Sep 30 2008
SNPwatch gives you the latest news about research linking various traits and conditions to individual genetic variations. These studies are exciting because they offer a glimpse into how genetics may affect our bodies and health; but in most cases, more work is needed before this research can provide information of value to individuals. For that [...]
Sep 26 2008
The practice of monogamy – the most popular mating practice on the planet today – is nothing new. In fact, anthropologists have found evidence of monogamous relationships in Homo erectus, a human ancestor that lived nearly 2 million years ago.
But the alternative to monogamy – polygamy – though not nearly as popular in today’s [...]
Sep 25 2008
Researchers are sometimes frustrated when a prospective drug proves effective in some patients, but not enough to justify giving it to everyone who has the condition it is intended to treat.
The beta-blocker drug bucindolol met that fate in 2001 when it was originally tested as a treatment for heart failure. Though it did help a [...]
Sep 24 2008
What is it about humans that distinguishes us from the rest of the animal kingdom? Is it our upright walking? Our language? Our love of Reality TV? Even though we are said to be 99% genetically identical to our closest evolutionary relative, the chimpanzee, we clearly differ vastly from them physically and behaviorally.
For many years, [...]
Sep 18 2008
Already well-known for expanding technological frontiers, Google co-founder Sergey Brin is now pushing the boundaries of personal genomics with a remarkable post on his new personal blog, TOO.
In the post, Brin shares information from his 23andMe account that indicates he is at substantially increased risk for Parkinson’s Disease. Brin’s mother, who has already been diagnosed [...]
Sep 18 2008
A special supplement to Nature Reviews Genetics, published online today, details how four countries with emerging economies – Mexico, India, Thailand and South Africa – are taking steps to build capacity for studies of human genomic variation and its applications to healthcare.
Following completion of the HapMap Project, several consortiums in the developed world have [...]
Sep 17 2008
This Monday acting Surgeon General Steven K. Galson issued a Call to Action to reduce the number of people in the United States affected by two serious blood clotting conditions: deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT), sometimes called “economy class syndrome” is the formation of a blood clot in a vein deep [...]
Sep 16 2008
I’m a bad patient.
Every time I go to a doctor she asks, “Do you have a family history of any diseases?”
I’m ashamed to say that my answer is always “I don’t think so.”
Your family health history is a powerful tool for your doctor; it can help him or her make vital screening and treatment decisions. [...]
Sep 12 2008
23andMe is all about empowering you to really get to know your own DNA. But we also have tools that let you share and compare your data with family and friends.
All you need to do to share your genome with another person is send an invitation from the Genome Sharing page of your account. [...]
Sep 11 2008
This is Fashion Week in New York City, a twice-yearly spectacle where designers, models, celebrities and the merely style-obsessed meet to consider next season’s top looks. 23andMe managed to lure a few hundred people away from the catwalks Tuesday night to consider the beauty that lies within — DNA.
Our Fashion Week spit party was sort [...]
