Genetics News and Research

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Genetics is the study of genes and heredity. Heredity is the passing of genetic information and traits (such as eye color and an increased chance of getting a certain disease) from parents to offspring.

Study Unveils Surprising Cause of Brain Cell Death in Huntington's Disease

Scientists at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Harvard Medical School, and McLean Hospital have discovered a surprising mechanism by which the inherited genetic mutation known to cause Huntington's disease leads to the death of brain cells.

17 Jan 2025

Long Reads Show Promise for Diagnosing Rare Genetic Disorders

The cause of rare diseases is increasingly being detected through genome sequencing, which involves reading the entire human DNA by first breaking it into small pieces-short reads.

16 Jan 2025

New Genetic Risk Factor Identified for SARS-CoV-2 Infection

Researchers have identified a novel genetic risk factor for SARS-CoV-2 infection, providing new insights into the virus' ability to invade human cells. SARS-CoV-2 is the virus that spreads COVID-19.

15 Jan 2025

Base Editing Technique Extends Lifespan in Prion Disease Mouse Model

Researchers at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard have developed a gene-editing treatment for prion disease that extends lifespan by about 50 percent in a mouse model of the fatal neurodegenerative condition.

15 Jan 2025

The Role of Genetics and Environment in Plant Domestication

University of Southampton researchers have suggested that certain wild plant species possess specific traits that make them more suitable for human cultivation than others.

15 Jan 2025

Researchers Predict U.S. Dementia Cases Will Double by 2060

Unveiling a looming health crisis: how shifting demographics and genetic risks are driving a dramatic rise in dementia cases.

14 Jan 2025

Research Shows How Sleep Clears Brain Waste

A good night's sleep does more than just help you feel rested-it might literally clear your mind. A new study published January 8 in the Cell Press journal Cell shows how deep sleep may wash away waste buildup in the brain during waking hours, an essential process for maintaining brain health.

10 Jan 2025

Fiber Digestion Alters Gene Function with Potential Anti-Cancer Effects

Fiber is well known to be an important part of a healthy diet, yet less than 10% of Americans eat the minimum recommended amount.

10 Jan 2025

UK Biobank to Study Protein Changes Across 600,000 Samples

UK Biobank has today announced the launch of the world's most comprehensive study of the proteins circulating in our bodies, which will transform the study of diseases and their treatments.

10 Jan 2025

Identifying PRIMER Cells and their Role in Defense Signaling

A diverse population of immune cells that move from one organ to another and react to anything from cuts to colds to cancer is how human bodies protect themselves. However, this luxury is not available to plants.

9 Jan 2025

New Genomic Evidence Sheds Light on Early Migration into Wallacea

A new study from the University of Adelaide and The Australian National University (ANU) has outlined the first genomic evidence of early migration from New Guinea into the Wallacea, an archipelago containing Timor-Leste and hundreds of inhabited eastern Indonesian islands.

8 Jan 2025

Researchers Discover Key Factor Behind Disease Resistance in Gene Carriers

New work by Columbia researchers has turned a textbook principle of genetics on its head and revealed why some people who carry disease-causing genes experience no symptoms.

3 Jan 2025

Biologists Reveal Genetics Behind Walnut Trees' Alternating Sexes

The genetics behind the alternating sexes of walnut trees has been revealed by biologists at the University of California, Davis.

3 Jan 2025

New Insights into How Early Life Experiences Influence Genetic Expression and Brain Health

In a comprehensive Genomic Press Interview, renowned neuroscientist Dr. Michael Meaney reveals pivotal discoveries about the intricate relationship between genes and environment in shaping brain health.

2 Jan 2025

Ancient DNA Analysis Unveils Migration Patterns in Early Europe

Waves of human migration across Europe during the first millennium AD have been revealed using a more precise method of analyzing ancestry with ancient DNA, in research led by the Francis Crick Institute.

2 Jan 2025

Genetic Sequencing Breakthrough Reveals Rapid Spread of New Pathogens

Researchers have come up with a new way to identify more infectious variants of viruses or bacteria that start spreading in humans - including those causing flu, COVID, whooping cough and tuberculosis.

2 Jan 2025

Bumetanide Treatment Alters Early and Late Social Behaviors in Fragile X Mice

In a comprehensive Genomic Press Interview, researchers from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and Hirosaki University have uncovered critical new insights into the developmental trajectory of social behaviors in fragile X syndrome, the leading genetic cause of autism spectrum disorder.

30 Dec 2024

Scientists Develop Non-Destructive Method to Study Fish Teeth

Can we examine the teeth of living fish and other vertebrates in detail, repeatedly over time, without harming them?

27 Dec 2024

Fruit Flies Evolve New Defense Through Gene Transfer

In the continual arms race between parasites and their hosts, innovation was thought to be the key to a successful attack or defense that one-ups the competition.

26 Dec 2024

New Gene Editing Tool Targets Alzheimer's by Skipping Disease-Causing Gene Segments

A new gene editing tool that helps cellular machinery skip parts of genes responsible for diseases has been applied to reduce the formation of amyloid-beta plaque precursors in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign report.

24 Dec 2024