Oct 09 2009
A segment of chromosome 14 folded to reveal a fractal curve using Origami. Designed and folded by Jason Ku. Photo by Erik Demaine.
How do you get three billion pairs of As, Cs, Ts and Gs—about six feet worth of DNA—into the nucleus of a tiny cell?
Most students of biology would answer by saying [...]
Jun 06 2008
If you could only do one thing to this sentence, what would it be?
Can you explain why there’s no gene for Crohn’s disease?
If you know the answers to these questions, we want you to know this: 23andMe is looking to hire an editor who is adept with scientific copy and concepts. The Science Editor will [...]
Mar 28 2008
Genome-wide association studies, which are the source for most of the data 23andMe uses in Gene Journal (now called Health and Traits) entries, are based on the “common disease-common allele model” – the idea that many illnesses, even relatively rare ones, can be caused by combinations of genetic variations that are individually quite common in [...]
Feb 21 2008
If you take two members of the human race at random and ask how much their genomes differ, you’ll get a surprising answer: they’re almost identical.
On average, for every 1,000 DNA bases you have, 999 or so of them are exactly the same between you and your neighbor – and for that matter, between you [...]
Jan 31 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 [...]
