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.
If you hear about wonder drugs or ingredients that are claimed to be effective in curing all types of cancer, we must beware of their equally dangerous side effects.
Landscape in the Var area of France with fossilised Permian pelites (Permian Middle, 270 Ma) and “muddle cracks”.
The geological and biological archives of the Earth shed light on both the distant past of our planet and allow us to imagine its future.
Under the proposed changes, TGD people in Victoria can change the gender on their birth certificate without having to undergo medical intervention.
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Proposed reforms in Victoria will not only remove barriers for many TGD people to navigate their daily lives more safely, but help to make gender categories in general less strictly defined.
Sound waves are displayed as an oscillating glow light.
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Some treatments for neurodegenerative diseases involve inserting wires into the brain and zapping certain brain cells with electricity. But what if you could do the same thing using sound waves?
A firefly’s light is part of its mating strategy.
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Genetic testing companies are offering tests that analyze the ends of your chromosomes – telomeres – to gauge your health and your real age. But is there scientific evidence to support such tests?
Decoding all the DNA in a patient’s biological sample can reveal whether an infectious microbe is causing the disease.
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Charles Chiu, University of California, San Francisco
Superfast DNA analysis is now being used to crack medical mysteries when physicians can’t figure out whether an infectious microbe is causing the disease.
When it comes to reproduction, couple have more choices than ever before.
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A ban on clinical trials involving gene editing rules out the controversial procedure done in China. But it also prevents procedures that could offer couples a chance for healthy children without genetic disorders.
Leeches suck blood because it is a very good food for them. Some leeches only need to feed once a year.
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The short answer is that leeches need blood to grow and reproduce. But it’s in their interests to do it carefully, without causing too much pain, and in spots that are hard to find.
The glue that gives spider webs their stickiness is a form of spider silk protein. Researchers can imagine cool uses for a synthetic version – but had to wait for the tricky glue gene to be sequenced.
He Jiankui claims he helped make the world’s first genetically edited babies: twin girls whose DNA he said he altered.
AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein
News of the gene-edited babies excludes images of the children’s mother. Cutting her out of the picture underscores the idea that the mother is obsolete and babies can be created in the lab.
Two-footed walking, large human brains and using stone tools are all examples of evolution.
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