Pediatric epigenetic clocks have the potential to accurately assess biological age. However, possible applications in law enforcement and immigration raise ethical issues.
Genetic testing in Banff National Park showed that grizzly bears were using wildlife corridors for safe passage beneath a highway.
(Shutterstock)
Information collected from DNA samples can be used to identify species, track their movements and diagnose genetic diseases. This information is useful in conservation and management projects.
No, a DNA swab can’t tell you if you’re gay, or likely to be obese, or depressed. And it can be damaging to believe so.
Shutterstock
Genetic apps claim to reveal fundamental insights about your health, well-being, and even intellect. But it’s not just spurious science - believing these traits are genetic can have harmful consequences.
Genetic testing costs around A$700 per embryo.
KieferPix
Women aged over 35 are sometimes offered genetic testing of their IVF embryos to rule out abnormalities. But it’s expensive and doesn’t increase their chance of a baby. In fact, it could reduce it.
No gene for cuteness has yet been identified – but give it time.
Shutterstock
It’s now possible to choose embryos for IVF based on the likelihood they will have certain traits.
DNA database giant Ancestry lets members access international records including the convict and free settler lists, passenger lists, Australian and New Zealand electoral rolls and military records.
Patrick Alexander/Flickr
A US judge has allowed police access to the major DNA database without users’ consent (including Australian users). It’s a timely reminder that we urgently need genetic privacy legislation.
Men with faults in their BRCA2 gene are at higher risk of aggressive prostate cancer.
More than 200 gene variants have been linked to outstanding sporting performance and this number could increase as we continue to research the link between genetics and athlete performance.
Lukas Coch/AAP
Genetic testing could help us build targeted and effective training routines for athletes, but the emerging science could also introduce opportunity for discrimination in the sporting world.
Most common chronic diseases are the outcome of complex interactions between genetic, environmental and social risk factors, so a genetic risk score, on its own, isn’t much help.
Every child born in the U.S. has a blood sample taken to screen for genetic diseases.
Helen Sushitskaya/Shutterstock.com
What happens when babies are born critically ill and the doctors have no idea what is wrong? Some argue that a controversial tool called whole genome sequencing may help find the cause.
If you’ve got the raw data, why not mine it for more info?
Sergey Nivens/Shutterstock.com
New research investigated who uses the wide array of tools available to people who’ve received their own raw genetic data and want to maximize what they learn from it.
Home DNA testing has made it easy and affordable for millions of people to learn about their ancestry. Now, police are using this genetic information to identify suspects in unsolved crimes.
Shutterstock
Despite privacy concerns over police use of DNA uploaded to ancestry websites, many people are just excited that their genetic material could get a killer off the streets.
Swamp foxtail is prized in ornamental gardens across Australia.
John Tann/Flickr
Before you attribute a trait to a famous ancestor like George Washington or Marie Antoinette, you might want to see how much DNA you actually share with these people. It’s not what you thought.
The cause of many inherited eye diseases are a mystery.
Milos Batinic/Shutterstock.com
The causes of most inherited forms of blindness are unknown. Now more than 260 genes never before linked to eye development could lead to new therapies and diagnostics.
Does a good marriage depend on having the right genes?
Tiffany Bryant/Shutterstock.com
Richard Mattson, Binghamton University, State University of New York
Will your marriage be better if you and your partner are genetically compatible? Is there any evidence that certain genes make someone a better or worse partner? And if so, which genes should we test?
Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne
Visiting Professor in Biomedical Ethics, Murdoch Children's Research Institute; Distinguished Visiting Professor in Law, University of Melbourne; Uehiro Chair in Practical Ethics, University of Oxford