DNA Science Blog Search
Share DNA Science
-
Popular Posts
- Dan Brown’s "Inferno": Good Plot, Bad Science posted on January 9, 2014
- When Does a Human Life Begin? 17 Timepoints posted on October 3, 2013
- A Little Girl With Giant Axons, a Deranged Cytoskeleton, and Someday Gene Therapy posted on May 16, 2013
- SyFy’s Helix: Tired Plot, Bad Science, Fun posted on January 16, 2014
- Retinal Stem Cells and Eye of Newt posted on January 17, 2013
-
Recent Posts
Recent Comments
- Ricki Lewis, PhD on From GMOs to GROs: Will Life Find a Way?
- Nina Fedoroff on From GMOs to GROs: Will Life Find a Way?
- RS Gold on New Miracle Drugs: What Would You Pay?
- James V. Kohl on Sequencing Kids’ Exomes: More Good News
- Ricki Lewis, PhD on When Mutation Counters Infection: From Sickle Cell to Ebola
Categories
Tags
23andMe adrenoleukodystrophy age-related macular degeneration aging Amish atherosclerosis autism Baylor College of Medicine Canavan disease cloning cystic fibrosis deCODE Genetics direct-to-consumer genetic testing DNA Ebola farnesyl feline immunodeficiency virus FIV Foundation Fighting Blindness Francis Collins gene therapy genetic counseling genetic disease genetics genetic testing giant axonal neuropathy hepatitis C HIV Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome iPS cells Leber congenital amaurosis newborn screening NORD PKU progeria rare disease Rare Disease Day rare diseases retinal pigment epithelium retinitis pigmentosa Rett Syndrome RPE Sanfilippo syndrome stem cells telomereArchives
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
You may also be interested in:
Click to visit this PLOS Medicine collection
You may also be interested in:
About DNA Science Blog
Geneticist Ricki Lewis blogs from the cutting edge of genomics, including genetic testing, stem cells, gene therapy and more.
Ricki Lewis is a science writer with a PhD in genetics. The author of several textbooks and thousands of articles in scientific, medical, and consumer publications, Ricki's first narrative nonfiction book, "The Forever Fix: Gene Therapy and the Boy Who Saved It," was published by St. Martin's Press in March 2012. In addition to writing, Ricki provides genetic counseling for parents-to-be at CareNet Medical Group in Schenectady, NY and teaches "Genethics" an online course for master's degree students at the Alden March Bioethics Institute of Albany Medical Center.
Subscribe to this Blog- From GMOs to GROs: Will Life Find a Way? January 22, 2015A pair of papers in this week’s Nature introduces GROs — “genomically recoded organisms” — whose altered genetic code makes them require a synthetic amino acid to survive. Although this new type of biocontainment indeed keeps microorganisms from spreading to … Continue reading »The post From GMOs to GROs: Will Life Find a Way? appeared first on DNA Science B […]Ricki Lewis, PhD
- New Miracle Drugs: What Would You Pay? January 8, 2015Levi Collazo, a biology major at Southwestern Oklahoma State University, has cystic fibrosis (CF). “In the first photo, I was making fun of my own weight. I’ve always used humor as a defense mechanism. I weighed 110 pounds. I’m 5’10″. … Continue reading »The post New Miracle Drugs: What Would You Pay? appeared first on DNA Science Blog.Ricki Lewis, PhD
- Adult Polyglucosan Body Disease (APBD): A Diagnostic Challenge January 1, 2015When Susan Coddon, a member of the board of directors of the Adult Polyglucosan Body Disease Research Foundation (APBDRF) e-mailed me a few weeks ago, I was intrigued. “Polyglucosan” didn’t ring any bells. Her husband learned he had the underrecognized condition … Continue reading »The post Adult Polyglucosan Body Disease (APBD): A Diagnostic Challenge appea […]Ricki Lewis, PhD
- Why I Dislike “Best of” Lists and Eman Update from Liberia December 25, 2014I’m not a big fan of end-of-the-year lists, such as the “top-10-scientific-achievements of the year” and the “top-10-genetics-stories-for-2014.” Science shouldn’t be a popularity contest. I wouldn’t suggest such a list for DNA Science, because: 1. I can’t possibly know about all … Continue reading »The post Why I Dislike “Best of” Lists and Eman Update from […]Ricki Lewis, PhD
- How to Use the Genetic Code for Passwords December 18, 2014Need a password for a new device or service? Try the genetic code. Messenger RNA triplets and the amino acids they specify provide nearly endless password possibilities. And it’s timely — the People’s Choice for Science magazine’s Breakthrough of … Continue reading »The post How to Use the Genetic Code for Passwords appeared first on DNA Science Blog.Ricki Lewis, PhD
- Sequencing Kids’ Exomes: More Good News December 11, 2014“Exome” hasn’t yet entered the normal lexicon, like genome has. Yesterday, for example, I wore my clinical exome T-shirt from Ambry Genetics to Zumba class, and a woman came up and peered at my chest. “What the heck is that? What … Continue reading »The post Sequencing Kids’ Exomes: More Good News appeared first on DNA Science Blog.Ricki Lewis, PhD
- James Watson On “Genetic Losers” December 4, 2014I’m thrilled that Christie’s decided to auction off James Watson’s Nobel prize on a Thursday, DNA Science posting day! I’ve got some great quotes to add to the chatter. Dr. Watson shared the Nobel prize with Francis Crick in 1962 for … Continue reading »The post James Watson On “Genetic Losers” appeared first on DNA Science Blog.Ricki Lewis, PhD
- Nailing a New Niche of Stem Cells November 27, 2014If my mother-in-law hadn’t just yanked off a toenail, I might not have noticed the news release from researchers at the University of Southern California’s Stem Cell Regenerative Medicine Initiative. Their elegant experiments in mice reveal the heretofore unknown collection … Continue reading »The post Nailing a New Niche of Stem Cells appeared first on DNA […]Ricki Lewis, PhD
- When Mutation Counters Infection: From Sickle Cell to Ebola November 13, 2014While pharmaceutical companies focus on drug discovery for Ebola virus disease, a powerful clue is coming from a rare “Jewish genetic disease” that destroys the brain. People with Niemann-Pick C1 disease can’t get Ebola, adding to the list of disease … Continue reading »The post When Mutation Counters Infection: From Sickle Cell to Ebola appeared first on D […]Ricki Lewis, PhD
- Eman Reports From Ebola Ground Zero November 6, 2014The last post here at DNA Science continued Emmanuel Gokpolu’s reporting from Ebola ground zero in Monrovia, and surrounding communities. The Ebola outbreak interrupted Eman’s medical education, so now he is teaching his people about strategies to minimize risk of infection. Eman … Continue reading »The post Eman Reports From Ebola Ground Zero appeared first […]Ricki Lewis, PhD
- From GMOs to GROs: Will Life Find a Way? January 22, 2015