genetics

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Amid 'Substantial Doubt,' 23andMe Cuts 40% of Workers

Genetic testing company to slash 200 jobs in restructuring effort after a painful year

(Newser) - The genetic testing company 23andMe hasn't been doing so hot lately, watching its share price plummet more than 70% this year, and CEO Anne Wojcicki has desperately been trying to right the ship. Now, a streamlining: The BBC reports the firm has slashed 200 jobs, or about 40% of...

Do Your Kids Glare at Their Plate? It May Be in the Genes

Researchers say picky eaters may be more nature than nurture

(Newser) - Have a fussy young eater at home, or know someone who does? Many parents will vouch that their own kids are similarly finicky when mealtime rolls around, and now new research suggests that pickiness may be genetic—meaning refusing to consume one's broccoli or glass of milk may be...

A Harvard Aging Expert Faces Severe Blowback
A Harvard Aging Expert
Faces Severe Blowback
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
May 4, 2024 4:50 PM CDT

A Harvard Aging Expert Faces Severe Blowback

'WSJ' explores how geneticist David Sinclair is accused of pushing claims to 'reverse aging' too far

(Newser) - If you've looked into the idea of trying to stave off aging, chances are you've encountered the work of Harvard geneticist David Sinclair. He has become one of the nation's foremost "longevity influencers," the Wall Street Journal reports. But its lengthy profile digs into how...

23andMe Has Gone From Hot to Not. Can Its CEO Save It?

Stocks are trading below $1, but Anne Wojcicki sees promise in drug development

(Newser) - Genetic testing company 23andMe's stock is trading at around 75 cents as of this writing, a precipitous fall for a company that the Wall Street Journal dubs "one of the hottest startups in the world ... five years ago." Its valuation has fallen 98% from its former $6...

Food and Exercise Aren't the Only Keys to Living Past 90

Luck, in the form of genetics, plays a major roll in longevity, new research is making clear

(Newser) - While trend pieces that describe which foods to eat or the magic number of steps to walk each day may help curb disease and increase longevity, a key factor to living a very long life isn't within our control. Per the Wall Street Journal , research on aging increasingly shows...

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...

You and Your Doppleganger Share More Than Looks
You and Your Doppleganger
Share More Than Looks
new study
Aug 25, 2022 12:25 PM CDT

You and Your Doppleganger Share More Than Looks

Study shows that unrelated look-alikes also share genes and even behaviors

(Newser) - Studies of twins are common. Studies of unrelated people who could pass for twins, not so much. But in Cell Reports , researchers dug deep into the phenomenon of dopplegangers—look-a-likes who are aren't actually related—and discovered that they share far more than superficial appearances, reports Science Alert . An...

Scientist Behind Gene-Edited Babies Is Let Out of Prison

He Jiankui was convicted, sentenced in China in December 2019

(Newser) - Update: A Chinese biophysicist jailed in China for his role in helping to create the world's first gene-edited babies is a free man once more. The release of He Jiankui, who was convicted and sentenced to three years behind bars in December 2019 on charges of practicing medicine illegally,...

Woman Sues Fertility Doc for 'Medical Rape'

Says he used his own sperm, without permission, to impregnate her

(Newser) - Another heartbreaking story of an allegedly unethical fertility doctor: In New Jersey, Bianca Voss, 75, learned last year that her daughter Roberta's father was, allegedly, the very OB-GYN who was supposed to have artificially inseminated her using sperm from an anonymous donor almost four decades ago. The bombshell came...

DNA Slavery Study Yields Suprises
DNA Slavery Study
Yields Surprises
NEW STUDY
Jul 24, 2020 12:20 PM CDT

DNA Slavery Study Yields Surprises

More enslaved people came to the US from Nigeria than previously thought, researchers say

(Newser) - Using historical records has been the most traditional way to shed light on the dark stain of slavery in the United States. Now, per new research that the Scientist calls "the largest DNA study to examine African ancestry in the Americas," gene analysis is helping put more pieces...

