Diverse perspectives on science and medicine
“I have no family history of breast cancer,” says the woman in a public service announcement stressing the importance of mammograms for all women. “No one in my family had breast cancer. Not one. But
Despite the rising popularity of plant-based burgers like the Impossible and Beyond, plenty of people still like the real deal. Many studies have linked eating red meat (beef, pork, and lamb) to atherosclerosis, colorectal cancer, other
Like the mythological phoenix bird, gene therapy has risen from the ashes and is spreading its wings. September 17 marked 20 years since the death of 19-year-old Jesse Gelsinger in a gene therapy trial. That
To a trained eye, the chromosome chart (karyotype) above has 4 irregularities, circled in red. They’re chromosome pairs of uneven size. The chromosomes represent genetic material missing or extra, but also a beautiful girl. Her
It seems that lately everything in genetics, which has morphed into genomics, is big, big, big. Data on half a million people represented in the UK Biobank are highlighting genome regions associated with difficult-to-study traits,
The once-prevailing concept of a sole “gay gene” dictating sexual orientation has been put to rest in a powerhouse study published today in Science. The work illustrates the nature of science: evolving with the input
When the name Kary Mullis popped up in my news feed on Monday, I was excited to read what I thought would be an update on the renegade inventor I’d met years ago at a
Exercise is a key component of any weight-loss plan, but it’s especially important for people who’ve inherited a tendency to easily put on pounds. Results of a study published in the August issue of PLOS
CRISPR continues to be big news. Condemnation of the gene editing technology was swift late last year when a researcher in China claimed to have used it to doctor the genomes of twin girls to
Eating just 50 bitter almonds can release enough hydrogen cyanide to kill an adult in under 3 minutes. Fortunately, the sweet variety that we scoop from bins at grocery stores is safe to eat, thanks to a