September 30, 2009
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which can appear as either ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease, damages the lining of the digestive tract and leads to abdominal cramps, incomplete digestion and nutritional deficiencies. Previous research on IBD gave researchers reason to suspect that the CD39 gene, [...]
September 22, 2009
Addiction to alcohol is associated with the brain’s reward system, which reinforces behaviors that feel good — like drinking — by releasing neurotransmitters such as dopamine and endorphins. With prolonged alcohol consumption, a person's brain can gradually adapt to the point that excessive amounts of [...]
September 17, 2009
New research suggests the primary genetic mutation that causes alpha-1 antritrypsin deficiency, a condition that results in liver damage and a wide variety of other problems, also affects risk for liver disorders associated with cystic fibrosis. Cystic fibrosis is an inherited, childhood-onset disorder [...]
September 11, 2009
This MRI of a man's pelvis shows that his prostate is enlarged to almost three times the regular size, which may be a sign of cancer. The prostate is marked by a cross. Prostate cancer, the most common cancer to affect men, kills 30,000 men of all ethnicities each year. The disease is known to have a [...]
September 10, 2009
Scientists are narrowing in on two regions of the human genome that could be responsible for ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. ALS is a neurodegenerative disorder that weakens muscles and paralyzes patients within three years of onset, and has no known cure. The [...]
September 3, 2009
We may be another step closer to discovering what makes us human. A new study published online this week in Genome Research has pinpointed three genes in humans that may genetically differentiate us from chimps and other primates. Genetically we are very similar to chimps, so most of the differences [...]
August 31, 2009
New genetic research may explain why Fluffy is so fluffy. A study led by researchers at the National Human Genome Research Institute scanned 1,000 dogs from 80 breeds, looking for genes associated with different hair types: curly, wavy, straight, wiry, long and any combination of these. Their results, [...]
August 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 [...]
August 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 [...]
August 12, 2009
The Rexes and Spots of the world have been man's best friend for 15,000 years. But when and where did humans begin domesticating these furry companions? Previous theories suggested that the domesticated dog originated in East Asia and then spread to Africa, Oceania and the Americas. But a recent study by [...]
