It's a "gateway to embryo editing to do enhancements."

The post Scientists Concerned Latest Gene Editing of Human Embryos Could “Open the Floodgates” appeared first on Futurism.

Brain scans have uncovered two biologically distinct forms of autism hidden within the spectrum. An international team of researchers has identified at least two biologically distinct forms of autism by examining how different regions of the brain communicate with one another. The findings could help advance more precise and personalized approaches to autism care and [...]

A multidisciplinary study has uncovered new details about a centuries-old burial in northern Finland, revealing genetic links to Sámi populations and evidence of a remarkably mobile life. A new study by the University of Turku and its partners has revealed new details about a man buried near Lake Kitka in Kuusamo, Finland, around the turn [...]

Each year in the US, around 90,000 people are diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

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Category: Mental Health, Brain Health, Body and Mind

Tags: Parkinson's Disease, Dementia, Brain, Genetics

The iconic coats are due to a mutation not seen in other animals.

Human DNA art, with a pair of scissors editing it

A new study reveals that an extremely small change in a non-coding region of DNA can dramatically alter how sex develops in mice. How much can a single letter of DNA matter? According to new research from Bar-Ilan University, one misplaced genetic “letter” can completely change the course of sexual development. In a study published [...]

A gene normally responsible for repairing DNA may have a darker side when produced in excess. Cancer treatment is increasingly moving beyond where a tumor forms and focusing instead on the genetic flaws that drive it. Now, researchers at Penn State College of Medicine have identified an unexpected DNA repair gene that could help expand [...]

Scientists have uncovered an early brain mechanism that may help explain why people carrying the APOE4 gene face a higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease. For millions of people who carry the APOE4 gene, the strongest known genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, changes in brain activity may start years before memory problems become noticeable. Researchers [...]

A closer look at cancer cells with extra chromosomes uncovered surprising traits linked to faster-growing, more dangerous tumors, pointing to potential new indicators of disease severity. Cancer cells are notorious for breaking the rules of biology. One of the most dramatic violations occurs when a cell suddenly doubles its entire genetic library, creating a chromosome-packed [...]

A remarkable new study of the world’s oldest verified living person reveals a surprising picture of extreme longevity. Maria Branyas lived through two world wars, the 1918 flu pandemic, the Spanish Civil War, and COVID-19. When she died in 2024 at age 117 years and 168 days, she was the oldest verified living person in [...]

Summary: Scientists have uncovered evidence that the domestication of potatoes in the Andes influenced the evolution of human metabolism. A new study suggests ancient potato farming in the Andes may have shaped human evolution in an unexpected way. Indigenous communities in the Andes were the first to domesticate the potato, turning this starch-rich crop into [...]

Live Science spoke with Alika Maunakea, an Native Hawaiian epigeneticist, about how epigenetics underpins health disparities between Native Hawaiians and others in Hawaii.

Techniques for analyzing DNA have advanced, enabling scientists to better understand disease outbreaks throughout history.

DNA taken from elephant dung revealed that Angola’s elephants living at high elevations belong to a distinct genetic lineage connected to elephants in Namibia. For more than 10 years, conservation biologist Steve Boyes pursued reports of “ghost elephants,” nighttime giants said to live in a remote high-altitude wetland in eastern Angola. In 2024, a motion [...]

Tiny samples of DNA taken from a wide variety of animal sources can pinpoint hotspots of the illegal wildlife trade, utilizing a new research technique—and eventually lead to dismantling lucrative poaching networks. The study focused on pangolins—with their scales prized for traditional medicine. One of the most poached species, they account for almost a third […]

The post Animal DNA Samples Can…

Vitamin D may help prevent type 2 diabetes in people with specific genetic variations, offering a possible path toward personalized diabetes prevention. More than 40% of U.S. adults have prediabetes, a condition in which blood sugar levels are elevated but not yet high enough for a type 2 diabetes diagnosis. New research suggests vitamin D [...]

A massive single-cell study has revealed hidden genetic differences in male and female immune systems that may shape disease risk in unexpected ways. New research from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and UNSW Sydney may help explain why women are far more likely than men to develop autoimmune diseases, including lupus. Autoimmune diseases occur [...]

Sally Christine Reynolds, Bournemouth University/ The Conversation

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Category: Biology, Science

Tags: Human, Genetics, Neanderthal, Fossils, denisovan

Researchers have identified tiny genetic “switches” that appear to play a surprisingly large role in human language ability. Researchers at University of Iowa Health Care have identified specific genetic sequences that play an unusually large role in human language ability. These sequences developed before humans and Neanderthals split from a common ancestor. Jacob Michaelson, PhD, [...]

Tinkering with the genetic code of a living human is risky.

The post Gene Therapy Causes Patient to Grow Alarming Tumor appeared first on Futurism.

Long-distance gene control first emerged around 650 to 700 million years ago, significantly earlier than scientists had previously believed. Life depends on timing. Every cell must turn genes on and off at just the right moment. Even the simplest forms of life have mastered this, usually with switches located right next to the genes they [...]

The "dark proteome" is much more exciting than we thought.

A little-known inherited cholesterol particle called Lp(a) may explain some unexplained heart risk and is becoming a major target for new treatments. Most people know about “good” and “bad” cholesterol — but there’s another type that often goes undetected and could quietly raise the risk of heart attacks and strokes, even in otherwise healthy people. [...]

Scientists have discovered that the body’s own immune alarms may play a major role in rapid-aging diseases. New research suggests that reducing the activity of an overactive immune sensor may help restore tissue function in severe genetic disorders, offering a new perspective on aging and DNA damage. The immune system is designed to recognize and [...]

A new mathematical study explores how evolutionary principles could help doctors stay ahead of treatment-resistant cancers. A new study suggests that improving the timing of cancer treatments could help increase cure rates. The study’s principal investigator, Dr. Robert Noble, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Mathematics, City, St George’s, University of London, focused on a [...]

A new study suggests that certain genetic diseases may be treatable with carefully matched vitamins, including a deadly childhood disorder that responded strikingly to vitamin B3. Scientists at Gladstone Institutes have taken an unusual route in the search for treatments for deadly genetic diseases. Rather than choosing a disease first and then looking for a [...]

A hidden molecular switch linked to liver disease may be reversible, using an unexpected, familiar compound. About 30% of people worldwide are affected by metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MASLD), a condition closely tied to obesity and type 2 diabetes that can quietly progress to liver damage. Despite its growing impact, treatment options remain limited. New [...]

A single-cell platform reveals that many genetic mutations converge on shared cellular programs, pointing to simpler, more unified treatment strategies. What if hundreds of different genetic mutations could all be traced back to the same hidden control switches inside a cell? Diseases such as cancer and neurodegenerative disorders are driven by a tangled web of [...]

A subtle failure during cell division can set off dramatically different outcomes, according to new research exploring whole genome duplication. A new study finds that the way a cell fails to divide after copying its DNA can shape what happens to it next. Cell division is a core process of life, requiring thousands of molecules [...]