Summary: Researchers have discovered that the protein mutated in Huntington’s Disease fails to properly repair DNA, leading to reduced brain cell healing. The huntingtin protein normally stimulates the production of…
Category: Genetics
Viewpoint: Placebo controversy — When should they ethically be used in studies?
The placebo effect is a phenomenon where individuals experience– or perceive to experience– improvements in symptoms or conditions after receiving a treatment with no known medical benefits. This effect demonstrates the…
Can chatbots be tailored to fight back against conspiracy theories?
… Few interventions have been proven to change conspiracy theorists’ minds, says Thomas Costello, a research affiliate at MIT Sloan and the lead author of the study. Part of what…
100+ Genes Linked to Anxiety Disorders Identified
Summary: A large-scale genetic study involving over 1 million participants has uncovered more than 100 genes associated with anxiety. Researchers found that these genes contribute to the development of anxiety…
Organic or conventional farming? Which system better preserves our fragile insect population
Athree-year run of fragmentary Armageddon-like studies had primed the journalism pumps and settled the media framing about the future of the global insect population: modern agriculture was steering us toward…
Viewpoint: Consumers Report bungles science, promotes another food scare—No, Lunchables will not give your kids cancer
developing, are more vulnerable to lead exposure than adults. However, most of the risk to children is not from food but from ingesting chips from lead-based paint used before 1978…
The bigger the animal, the bigger its brain? Not so fast
Scientists have long believed that, generally speaking, the bigger an animal is, the bigger its brain. But our recent study challenges the nature of that linear view and reveals new insights…
Nutritional epigenetics: How life events can shape your genes and their impact on diet and health
Within the last century, researchers’ understanding of genetics has undergone a profound transformation. Genes, regions of DNA that are largely responsible for our physical characteristics, were considered unchanging under the original…
Biopiracy? Are pharmaceutical companies stealing the genetic information in the developing world’s flora and fauna?
Low-income countries – where much of the world’s biodiversity remains – hope it could funnel billions into conserving the rainforests, lakes and oceans where such organisms live. Examples of what…
