How often have you pondered your dad’s diabetes or the heart disease that runs in the family and thought, “Am I going to get that? Is it inevitable?” With all we’ve learned about genetics, it seems reasonable to think that some of our health outcomes will be determined by those invisible forces buried deep in…

The Biden administration on Thursday added 37 companies to a trade, including units of Chinese genetics company BGI and Chinese cloud computing firm Inspur, in a move that promises to further ratchet up tensions with Beijing. The Commerce Department, which oversees export controls, added BGI Research and BGI Tech Solutions (Hongkong), over allegations that the…

Scientists from the University of Utah recently concluded that one’s ancestors—particularly where and when one’s grandparents and their children were born—may contribute to an increased risk of autism. Recently published in the International Journal of Health Geographics, the study reveals that ancestors’ genetics carry a significant risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD)—with the strongest signal…

Sure, we know that most conventionally produced meat isn’t the healthiest food.  For instance, numerous studies linked the consumption of meat – loaded with toxic chemicals and synthetic antibiotics – to cancer and heart disease.  Even “leaner” meats seem to be healthy only when eaten in moderation, because of the toxicity already mentioned. Moreover, the…

Researchers have developed a new technology that permits the growth of fallopian tubes and uterine tissue, offering a better approach to female reproductive repair surgery and hope for women born with reproductive abnormalities to obtain a normal functioning reproductive system. Unfortunately, some women are born with missing or malfunctioning reproductive organs; this occurs because of…

A person’s unrelated lookalike, commonly known as a doppelganger, may actually share genes that affect not only how they appear, but also their behavior. In a new study, scientists did DNA analysis on 32 sets of virtual twins — people with strong facial similarities — and found they possessed similar genetic variants. “Our study provides…

Stuttering affects more people than you might think. Roughly 3 million Americans have this speech disorder that makes speaking smoothly difficult. Scientists are learning about what causes people to stutter, and genes tell a big part of the story. “People with stuttering know exactly what they want to say. They’re just unable to say it at the…

With every beat of your heart, blood carries oxygen from your lungs throughout your body. This life-sustaining process happens automatically, whether you’re awake or asleep. But for people with sickle cell disease, it often goes awry. People with this disease have an abnormal type of hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying molecule in red blood cells. Normally, red…

Originally published on IndependentScienceNews.org. The Rockefeller Foundation had two strategies for management that were distinct but complementary: to control human behaviour at the level of social structures: family, work and emotions, which the Foundation referred to by names such as “psychobiology”; and to control human behaviour at the level of molecules. Many people date the DNA…

Test your understanding of the living world with this simple question. What kind of biomolecule is found in all living organisms? If your answer is “DNA”, you are incorrect. The mistake is very forgiveable though. The standard English-language biology education casts DNA (DeoxyriboNucleic Acid) as the master molecule of life, coordinating and controlling most, if not all,…