DNA used to pinpoint ancestors' villages
An individual's genome can be used to accurately predict their ancestral origin, to the nearest five miles, a new study has found...
News
California halts genetic testing of students
Proposals to genetically test incoming freshman and transfer students to the University of California, Berkeley (UCB), are under fire. UCB intended to offer a genetic test to its thousands of entrants, which would test three variants: genes that affect the ability to absorb folic acid, metabolise alcohol and digest lactose....
Genetic study traces Jewish descent
Stepping into the contentious world of race, ethnicity and genetics, a paper published in this week's Nature claims to have shed new light on the geographical origin of the many 'Jewish Diaspora' communities from around the world...
Prisoner given green light to continue IVF treatment
An Australian Supreme Court has allowed a woman to continue with her self-funded IVF treatment, after she was given an 18-month jail term for fraud last November...
Prenatal treatment for genetic gender disorder questioned
In August, the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism will publish an article on a consensus reached by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology and many others, regarding the use of dexamethasone (dex), a steroid used to treat a genetic condition called congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), which can affect one in 15,000 babies...
Gene deletion creates lesbian mice
Geneticists claim that female mice can be turned 'lesbian' by a single gene deletion...
Longevity gene study results ‘flawed’, say experts
Last week, BioNews reported on a study published in Science that claimed to have identified several gene clusters associated with longevity. The study drew significant media interest but, following the paper's publication, experts have raised concerns about the data...
More US fertility clinics now 'freeze' eggs
More than half of US fertility clinics are now prepared to 'freeze' eggs, a new study has revealed. This option was traditionally reserved for women undergoing cancer therapy or for other medical reasons...
Faulty breast cancer gene increases male risk too
Western men who carry a BRCA2 genetic mutation have a six to nine per cent lifetime risk of developing breast cancer, UK researchers have found...
Study reveals complex interactions between disease genes
A US study looking at the relationship between genes known to cause a rare genetic disease has shown that common and rare genetic variants interact to make symptoms more or less severe...
Reviews
Book Review: A Guide to Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis
This guide is invaluable for anyone who has an interest in preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), particularly those who do not have a scientific background and are interested in the regulatory and ethical issues associated with this technology...
Comment
Ten questions for Dr Julian Huppert MP
by Dr Vivienne Raper
Before Dr Julian Huppert was elected MP for Cambridge in May this year, he was a computational biologist at Cambridge University studying the structure and function of DNA. Now, he's one of only two scientists with PhDs in parliament. BioNews quizzed him about science funding, synthetic biology and the shortage of scientists in politics...