All Articles Tagged As: humans

Homosexual behavior due to genetics and environmental factors (7/3/2008)

Homosexual behaviour is largely shaped by genetics and random environmental factors, according to findings from the world's largest study of twins. ...> Full Article

Political Participation Is Partially Rooted in Genetic Inheritance and Specifically Associated with Two Genes (7/3/2008)

The decision to vote is partly genetic ...> Full Article

Face-to-face search for genetic switches (6/9/2008)

A new investigation into how genes determine our facial appearance is to be launched ...> Full Article

How body size is regulated: International study discovers ten new genes related to human growth (5/15/2008)

Scientists are beginning to unravel the question why people distinctly vary in size ...> Full Article

Genetic variation linked to sugary food (5/15/2008)

A new study finds that individuals with a specific genetic variation consistently consume more sugary foods ...> Full Article

Mouse can do without man's most treasured genes (5/7/2008)

The mouse is a stalwart stand-in for humans in medical research, thanks to genomes that are 85 percent identical. But identical genes may behave differently in mouse and man ...> Full Article

Researchers report the cloning of a key group of human genes, the protein kinases (5/5/2008)

Researchers report cloning of nearly all predicted human protein kinase genes in functional form, and generation of a corresponding set of kinases lacking catalytic activity that are necessary for functional studies ...> Full Article

New Map Reveals Dynamic Variation in Human Genome (5/4/2008)

A team of researchers has produced the first high-resolution map showing the structural variation that exists in the human genome. With the map, researchers can now begin to see how the underlying structure of one person's genome differs from that of another. ...> Full Article

Nurture Over Nature (4/28/2008)

Geneticists have shown that environmental factors such as lifestyle and geography play a large role in whether certain genes are turned on or off ...> Full Article

Genes linked to height no longer in short supply (4/10/2008)

Large-scale study reveals ten novel height-related genes, provides new biological insights ...> Full Article

Researchers link genetic errors to schizophrenia (3/29/2008)

Researchers have uncovered genetic errors that may shed light on the causes of schizophrenia. The scientists found that deletions and duplications of DNA are more common in people with the mental disorder, and that many of those errors occur in genes related to brain development and neurological function. ...> Full Article

Autism Gene Scans Converge on Two Suspect Sites, Two Types of Genetic Risk (3/22/2008)

Four teams of scientists, using resources supported in part by NIMH, have pinpointed two different sites in the genome, each conferring a different type of genetic risk for autism. At one site, risk genes appear to be inherited. At the other, risk stems from spontaneous mutations, not seen in the genetics of the parents. In both examples, evidence suggests the suspect genes are critical for development of brain circuits impaired in autism. ...> Full Article

Gene variants may increase risk of anxiety disorder (3/6/2008)

Strongest genetic evidence to date could help identify new drug targets ...> Full Article

Genes hold the key to how happy we are, scientists say (3/6/2008)

Happiness in life is as much down to having the right genetic mix as it is to personal circumstances according to a recent study. ...> Full Article

Cancers in Dogs, Humans Share Same Genetic Basis, Say Researchers (3/2/2008)

Cancer researchers have found that humans and dogs share more than friendship and companionship - they also share the same genetic basis for certain types of cancer. Furthermore, the researchers say that because of the way the genomes have evolved, getting cancer may be inevitable for some humans and dogs. ...> Full Article

New gene discovery could help schizophrenics (2/29/2008)

International team has discovered a gene that increases the risk of developing schizophrenia ...> Full Article

Getting to the roots of hair loss (2/27/2008)

New gene improves our understanding of hair growth and offers a path to effective therapies ...> Full Article

Scans Reveal Faulty Brain Wiring Caused by Missing Genes (2/22/2008)

An NIMH study using an emerging imaging technology has discovered faulty wiring in the brains of people with Williams Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that affects some aspects of thinking. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) scans revealed abnormal tracts of neuronal fibers that conduct long-distance communications between brain regions. The abnormalities likely resulted from neurons migrating to the wrong destinations during development, due to the absence of certain key genes, researchers say. ...> Full Article

New Genetic Syndrome Linked to Missing DNA (2/20/2008)

People who lack a certain large segment of DNA have a previously unrecognized syndrome characterized by mental retardation, seizures, and slight physical abnormalities, according to a genetic analysis conducted by HHMI investigator Evan E. Eichler at the University of Washington School of Medicine and a team of international collaborators. The deleted DNA segment is responsible for just a small percentage of cases of mental retardation, but "when you think about how common mental retardation is," Eichler says, "this deletion has a significant impact on human health." ...> Full Article

Identical twins not as identical as believed (2/16/2008)

Contrary to our previous beliefs, identical twins are not genetically identical. This surprising finding is presented by American, Swedish, and Dutch scientists in a study being published today in the prestigious journal American Journal of Human Genetics. The finding may be of great significance for research on hereditary diseases and for the development of new diagnostic methods. ...> Full Article

Scientists find how a protein binds to genes and regulates them across the human genome (2/11/2008)

Out of chaos, control: Cornell molecular biologists have discovered how a protein called PARP-1 binds to genes and regulates their expression across the human genome. Knowing where PARP-1 is located and how it works may allow scientists to target this protein to battle common diseases, such as stroke and cancer. ...> Full Article

Gene Variants Protect Against Adult Depression Triggered by Childhood Stress (2/7/2008)

Certain variations in a gene that helps regulate response to stress tend to protect adults who were abused in childhood from developing depression, according to new research funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health. Adults who had been abused but didn't have the variations in the gene had twice the symptoms of moderate to severe depression, compared to those with the protective variations. ...> Full Article

Scientists achieve major genetics breakthrough in intellectual disability (2/1/2008)

University of Adelaide geneticist Dr Jozef Gecz and a team of Belgium and UK scientists have achieved a major breakthrough in discovering the causes of intellectual disability. ...> Full Article

Researchers discover new muscular dystrophy gene (1/31/2008)

Discovery may lead to better diagnosis and treatment ...> Full Article

Knome Commences Whole-Genome Sequencing Process for First Clients (1/23/2008)

First individuals in history to have genome sequenced by a personal genomics firm ...> Full Article

International consortium announces the 1000 Genomes Project (1/23/2008)

An international research consortium today announced the 1000 Genomes Project, an ambitious effort to sequence the genomes of at least 1000 people to create the most detailed and medically useful catalogue to date of human genetic variation. ...> Full Article

University of Leicester Plays Key Role in Creating Genetic Map of the UK (1/20/2008)

Appeal for people in Leicestershire to get involved ...> Full Article

A new piece in the autism puzzle (1/13/2008)

Genome scan finds missing DNA may play role in cognitive disorder ...> Full Article

Autism Risk Higher in People with Gene Variant (1/12/2008)

Difference in Gene Appears to Pose More Risk When Inherited from Mothers ...> Full Article