genes

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Gene Fights Pancreatic Cancer—Until It Doesn't
Gene Fights Pancreatic
Cancer—Until It Doesn't
NEW STUDY
Jul 16, 2024 1:20 PM CDT

Gene Fights Pancreatic Cancer—Until It Doesn't

Disease switches off beneficial gene HNF4A, a finding that could lead to new treatments

(Newser) - Pancreatic cancer succeeds by shutting down a gene that works to slow the growth of the disease, a breakthrough discovery that could lead to new treatments for one of the world's deadliest cancers. "Pancreatic cancer has the lowest survival of all the 20 common cancers," says Dr....

On the Alzheimer's Front, 'New Avenues' Have Opened

Research suggests rare gene mutation helps delay onset of disease's symptoms in some individuals

(Newser) - Researchers have hit upon a genetic quirk that seems to delay onset of the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease—sometimes for years, or even decades. "It opens new avenues," says neuropsychologist Yakeel Quiroz of Massachusetts General Hospital, a lead author of the new study published Wednesday in the...

Think Your Lab Is Too Chunky? There's a Reason
For These Dogs, a 'Double
Whammy' on Chonking Out
NEW STUDY
Mar 23, 2024 5:30 AM CDT

For These Dogs, a 'Double Whammy' on Chonking Out

Labradors, other flat-coated retrievers have genetic mutation that predisposes them to obesity

(Newser) - Every pet owner has to take care to keep their furry friends happy, healthy, and at a safe weight. For those who have a Labrador or flat-coated retriever in their charge, however, that last task might prove a bit more difficult. That's due to a "double whammy" with...

Neanderthal Genes Suspected in Severe COVID Cases
Neanderthal Genes Suspected
in Severe COVID Cases
NEW STUDY
Sep 22, 2023 11:45 AM CDT

Neanderthal Genes Suspected in Severe COVID Cases

Study looks at a hard-hit city in Italy

(Newser) - Individuals who suffer a severe COVID-19 infection may perhaps blame genes inherited from our cousins the Neanderthals. A new study focused on the northern Italian city of Bergamo, an early epicenter found to have one of the world's highest COVID-19 death rates, links a set of DNA variants, or...

Blind Patients Undergo First-of-Its Kind Treatment

Gene editing through CRISPR technology aims to restore vision

(Newser) - The world won't know until later this year whether a novel treatment for blindness has restored patients' vision, but for now, "to even have the possibility—it's a gift," one participant tells NPR . Michael Kalberer is 43 and legally blind, and he agreed to let scientists...

Big CRISPR First: Gene Editing Inside a Patient
For Gene Editing,
a 'New Frontier'
Mar 4, 2020 8:34 AM CST

For Gene Editing, a 'New Frontier'

If deemed safe, scientists hope for widespread use of CRISPR procedure inside patients' bodies

(Newser) - "We literally have the potential to take people who are essentially blind and make them see." Those are the attention-grabbing words of Charles Albright, the chief scientific officer at Editas Medicine, which is sponsoring a study to wield DNA technology in a novel way: edit genes using the...

Plan to Edit Baby Genes May Have 'Created New Mutations'

MIT Technology Review is far from impressed

(Newser) - Looks like a highly controversial attempt to create HIV-immune babies didn't work out and may have even gone wrong, the Guardian reports. This according to an MIT Technology Review report on the work of Chinese scientist He Jiankui, who sparked outcry with his plan to edit the embryonic genes...

He's 43 Years Old. He Looks and Feels Like He's 80
He's 43 Years Old. He Looks
and Feels Like He's 80
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Jun 2, 2019 6:47 AM CDT

He's 43 Years Old. He Looks and Feels Like He's 80

Nobuaki Nagashima has Werner syndrome, a rare aging disorder Erika Hayasaki examines for Digg

(Newser) - For Nobuaki Nagashima, whose body started deteriorating when he was in his mid-20s, there's one question that's always at the top of his mind: "Why do I have this disease?" The disease in question is Werner syndrome , or "adult progeria," a rare disorder that causes...

Scientists 'Toy With Mother Nature' in 'Bold' Genetic First

For first time, scientists attempted gene editing inside a live human to try to cure genetic disease

(Newser) - Scientists for the first time have tried editing a gene inside the body in a bold attempt to permanently change a person's DNA to cure a disease. The experiment was done Monday in California on 44-year-old Brian Madeux, the AP reports. Through an IV, Madeux, who has a metabolic...

