reports. Scientists examined social groupings of more than 1,000 pairs of teenage twins and discovered that identical twins, who share the same genes, were...

Baby Born in UK Screened To Be Cancer-Free

Scientists implanted in womb only cells without genes that could lead to disease

(Newser) - The UK’s first “cancer-free” baby was born yesterday, but not without a shower of criticism for the parents and doctors, the BBC reports. Doctors screened the embryo for the altered BRCA1 gene, whose carriers have an 80% chance of developing breast cancer. “The parents will have been...

Gene Discovery Raises Breast Cancer Hopes

Targeted therapy may prevent lethal spread, researchers say

(Newser) - Researchers have singled out a gene that spreads breast cancer and makes it chemo-resistant, raising the prospect of drug therapy that localizes the disease and improves survival rates, the Baltimore Sun reports. Scientists believe that metadherin, or MTDH—found in 40% of the breast cancer patients studied—makes tumor cells...

Three Genes Made 1918 Flu So Deadly
Three Genes Made 1918 Flu So Deadly
Dec 30, 2008 2:58 PM CST

Three Genes Made 1918 Flu So Deadly

They cause pneumonia by letting virus into lungs

(Newser) - Researchers have pinpointed the reason the flu pandemic of 1918 was “the most devastating outbreak of infectious disease in human history,” Reuters reports. The key is a combination of three genes that allowed the virus to enter the lungs and cause pneumonia. Typically, the flu affects only the...

RNA: Secret Weapon Against Disease

Once seen as weak partner of DNA, gene helps control cells' activity

(Newser) - RNA has long been seen as DNA’s little brother, a messenger between the human genome and cells’ protein factories. But studies point to a bigger role—ribonucleic acid can “turn off” certain genes, for example, fighting a range of health problems, the New York Times reports. “This...

Coke Addicts Can Blame It on DNA
Coke Addicts Can Blame It
on DNA
Nov 10, 2008 8:34 PM CST

Coke Addicts Can Blame It on DNA

Newly uncovered gene boosts chance of getting hooked

(Newser) - A newly discovered gene can improve your chances of getting hooked on cocaine, scientists said today. A study of 670 cocaine addicts and 700 non-users found that addicts were 25% more likely to have the gene variant. The discovery could lead to DNA screenings for those likely to try the...

Americans Seek Immune Genes in Mates: Study

Nigerians don't marry for DNA diversity, but may not need to

(Newser) - Americans pick mates with different immune genes while Africans prefer the genes they already have, New Scientist reports. A study of 60 couples from Utah and Nigeria showed that the Americans hitched up with partners whose genes recognized pathogens that theirs couldn't. The African marriages, however, appeared to be genetically...

Scientists Find 'Divorce Gene'
 Scientists Find 'Divorce Gene'
Sep 2, 2008 5:26 AM CDT

Scientists Find 'Divorce Gene'

Gene linked to poor bonding

(Newser) - Some men may be hard-wired to form strong marital bonds and others more genetically likely to divorce—or never marry, according to a new study. Researchers have found that men with a variant of a gene linked to a hormone released during sex were less likely to develop strong emotional...

Women on Pill Choose the 'Wrong' Man

Oral contraceptives twists choice based on smell

(Newser) - The pill skews women's choice of partners because the contraceptive disrupts the sense of smell, according to new research. Women usually seek partners who have an odor that indicates dissimilar genes. That's important because a gene mix tends to produce healthier offspring. But research shows women using the pill tend...

'Obesity Gene' Linked to Runaway Appetite

Children in study had harder time feeling full

(Newser) - Children who carry a version of a gene linked to obesity have a more difficult time telling when they're full, researchers have found. Earlier studies discovered that adults with two copies of the higher obesity risk version of the FTO gene were nearly 7 pounds heavier than a control group....

Geneticists Solve Mystery of Giant Tomatoes

Without mutations on just 2 genes, red fruit would be tiny bud

(Newser) - Tomatoes would be about the size of blueberries if it weren't for two key genetic mutations, Reuters reports. Scientists mapping the plant's DNA discovered one gene that encourages additional cell division, and another that allows the fruit to grow many more internal compartments. Together the changes have created tomatoes up...

Missing Genes Can Thwart Doping Tests

Athletes' DNA triggers false negative tests for testosterone

(Newser) - Testosterone injections are among the most common performance-enhancing drugs detected in athlete screenings, but some lucky competitors can take them without fear of exposure, the New York Times reports. Of 55 men given testosterone in a recent study, 17 came up clean on a drug test because they're missing the...

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