Researchers at the University of Aveiro in Portugal are developing DNA barcode tags that can be harmlessly applied to a wide variety of products, even foods or liquids. Each tag is a unique combination of DNA base pairs that attach to most surfaces, and can later be collected, amplified, and sequenced. The power of this technique lies in the uncountable…
One of the hopes and promises of the Human Genome Sequencing Project was that it would revolutionize the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of most human disorders. It would do this by uncovering the supposed “genetic bases” of human behavior. With a few exceptions, however, the search for common gene variants -“polymorphisms” – associated with common diseases has borne little fruit.…
Not long ago, researchers had thought it was rare for the cells in a single healthy person to differ genetically in a significant way. But scientists are finding that it’s quite common for an individual to have multiple genomes. Some people, for example, have groups of cells with mutations that are not found in the rest of the body. Some…
U.S. geneticists last week began examining the promise and risks of sequencing every newborn’s genome. DNA sequencing could improve the accuracy of state newborn screening programs that test babies’ blood for biochemical markers for several dozen rare disorders. And genome testing could potentially look for all 7000 or so diseases caused by defects in single genes. But newborn genome testing…
The Division of Life Sciences in the UCLA College of Letters and Sciences announces the continuance of its special initiative to recruit excellent research scientists with a history and commitment to the mentorship of students from underrepresented and underserved populations. Candidates should have outstanding records of scholarly publications, research support, and teaching and be eligible for Academic Senate appointment in…
ISG Associate Director, Jessica Lynch Alfaro, publishes poem “Flight Distances” in the journal Poecology. Poecology is a literary journal and online resource for contemporary writing about place, ecology and the environment, with a particular interest in poetry.