Genetics

  1. Health & Medicine

    Fetuses make a protein that causes morning sickness in pregnancy

    A hormone called GDF15 triggers a part of the brain involved in nausea and vomiting, a new study finds. Blocking its action may lead to treatments.

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  2. Health & Medicine

    Why Huntington’s disease may take so long to develop

    Repeated bits of the disease-causing gene pile up in some brain cells. New treatments could involve stopping the additions.

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  3. Animals

    Here’s how high-speed diving kingfishers may avoid concussions

    Understanding the genetic adaptations that protect the birds’ brains when they dive for food might one day offer clues to protecting human brains.

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  4. Genetics

    These 8 GMOs tell a brief history of genetic modification

    Since the first genetically modified organism 50 years ago, GMOs have brought us disease-resistant crops, new drugs and more.

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  5. Genetics

    Most of today’s gene therapies rely on viruses — and that’s a problem

    The next big strides in gene therapy for rare diseases may come from CRISPR and new approaches to delivery.

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  6. Animals

    In a first, genetically modified silkworms produced pure spider silk

    An effort to engineer silkworms to produce spider silk brings us closer than ever to exploiting the extraordinary properties of this arachnid fiber.

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  7. Animals

    Gene editing can make chickens resistant to bird flu

    Chickens genetically modified to be impervious to avian influenza may one day prevent the spread of the disease on farms, a study suggests.

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  8. Animals

    For the first time, researchers decoded the RNA of an extinct animal

    The Tasmanian tiger, or thylacine, was hunted nearly to extinction. Now RNA extracted from a museum specimen reveals how its cells functioned.

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  9. Health & Medicine

    Scientists grow humanized kidneys in pig embryos

    The work represents an important advance in the methods needed to grow humanized kidneys, hearts, and pancreases in animals.

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  10. Animals

    A new DNA leaf swab technique could revolutionize how we monitor biodiversity

    Simple swabs of just 24 leaves in Uganda’s Kibale National Park provided a genetic snapshot of 52 animals in the tropical forest.

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  11. Genetics

    The Y chromosome’s genetic puzzle is finally complete

    New analyses of the human Y chromosome reveal millions of new bases and different locations for the same gene in different people.

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  12. Genetics

    A new look at Ötzi the Iceman’s DNA reveals new ancestry and other surprises

    Ötzi had genetic variants for male-pattern baldness and dark skin, and he also had an unusual amount of early farmer ancestry, a new DNA analysis finds.

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