genetics

Sequence Your DNA In An Hour On This Tiny Chip

Diagnosing genetic disorders and devising personalised therapies just got a lot easier, or at least quicker. Panasonic and Belgian research lab IMEC have created a small chip that tests DNA in under an hour.


The Human Cells We Use For Research Are Kind Of A Genetic Disaster

It turns out that the human cells scientists have studied the most and used in research for more than 60 years have some unexpected and pretty intense genetic mutations. Good thing they weren’t used as part of 60,000 published papers. They were? Oh geez.


You Can Maybe Blame That Cold On Your Short Telomeres

If you have short telomeres, you’re basically screwed. We’ve known these dwarfed pieces of DNA are connected to aging-related disorders like dementia and heart disease, but they also might make you more likely to catch a cold.


Someone Out There Is 3D-Printing Faces With Discarded DNA Scraps

It’s probably not something you think about a lot, but we all leave pieces of ourselves everywhere we go. Flakes of skin here, a renegade hair there, the occasional loogie, they all leave some of your DNA behind. And while it normally goes untouched, someone could use it to say, 3D-print an approximation of your face.


Scientists Spot Quadruple Helix DNA Working In Human Cells

Forget the humble double helix: scientists from Cambridge University have now spotted four-stranded strings of DNA working inside human cells.


It Now Only Costs $100 To Know Everything About Your DNA

Mapping out your genome is the 21st-century equivalent of staring deep inside your soul; it’s tempting to look, but terrifying what you might find. The DNA divers at 23andMe are hoping that slashing the price of their home-testing service — from $US300 down to $US100 — will be enough to tilt the scales towards discovery. Are they right?


Genetic Proof That Nobody Is Perfect

You. Yes you. Don’t sit around looking so smug. You’re not perfect — and now, scientists have the evidence to back up that very claim.


DNA Test Can Predict How Good Beef Will Taste

One cow looks much like another, but some provide meltingly tender meat while others are as tough as old boots. Fortunately, a team of researchers has devised a series of DNA tests that can predict how good beef will taste by the time it hits your plate.


One Egg Created From Two Mothers Could Prevent Genetic Disorders

Scientists at the Oregon National Primate Research Center have discovered a crazy sci-fi way to possibly prevent genetically inherited diseases. This sounds pretty unbelievable, but they actually combine the eggs from two different mothers to create one single stronger egg. It already works for mama monkeys; and it could help humans too.


The Placebo Effect May Be Genetic

The placebo effect seems to make little sense: get ill, take a dummy pill, and you’ll recover in much the same way as someone taking real drugs. While there have been many theories bandied about over the years to explain how it works, new evidence suggests that it may be genetic.


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