As the price of sequencing an individual’s genome becomes as cheap as $1000, scientists and bioethicists discuss the risks and benefits of large populations of the public having their genome sequenced. Their concern addresses questions of accuracy and the risk of false positives as well as the potential of genetic discrimination for things like life and disability insurance. NPR covers…
Okaganan Specialty Fruits Inc. has just has developed two genetically engineered varieties of green apples that will not turn brown after being sliced. These apples are poised to become the first to gain the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s approval leaving many to wonder – would an apple that doesn’t turn brown prevent us from telling whether it’s rotten? NPR covers…
Until recently, genetic tests only scanned small parts of someone’s DNA, such as the parts carrying genes that can cause Huntington’s or Alzheimer’s or breast cancer. Whole genome sequencing spells out the entire genetic code — all 3 billion letters. It’s far from clear how often it will yield truly definitive, useful information. Vague results will send patients down long,…
Researchers have found the first drug to treat progeria, an extremely rare genetic disease that causes children to age so rapidly that many die in their teens. The drug, called lonafarnib, is not a cure. But in a study of 28 children lead by Dr. Leslie B. Gordon it reversed changes in blood vessels that usually lead to heart attacks…
After years of studying how cats get their color, researchers have pinpointed an elusive gene underlying spots on cheetahs, stripes in house cats and patterns across the feline world. Called Taqpep, it and two other genes produce proteins central to a cascade of cell-level events that ultimately generate your kitty’s distinctive coat. “It’s something we’ve been curious about for a long…
A study published this week in the well-respected journal Food and Chemical Toxicology has sparked a lot of controversy. In the study, titled “Long term toxicity of a Roundup herbicide and a Roundup-tolerant genetically modified maize” Dr. Gilles-Eric Séralini and colleagues basically concludes that rats fed a diet of genetically modified corn and small amounts of herbicides got sicker faster…