Tag Archives: genetics

The horse transformed human history – and now scientists have a clearer idea of when humans began to transform the horse. Around 4,200 years ago, one particular lineage of horse quickly became dominant across Eurasia, suggesting that’s when humans started to spread domesticated horses around the world, according to research published Thursday in the journal Nature. There was something special …

Five children who were born completely deaf have had some reversal of hearing loss after receiving a “groundbreaking” gene therapy. The clinical trial, which was co-led by Mass Eye and Ear in Boston and the Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University in Shanghai, was the first in the world to apply gene therapy to children in both ears, according …

Scientists have found the genetic root of a disorder that causes intellectual disability, which they estimate affects as many as one in 20,000 young people. And they hope their discovery leads to a new diagnosis that can provide answers to families. Those with the condition have a constellation of issues, which also include short stature, small heads, seizures and low …

U.N. member countries on Friday concluded a new treaty to help ensure that traditional knowledge about genetic resources, like medicines derived from exotic plants in the Andes mountains, is properly traced. It marks the first time the 193 member states of the U.N.’s World Intellectual Property Organization have reached agreement on patent protections about historic knowledge from indigenous cultures, which …

Your genes could put you at a higher risk of heart attack during very stressful times, including presidential election season. Research from Massachusetts General Hospital found that people who have specific genetic traits — paired with anxiety or depression — are at a “significantly higher heart attack risk” during periods of social or political stress, such as presidential elections, winter …

For the first time, researchers have identified a genetic form of late-in-life Alzheimer’s disease — in people who inherit two copies of a worrisome gene. Scientists have long known a gene called APOE4 is one of many things that can increase people’s risk for Alzheimer’s, including simply getting older. The vast majority of Alzheimer’s cases occur after age 65. But …

Many animals can glow in the dark. Fireflies famously blink on summer evenings. But most animals that light up are found in the depths of the ocean. In a new study, scientists report that deep-sea corals that lived 540 million years ago may have been the first animals to glow, far earlier than previously thought. “Light signaling is one of …

It seems talent runs in the family for actor Michael Douglas. During a recent episode of the PBS show “Finding Your Roots,” which examines celebrities’ ancestral backgrounds, Douglas learned, much to his astonishment, that he’s related to another famous actor. After the program produced all that it could via “paper trail,” it turned to genetics and compared Douglas’ DNA with …

What do Lady Gaga, Barack Obama, Bill Gates, Paul McCartney and Justin Bieber have in common with Ronald Reagan, Jimi Hendrix, Judy Garland, Fidel Castro and David Bowie? They are all left-handed, a trait shared by roughly 10% of people. But why are some people left-handed while most are righties? That is an area of active research, and a new …

Claudia Poblete can’t help it. On certain days, as she passes in front of a church, she automatically crosses herself while her children gaze at her with confusion. She didn’t raise them as Catholics — as she was — because her spirituality has shifted. In 2000, Poblete didn’t go by her current name. She was called Mercedes Landa, and before …