Feb 27 2009
Each of us is made up of about 50 trillion cells, which is pretty mind-blowing until you consider the number of microbial cells living on or in each of us. It’s estimated that a healthy adult is lugging around 10 times more bugs, most of them bacteria, than human cells.
Just as the tiny differences we [...]
Feb 26 2009
Genome wide association (GWA) studies of SNPs are helping scientists learn about the underlying biology of many complex diseases. But even the most enthusiastic proponents of this relatively new type of research admit that many studies simply can’t find genetic variations that have real, but very small, effects. This means information that might be useful [...]
Feb 25 2009
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 [...]
Feb 24 2009
As we have shown time and again here at the Spittoon, our DNA can greatly illuminate the lives of our most ancient ancestors. We’ve learned how the ancient Phoenicians left their genetic footprints scattered across the Mediterranean Sea, and seen the DNA signatures of the first farmers sprinkled everywhere from Iraq to Germany to England. [...]
Feb 23 2009
There are many mysteries surrounding the final days of the last Emperor of Russia, Tsar Nicholas, and his family. The most perplexing of them all is the fate of one of the Tsar’s daughters, the Grand Duchess Anastasia. Even after Bolsheviks murdered the family in the summer of 1918, rumors circulated throughout Europe that Anastasia [...]
Feb 20 2009
Almost since the 1871 publication of “The Descent of Man,” in which Charles Darwin applied his theory of natural selection to the human species, biologists have argued over whether the dramatic series of evolutionary events that led to the emergence of Homo sapiens continues to this day.
Some have argued that culture and technology have eclipsed [...]
Feb 19 2009
Each time a doctor writes a prescription for warfarin (Coumadin®), a blood thinner given to about two million people each year in the United States, it’s a guessing game. There is no “right” dose of the drug. Everyone is different and it can take weeks of adjustment to find a patient’s ideal amount of the [...]
Feb 18 2009
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 [...]
Feb 17 2009
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 [...]
Feb 13 2009
Generally when you think about what separates humans from other species, features like upright walking, large brains and language come to mind.
But diet has actually played an enormous role in human evolution. Today at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a panel of anthropologists, geneticists and paleontologists got together [...]
