Genome sequencing technologies have transformed biological research in many ways, but have had a much smaller effect on the treatment of common diseases.
Medical workers talk with a woman suspected of being ill with a coronavirus at a community health station in Wuhan, China, in January 2020.
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Social media has allowed researchers around the world to collaborate and co-ordinate their efforts to fight the outbreak and contain its spread.
A seafood counter is shown at a store in Toronto in 2018. A study that year found 61 per cent of seafood products tested at Montréal grocery stores and restaurants were mislabelled. Fish is a common victim of food fraud.
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Trust in our global food supply chains remains a concern. For the foreseeable future, much of Canada’s food fraud remains hidden in plain sight, sitting right there on our grocery store shelves.
Statins are imprecise and rather brilliant.
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The scientist who announced the world’s first genome-edited twins received a prison sentence and a large fine for his research. But the systems that enabled him have not been held to account.
Direct-to-consumer genetic tests are not an accurate source of health information. Users should also consider the future privacy implications of sharing their genetic data.
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DNA testing kits will be a popular gift this holiday season. Before mailing off your saliva, it’s important to understand what these kits can and cannot tell us.
Once contentious, genomic editing is now heavily regulated by the World Health Organization and other governments.
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One year after the first CRISPR babies were announced, changes in policies and regulations have meant that there have been no new CRISPR announcements since.
Africa is known to be where humans originated. This makes it the most genetically diverse region in the world. Diversity in other populations represents a subset of the diversity within Africa.
The talamanca hummingbird, or admirable hummingbird, is found in Costa Rica and Panama.
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How many genes do you really need? Are there any that we can lose? Researchers are now identifying species that have streamlined their genome to adapt to a particular lifestyle.
CRISPR has many applications, including targeted gene therapy, but the precision of the technology still has a way to go.
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CRISPR technology is continually improving to make it more specific, but serious consideration should be given to when and how CRISPR is safe for gene editing.
Health data can be collected with and without patient consent, and can produce significant research outcomes.
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CRISPR technology could have momentous effects if it’s used to edit genes that will be inherited by future generations. Researchers and ethicists continue to weigh appropriate guidelines.
Bacteriophages are viruses that attack and infect bacteria.
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Global phosphate production is set to peak in 2030, around the same time the world’s population will reach nine billion. As a finite resource, a phosphate shortage will effect global food production.
Thomas Durcan’s lab is using pluripotent stem cells to grow human brain neurons in a dish, in search of a cure for Parkinson’s disease.
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Thomas Durcan’s lab is growing 3D mini-brains in the search for a cure for Parkinson’s disease. Over the next year he is giving all his lab’s protocols, methods and results away.
If you’ve got the raw data, why not mine it for more info?
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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.