Families and schools have a substantial influence on whether or not young people go to college but no effect on how well students perform once they get there, according to the first study of genetic and environmental influences on higher education. In an effort to disentangle the factors that determine college enrollment and performance, researchers […]
Tag: genes
Large genetic study finds first genes connected with ADHD
Enlarge (credit: Wyss Institute, Harvard) If you have ADHD, chances are higher that your siblings do, too. Estimates differ as to how strong the connection is, but the arrows point in the same direction: genetics helps determine someone’s risk for ADHD. Beyond that, we still have myriad questions and not many answers—which genes play a […]
Chinese scientist claims he edited babies’ genes with CRISPR
A Chinese scientist claims to have created the world’s first genetically-edited babies using the CRISPR/Cas9 tool. He Jiankui (pictured) told the Associated Press that twin girls, Lulu and Nana, were born earlier this month following embryo-editing using CRISPR to disable the CCR5 gene, which allows the HIV virus to infect cells. An American scientist, Michael […]
The Evolutionary Importance of Neutral vs. Adaptive Genes
For 50 years, evolutionary theory has emphasized the importance of neutral mutations over adaptive ones in DNA. Real genomic data challenge that assumption. https://media.wired.com/photos/5bef45b5600e05096052e038/master/pass/NeutralTheory_2880x1650-2880×1650.jpg
The Key to a Long Life Has Little to Do With ‘Good Genes’
Alphabet’s longevity lab Calico trawled through Ancestry’s massive genealogy database to study human longevity—and found that DNA matters less than people have long believed. https://media.wired.com/photos/5be0efecc5e5d34f2ff5c922/master/pass/genetic_longevity-01.jpg
Chronic back pain could be in our genes, say scientists
BACKACHE may be down to our genes, research has revealed. Three mutations linked to the world’s leading cause of disability have been identified by scientists in a breakthrough that could lead to new therapies.
How Your Genes Could Be Used to Cure Cancer
Judy Perkins, a 52-year-old breast cancer patient, had been in remission for a decade when her cancer returned with a vengeance. She stopped responding to treatment and was grappling with a terminal diagnosis. But then Perkins learned about a National Institutes of Health trial that involved the extraction of immune cells to treat cancer. She […]
Breast cancer cure hope: Scientists discover genes linked to risks of developing cancer
SCIENTISTS have linked more than 100 genes to an increased risk of breast cancer – paving the way for more personalised treatments, a study has said. A team at The Institute of Cancer Research in London identified a “treasure trove” of specific genes involved in raising a woman’s risk of developing the condition.
Can Machine Learning Find Meaning in a Mess of Genes?
The computer scientist Barbara Engelhardt develops machine-learning models and methods to scour human genomes for the elusive causes and mechanisms of disease. https://media.wired.com/photos/5a99a3b8183e80505b186c6a/master/pass/barbaraengelhardt.jpg
DNA test to spot cancer genes gets OK from U.S. regulator, but with warnings
Genetic testing company 23andMe won U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval to sell genetic tests for three key breast cancer mutations directly to consumers.
