New genetic clues to schizophrenia uncovered
An international team of researchers has identified a new gene, CYMA5, which is thought to be associated with schizophrenia...
Small molecules that can be linked together to make proteins, which are large, complex biological molecules.
An international team of researchers has identified a new gene, CYMA5, which is thought to be associated with schizophrenia...
Researchers studying the beginnings of human life on Earth say that the development of the genetic code was an inevitable consequence...
Scientists have created a new way of using the human genetic code, by adding 'designer' amino acids to the proteins in DNA to alter its biochemical behaviour. The research could pave the way to the development of what lead researcher Jason Chin is calling 'a parallel genetic code'....
Scientists believe that they have found a gene that helps explain the fact that humans are the only animal that has developed speech. Subtle variations in the human version of the gene, known as FOXP2, appear to underpin the human development of language, according to recent research carried out by scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), US, and published in the journal Nature. When comparing the human and chimp version of FOXP2 the researchers discovered...
by Selene Kaye
On 12 May, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Public Patent Foundation filed a lawsuit challenging the US government's practice of granting patents on human genes - specifically, the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, which are associated with breast and ovarian cancer. In the last 20 or so years the...
Eating is something we do every day. It sustains us and keeps us healthy, and poor food choice can make us unhealthy. The maturing ova, sperm, endometrium and fetus depend upon nutrients for development. If the diet is laced with environmental endocrine-disrupting chemicals, trans-fats, refined sugars, or excess additives, or...
by Stuart Scott
A gene variant previously thought to increase the risk of migraine in women has been shown, in fact, to have a mildly protective effect, according to a new study published in the journal Neurology. However, the study also shows that if women go on to develop migraines...
by Rose Palmer
Neuroscientists in Switzerland have identified a gene that influences the recall of emotionally charged memories. Dominique de Quervain, and colleagues, at the University of Zurich published a study in Nature Neuroscience last week reporting that subjects with the gene variant ADRA2B performed better on recall tests for...
by BioNews
US researchers have found that many cases of Parkinson's disease (PD) in certain ethnic groups could be triggered by a single faulty gene. In two separate studies, the scientists discovered that some patients with an Ashkenazi Jewish or Arabic background have a mutated version of the LRRK2 gene. The findings...
by BioNews
He has been described as 'the Charles Darwin of the 20th century' by Professor Steve Jones of University College London and as 'the dominant hero of the heroic age of molecular biology' by Professor Richard Dawkins of Oxford University. He was a Nobel prize winner, a Fellow of the Royal...
BioNews, published by the Progress Educational Trust (PET), provides news and comment on genetics, assisted conception, embryo/stem cell research and related areas.