Aug 25 2009
A new genetic screening process has helped researchers understand the genetic causes of cancer, such as how mutations accumulated in a person’s life can cause leukemia.
The study shows that by comparing a person’s own DNA to that of their cancerous cells, researchers can find DNA mutations that may have led to abnormal cell growth, or [...]
Mar 19 2009
PET scans showing dopamine activity in a normal brain and a Parkinson’s patient’s before and after treatment with a therapeutic implant.
More than a million Americans have Parkinson’s disease, and another 50,000 are diagnosed each year. Scientists know that many of the characteristic symptoms of Parkinson’s — tremors, rigid muscles and movement problems — can [...]
Feb 06 2008
If you think mutations are just sinister events that create human flies and gigantic man-eating ants, you’re living in a ’50s B-movie. Though they sometimes cause big problems for the organisms who acquire or inherit them, mutations are actually the engine of evolution. Without them, life as we know it could not exist.
In this week’s [...]
