May 4th, 2008
(Photo courtesy www.leukemia101.com)
Researchers at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center may have discovered a better way to distinguish acute leukemia patients who require aggressive treatment to prevent recurrence from those who need only standard therapy for cure.
About 13,300 new cases of AML and 8,200 deaths from the disease are expected this year in the […]
By Elaine -- 0 comments
February 24th, 2008
Papers published in Nature and Science this week support the previously held theory that humans originated in East Africa, migrating outward until they reached all parts of the globe. But the genetic work from these studies brings a new level of precision to human migration studies, with each group finding subtle and intriguing details that shed light on different aspects of […]
By Elaine -- 2 comments
February 10th, 2008
deCode has analysed its 200 year old Icelandic genealogical database and found that the closer the kinship of the couple the more children they are likely to have. This study provides the most comprehensive answer yet to the longstanding question of how kinship affects fertility in humans.
For example, for women born between 1800 and 1824, those […]
By Elaine -- 0 comments
February 5th, 2008
Scientists from Newcastle University, UK led by Professor Patrick Chinnery, have created an embryo with three separate parents. The team believe the technique could help to eradicate a whole class of hereditary diseases, including some forms of epilepsy and ensure women with genetic defects do not pass the diseases on to their children.
Ten severely deformed embryos, left […]
By Elaine -- 0 comments
February 3rd, 2008
Nature constantly ”shuffles” our genes around in our genome, creating a genetic cocktail of human chromosomes and trying out different changes as it does so. Some of these changes represent neither a positive nor a negative mutation or a competitive advantage. One such ’shuffle’ is eye color.
Originally we all had brown eyes. Then about 6-10,000 years […]
By Elaine -- 8 comments
February 2nd, 2008
Human chromosomes (grey) capped by telomeres (white)
We all know the benefits of regular exercise but scientists now have proof that it can really make you look younger! Telomeres, regions of highly repetitive DNA at the end of a linear chromosome shorten over time. The shortening of telomeres is strongly correlated with ageing and it is […]
By Elaine -- 0 comments
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