Mapping Genetic Abnormalities in Autism
New tools could uncover subtle changes.A new project to study the brains of people with autism in unprecedented detail could finally pinpoint subtle neurological changes that underlie the disorder....
View ArticleA Musical Score for Disease
Converting genetic activity into music may be a way to monitor health.When set to music, colon cancer sounds kind of eerie. That’s the finding of Gil Alterovitz, a research fellow at Harvard Medical...
View ArticleAging: An Evolutionary Accident?
Research suggests a new mechanism for aging in worms.Environmental stresses and cell damage play a role in the longevity of humans and simple soil-dwelling nematodes. But new research from Stanford...
View ArticlePersonal Genomics: Access Denied?
Consumers have a right to their genomes.In April, a startup company called Navigenics threw a swanky 10-day celebration in lower Manhattan to launch its highly publicized personal-genomics service,...
View ArticleNew Clues to How Primates Evolved
Regions of DNA prone to duplication may have played a vital role in human evolution.About eight to twelve million years ago, the evolutionary ancestor to humans, chimpanzees, and orangutans appears to...
View ArticleFinding Early Signs of Mad-Cow Disease
A comprehensive study of gene-expression changes could lead to new diagnostic tests.Researchers have made a list of blood proteins that act as early indicators of a group of diseases including bovine...
View ArticleMassive Gene Database Planned in California
The data will be compared against electronic health records and patients’ personal information.Plans for genetic analyses of 100,000 older Californians–the first time genetic data will be generated for...
View ArticleDefining an Algorithm for Inventing from Nature
The pipeline linking ecological discovery to bioengineering insight.“Time after time we have rushed back to nature’s cupboard for cures to illnesses,” noted the United Nations in declaring 2010 the...
View ArticleA 'Kill Switch' for Rogue Microbes
A new type of genetic switch gives bioengineers better control over microbes.Biologists often speak of switching genes on and off to give microbes new abilities–like producing biofuels or drugs, or...
View ArticleRNA Drugs Target Genes That Were Once Off-Limits
A unique class of RNA drugs could bring new treatments to cancer and other diseases.A new class of medicines could give doctors the ability to awaken underperforming genes in patients who currently...
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