Once genetic lesions for diseases such as cystic fibrosis and haemophilia were identified, the idea of replacing or correcting defective genes grew into what we now call "gene therapy".
Sunrise at noon in the Arctic. Little exposure to sun was a piece of the genetic puzzle.
Bering Land Bridge National Preserve
Why was one gene mutation that affects hair, teeth, sweat glands and breasts ubiquitous among ice age Arctic people? New research points to the advantage it provided for ancestors of Native Americans.
More and more evidence shows evolution isn't as random as often thought.
In 2030, some diseases are defined more specifically than in the past with a focus on their molecular makeup. This is known as precision medicine.
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In 2030, there is a boom in precision medicine, where diseases – from cancer to dementia – are defined and targeted more specifically with a focus on their molecular makeup.
As genes are favored or phased out, human evolution continues.
ktsdesign/Shutterstock.com
Comparing genomes of more than 200,000 people, researchers identified genetic variants that are less common in older people, suggesting natural selection continues to weed out disadvantageous traits.
A new research paper reports dangerous side effects in CRISPR-edited mice. Some scientists are pushing back, placing blame for the unwanted mutations on the experiment, not the technique.
Our cells have a built-in genetic clock, tracking time… but how accurately?
Stopwatch image via www.shutterstock.com.
How do scientists figure out when evolutionary events – like species splitting away from a common ancestor – happened? It turns out our DNA is a kind of molecular clock, keeping time via genetic changes.
What produces the differences between men and women? Are they trivial or profound? Are they genetic or environmental, or both? And are men really closer genetically to chimpanzees than to women?
BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations prompted Angelina Jolie to have a preventative double mastectomy and surgery to remove both ovaries.
Sebastian Kahnert/AAP
Gene therapy is allowing us to switch on natural beneficial mutations to counteract the effects of negative mutations in diseases such as sickle cell anaemia.
Jolie Pitt has announced she has had her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed to mitigate cancer risk.
EPA/Facundo Arrizabalaga
Jolie Pitt has announced more surgery, this time to mitigate her risk of developing ovarian cancer. But this should ideally not have the same "Jolie effect" as her last operation.
Families share genes but that doesn’t mean no individual in a family should be accorded privacy about their genetic tests.
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When a family member dies from a disease caused by a genetic mutation, doctors have to decide whether to share the deceased person's test results with the rest of the family.
Challenges to the patents for BRCA mutation tests in Australia and the United States resulted in opposing conclusions.
Christiana Care/Flickr
Recent cases in Australia and the United States and a new case in Canada show how controversial the subject of gene patents is. But technological advances and the cost of patenting may soon mean gene patents…
Is cancer just a mathematical game of chance?
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What causes cancer? This deceptively simple question has a devilishly complex answer. So when US researchers proposed a relatively simple mathematical formula to explain a long-standing conundrum in cancer…