Genetics News and Research

Latest Genetics News and Research

Genetic variant explains why people react differently to smells

Why the same sweaty man smells pleasant to one person and repellant to another comes down to the smeller's genes.

17 Sep 2007

Androstenone determines whether male body odor smells pleasant

New research from Rockefeller University, performed in collaboration with scientists at Duke University in North Carolina, reveals for the first time that this extreme variability in peopl's perception of androstenone is due in large part to genetic variations in a single odorant receptor called OR7D4.

17 Sep 2007

Economic development linked to differences in rates of asthma symptoms

Children with allergic sensitizations in economically developed countries are much more likely to develop asthma than similarly sensitized children in poorer countries, according to a team of international researchers.

17 Sep 2007

N-cofilin molecule protects from neuronal disorders

Many neuronal disorders, including epilepsy, schizophrenia and lissencephaly – a form of mental retardation - result from abnormal migration of nerve cells during the development of the brain.

17 Sep 2007

Loneliness can damage your health

A team of researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) may have found a genetic reason why lonely people have poorer health.

14 Sep 2007

Zebrafish shed light on human mitochondrial diseases

Zebrafish can now be used to study COX deficiencies in humans, a discovery that gives scientists an unprecedented window to view the earliest stages of mitochondrial impairments that lead to potentially fatal metabolic disorders, according to researchers at the University of Oregon.

13 Sep 2007

New insight into the mechanisms of Lou Gehrig's disease

There is no known cure for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often known as Lou Gehrig disease and motor neuron disease.

13 Sep 2007

Call for more genetic research in the sport and exercise sciences

Genetic research into athletic ability should be encouraged for its potential benefits in both sport and public health, a leading group of scientists meeting at the University of Bath said today.

13 Sep 2007

World's longest-running study of the health effects of low levels of mercury exposure

The presence of mercury in dental amalgams, or fillings, is relatively common knowledge; however, whether its presence affects the neurological system is a debate that has been ongoing for 150 years.

13 Sep 2007

Discovery of gene responsible for binocular vision

In work that could lead to new treatments for sensory disorders in which people experience the strange phenomena of seeing better with one eye covered, MIT researchers report that they have identified the gene responsible for binocular vision.

13 Sep 2007

Proteins Nox1 and Nox2 play important role in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

University of Iowa researchers investigating the basic biology of cell signaling have made a discovery that may have therapeutic implications for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other neurodegenerative diseases.

13 Sep 2007

New understanding of immune infertility

Most of us have never heard of immune infertility, yet it prevents many prospective parents from conceiving. Immune infertility is one of 80 autoimmune disorders, a group that includes better-known diseases like Multiple Sclerosis and Type 1 Diabetes.

13 Sep 2007

Unique role for blood formation gene MLL identified

All blood cell production in adults depends on the steady work of a vital gene that if lost results in early bone marrow failure, Dartmouth Medical School cancer geneticists have found.

13 Sep 2007

New Rensselaer tools speed stem cell research

Engineers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have developed tools to help solve two of the main problems slowing the progress of stem cell research - how to quickly test stem cell response to different drugs or genes, and how to create a large supply of healthy, viable stem cells to study from only a few available cells.

13 Sep 2007

New understanding of how proteins function in the cell - breakthrough for early cancer diagnosis

Early detection of disease is often critical to how successful treatment can be. Therefore, the development of new methods of diagnosis is a hot research field, where every small step is of great importance.

13 Sep 2007

Tamoxifen for bipolar disorder

The medication tamoxifen, best known as a treatment for breast cancer, dramatically reduces symptoms of the manic phase of bipolar disorder more quickly than many standard medications for the mental illness, a new study shows.

13 Sep 2007

Genetic link to loneliness

It's already known that a person's social environment can affect their health, with those who are socially isolated - that is, lonely suffering from higher mortality than people who are not.

13 Sep 2007

Gene-drug interactions that lower blood pressure

Patients with high blood pressure respond very differently to antihypertensive medication, making treatment selection tricky for physicians.

13 Sep 2007

Biodiversity of protozoa may be much higher than previously realised

In contrast to previous findings, it seems that the global distribution of macro- and microorganisms might be similar. A study in the online open access journal, BMC Evolutionary Biology, shows that some protozoa are globally dispersed, while others are geographically restricted - by looking at a new fast-evolving DNA marker.

13 Sep 2007

New insights into retinal growth

Peering at microscopic changes within the retina, scientists in the Department of Ophthalmology at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City, have discovered a key mechanism driving eye health and eye disease.

12 Sep 2007