Days After Death, a Body Remains Alive
2 Days After Death,
Some Life
Continues
in Body
NEW STUDY
Jan 25, 2017 6:45 PM CST

2 Days After Death, Some Life Continues in Body

Active genes may be attempting to repair damage: study

(Newser) - Death is more like the slow shutdown of a computer than the flipping off of a light switch, says a scientist, explaining a new study that shows genes in the body remain alive for about two days after the heart stops. In the study of mice and zebrafish, University of...

How Tough Childhoods May Lead to Premature Aging
How Tough Childhoods
May Lead to Premature Aging
study says
Oct 4, 2016 8:10 AM CDT

How Tough Childhoods May Lead to Premature Aging

Kids may appear to bounce back from life stressors, but their bodies tell a different story

(Newser) - Children appear to be highly susceptible to the stress of trauma on a biological level, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences . US and Canadian researchers led by Eli Puterman of the University of British Columbia have been studying the length of telomeres,...

Don't Blame 'Obesity Gene' for Failure to Lose Weight

Study finds the gene does not prevent carriers from losing weight

(Newser) - Carriers of a specific form of the FTO gene, known as the "obesity gene," are 70% more likely to be obese , tend to have a bigger appetite , and weigh an average of 6.6 pounds more than non-carriers. But, a new study finds, carrying the gene does not...

Genes Help Predict When We Lose Our Virginity

Scientists exploring a possible link between onset of puberty and sexual activity

(Newser) - Sure, people become sexually active under countless circumstances for countless reasons and at many different ages, but at least part of the timing appears to come down to our genes, Cambridge University researchers report in the journal Nature . Studying the genes and life histories of nearly 400,000 people, they...

Dad Learns He's Autistic When Daughter Is Diagnosed

Chris Offer had been with his wife 7 years before diagnosis

(Newser) - In the early days of their relationship, Jessica Offer says she and her now husband Chris Offer would argue over his discomfort in looking people directly in the eye. Then there was the sensitivity to social overload. And after moving in together, the absurd neatness of their kitchen pantry. But...

Scientists Find Gene Linked to Gray Hair

It's the first time one has been found in humans

(Newser) - Those unhappy with their gray hair now have to turn to a bottle of dye to cover it up, but a new study raises the possibility of being able to prevent hair from going gray in the first place. London researchers have identified a gene that causes hair to lose...

Family Sues After Boy Is Expelled Over His DNA
Family Sues After Boy Is Expelled Over His DNA
in case you missed it
Feb 6, 2016 5:00 PM CST

Family Sues After Boy Is Expelled Over His DNA

A trial could help establish exactly who can access one's genetic information

(Newser) - When Colman Chadam was born in 2000, he underwent extra medical tests after a congenital heart issue was discovered. Doctors learned that the infant carried genetic markers associated with cystic fibrosis, but he never went on to develop the disease. In fact, that test was the boy's only interaction...

Morning Person or Night Owl? Your Genes May Decide

Biology may be influencing if you stay up all night or wake up with the sun

(Newser) - You may be naturally disposed toward being a morning person or a night owl—and scientists are now saying that may have a true biological basis that's hard to fight, the Guardian reports. Per a study published Tuesday in Nature Communications , researchers under the direction of 23andMe lead scientist...

Irish Bones May Settle 'Archaeological Controversy'

What researchers learned from 4 sets of remains

(Newser) - It's a "long-standing archaeological controversy": whether the Irish shifted from hunter-gatherers to farmers because of adaptation or migration. A new DNA analysis of remains from several people, dating back thousands of years, may settle the question—as well as provide a better sense of where the Irish came...

Your Father's Sperm Might Be Making You Fat

Dad's weight when he conceives children may affect them, study says

(Newser) - Having trouble maintaining your ideal weight? Blame your dad's sperm. That may sound odd, but a study published Thursday in Cell Metabolism found that a man's weight may change the information carried in his sperm and predispose his children to obesity, reports the New York Times . Researchers compared...

This Artist's DNA Could Be Yours for the Right Price

'An extremely personal self portrait'

(Newser) - A 29-year-old Dutch artist is selling what he calls "an extremely personal self portrait." How extremely personal? Let's just say it's everything that makes him him—genetically speaking. Jeroen van Loon has made his entire DNA sequence available to the highest bidder as part of a...

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