Genetics, features and articles | Educational Science

Jan 9, 2024

Gene variant guards against Parkinson's and could lead to therapies

People who carry a rare gene variant are about half as likely to develop Parkinson's disease than people who carry a different version of the gene, a new study finds. Researchers have started to unravel exactly how this genetic quirk might protect against Parkinson's — by preserving the function of...

Jan 10, 2024

Europeans' ancient ancestors passed down genes tied to multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's risk

Migrations of ancient humans in Eurasia may have impacted modern Europeans' risk of developing a variety of diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer's disease. That's according to two new papers published Wednesday (Jan. 10) in the journal Nature. Along with two other articles from the...

Jan 18, 2024

The world's 1st CRISPR therapy has been approved. Here's everything you need to know

The world's first treatment that uses CRISPR gene-editing technology has been approved. Exa-cel, also known by its brand name Casgevy, received its first regulatory approval on Nov. 16, 2023 from the U.K. Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to treat two debilitating blood disorders: sickle-cell disease and transfusion-dependent beta-thalassemia....

Jan 18, 2024

Unique gene variants tied to glaucoma found in Black patients

Scientists have uncovered two gene variants tied to the most common form of glaucoma by studying the population most affected by the blinding disease: People of African ancestry. Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) occurs when the structure that normally drains fluid from the eye doesn't work properly. As a result, fluid...

Jan 24, 2024

What determines a person's height?

People of diverse heights populate the world, so why is it that some adults are short, while others are as tall as professional basketball players? Researchers have found it largely relates to genes. In other words, people with tall parents will likely also need to pay for extra legroom on...

Jan 24, 2024

Gene therapies restore hearing in several kids with inherited deafness

Several children born with a rare, inherited form of deafness can now hear thanks to two new gene therapies, clinical trial results show. Both therapies target the gene for otoferlin, a protein in the inner ear that lets nerve cells translate vibrations from sound into electrical signals that can be...

Feb 9, 2024

Gene mutation helps Andean highlanders thrive at altitude, and 'living fossil' fish live deep underwater

Living at high altitudes for long periods can be detrimental to most people's health — however, over thousands of years, some populations in the Andes and mountains of Tibet have adapted to the low-oxygen environments with genetic changes that allow them to thrive. The same adaptation can also be seen...

Feb 19, 2024

CRISPR 'will provide cures for genetic diseases that were incurable before,' says renowned biochemist Virginijus Šikšnys

Scientists introduced CRISPR to the world as a gene-editing tool in summer 2012, when landmark papers from two independent groups demonstrated how the system could be wielded to make cuts in DNA. Now, less than 12 years later, we're seeing CRISPR put to use in groundbreaking medical treatments. Virginijus Šikšnys...

Feb 19, 2024

More than 275 million never-before-seen gene variants uncovered in US population

Scientists have uncovered more than 275 million previously unknown gene variants in the U.S. population, thanks to an ongoing project that aims to increase the diversity of the human genetic data available in medical research. The newfound variants were discovered in an analysis of nearly 250,000 complete genome sequences from...

Feb 20, 2024

4 genes' activity could be key to faster appendicitis diagnosis

Doctors could use distinct patterns of gene activity in the blood to more quickly diagnose and treat children with life-threatening appendicitis, new research suggests. These genetic measures could help doctors differentiate between so-called simple and complicated appendicitis at early stages of the disease, researchers wrote in a paper published Monday...

Feb 28, 2024

We finally know why humans don't have tails

Approximately 25 million years ago, an ancestor of both humans and apes genetically diverged from monkeys and lost its tail. No one had identified the genetic mutation responsible for this dramatic change in our physiology — until now. In a new study published Wednesday (Feb. 28) in the journal Nature,...

Feb 28, 2024

Why don't people have tails?

Tens of millions of years ago, the common ancestors of humans and all other primates had tails. Many modern primates, such as monkeys and lemurs, still have tails, but as primates diversified and evolved, the ancestors of modern humans, as well as apes such as chimps and bonobos — our...