Body clock 'control switch' found

"Researchers say they have identified the chemical switch that controls the genetic mechanism regulating people's internal body clocks. Although the process involves complex genes, the whole mechanism is controlled by a single amino acid - a building block of protein - they...

Semi-identical twins discovered

"Scientists have revealed details of the world's only known case of "semi-identical" twins. The journal Nature says the twins are identical on their mother's side, but share only half their genes on their father's side. They are the result of two sperm cells fertilising a...

Space bugs become more dangerous

"Scientists have shown how bacteria in space can gain virulence. When Salmonella typhimurium food bugs were flown in special flasks on the shuttle, they were found to alter the way they expressed 167 genes. The bacteria were almost three times as likely to kill infected mice...

Senator Blocks the Genetic Non-Discrimination Act

"Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn (a physician) has put a hold on [a] bill ... that would protect individuals with genetic disorders (and their blood relatives) from discrimination in insurance coverage and in the workplace ... The bill ... has been passed in the House of...

live for ever in space

         Our mission is to help disperse human genes and memes throughout outer space, to other galaxies, thereby giving them much longer life spans than they have here on earth. Outer space is far less dense than earth, and the...

Scientists: Big Dog, small dog! It's in the genes

All dogs are brothers under the skin, from the towering Great Dane to the feisty little Chihuahua. Now, researchers have uncovered a reason why the animals wearing that skin vary so much in size.

A New Type of Twin

"Researchers have discovered a pair of twins who are identical through their mother's side, but share only half their genes on their father's side. The 'semi-identical' twins are the result of two sperm cells fusing with a single egg — a previously unreported way for twins...

Autism may be caused by as many as 100 genes

Little glitches in the DNA of people with autism suggest that the disease might be caused by as many as 100 different genes, researchers reported on Thursday. The study is one of several new reports on autism in recent months, which have shown the disease is far more common...

Depressing New Information about Cancer Cells

Researchers scanned the DNA of 200 samples of tumor cells carrying several different types of cancer. While they expected to find a handful of cancer genes, they may have found more than 100 new cancer genes. There were over 1000 different mutations found. Lung cancer had...

Born to be bad? Genetic research says maybe

If some children seem like they were born to be bad, new research suggests it may be true. In a study of adult twins and their children, researchers found that genes, rather than parents' own argumentative behavior, seemed key in the children's odds of serious conduct...

Genes may play bigger preemie birth role

Genetics may play a greater role than previously thought in accounting for black women's higher rate of premature births, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine have found. Experts have long attributed the racial disparity in part to poverty, disparate...