In This Wild Battle of Sexes, the Females Prevail
In Phenomenon
Seen Across Species,
the Ladies Have It
in case you missed it
Mar 28, 2020 7:00 AM CDT

In Phenomenon Seen Across Species, the Ladies Have It

Female mammals typically live longer, likely owing to genetics

(Newser) - It's not just in human populations that females tend to live longer than males. The same trend has been seen in mammals such as elephants, lions, and orcas, according to a new study. Indeed, demographic data for 134 populations of 101 mammalian species shows females outlive males in 60%...

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...

3 Cheetahs, 2 Cubs, One 'Big Breakthrough'

Birth via surrogacy allows for greater genetic diversity

(Newser) - Ohio has welcomed two new scientific marvels—the first ever cheetah cubs born via in vitro fertilization. Cheetahs are a vulnerable species, with only 7,500 left in the wild. They also have low genetic diversity owing to a mass die-off about 10,000 years ago. That's made breeding...

Do Humans Have a 'Gay Gene?' Big New Study Thinks Not

Sexual orientation is instead a complex stew of genetics and environment, say researchers

(Newser) - Humans do not have a "gay gene" that determines their sexual orientation, according to the largest study (by far) ever conducted on the issue. Researchers studied the genomes of 470,000 people, hunting for a pattern to explain human sexuality, reports Live Science . They found five genetic markers deemed...

Landmark Gene-Editing Work May Help Restore Vision

Researchers will use CRISPR technology to try to help patients with rare disease

(Newser) - Patients are about to be enrolled in the first study to test a gene-editing technique known as CRISPR inside the body to try to cure an inherited form of blindness, per the AP . People with the disease have normal eyes but lack a gene that converts light into signals to...

Woman Feels No Pain, Didn't Realize It Until Age 65

Jo Cameron has been through several operations and childbirth without painkillers

(Newser) - It sounds like something out of a superhero movie: There's a woman living in Scotland who feels no pain. In a case report on Jo Cameron in the British Journal of Anaesthesia , scientists say they discovered two genetic mutations at play (one on a previously unidentified gene) and that...

Scientist Behind Gene-Edited Babies Speaks, to Condemnation

He Jiankui speaks publicly about the allegedly genetically edited babies

(Newser) - The Chinese researcher who has rattled the scientific world with his claim that he created the world's first genetically edited babies spoke publicly for the first time Wednesday, and he made a revelation, though an unclear one at that. While speaking at the Human Genome Editing Summit in Hong...

Women's Paternal Grandmas May Be Tied to This Type of Cancer

Women's risk for ovarian cancer may be passed down from the father's side of the family

(Newser) - Sons inherit a baldness gene from their moms, and now scientists are pointing to another parent-child link on the opposite side. Per the BBC , fathers can pass down a gene mutation to their daughters that can raise the risk of ovarian cancer, per a study published Thursday in Plos Genetics ...

Big Breakthrough Could Mean Pig Organs in Humans
Big Breakthrough
Could Mean Pig
Organs in Humans
NEW STUDY
Aug 11, 2017 9:34 AM CDT

Big Breakthrough Could Mean Pig Organs in Humans

Scientists who've created genetically modified piglets say perhaps in 2 years

(Newser) - Pig organs have long been eyed as transplant options for humans, as the organs are about the same size and pigs are plentiful, but it's been challenging to overcome the human immune system's possible rejection of such organs. Now, in what one medical expert tells the New York ...

Scientists Create World's First True-Blue Mum
Scientists Just Achieved
'Holy Grail' of Plant Breeding
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Jul 30, 2017 6:33 AM CDT

Scientists Just Achieved 'Holy Grail' of Plant Breeding

Japanese team engineers the first blue chrysanthemum

(Newser) - A development of "great impact" has been made in the world of flowers—specifically among chrysanthemums, which researchers have just turned a true-blue hue for the first time, per Science . The magazine explains that vibrant blue flowers are hard to find in nature—only a few species exist, and...

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