October 18, 2011
Type 2 diabetes is characterized by very high levels of sugar in the blood and is the most common form of diabetes. Although eating rich food and leading a sedentary lifestyle contribute to the development of this disease, genetics also play a role. For reasons unclear to researchers, people of South Asian [...]
October 13, 2011
Your iris (the colored part of the eye) can tell a lot about you. Like your fingerprint, the patterns on your iris are complex and unique. Because of this, iris recognition is used in some countries for national identification systems and to automate border crossings. Although we know that no two irises [...]
September 29, 2011
Anyone who’s ever spent time around babies knows that teething can be disruptive and often painful. In that sense, the somewhat violent term “tooth eruption”—referring to the process of teeth breaking through the gums—seems rather appropriate. Most people experience this phenomenon twice, first when [...]
September 20, 2011
By Bethann Hromatka The human brain is hardwired to receive chemical signals from our environment. It primarily does this through receptors—proteins on the surfaces of cells that catch specific molecules when they pass by. An interesting class of receptors is the mu-opioid receptors, so named because [...]
September 8, 2011
By Bethann Hromatka Autoimmune diseases are caused by an overactive immune system. In these diseases, white blood cells, which normally help your body fight infections, ramp up and attack your own cells and organs. These disorders can be very debilitating and are relatively common, affecting roughly 1 in [...]
September 6, 2011
Scientists know that there isn’t one cause for multiple sclerosis (MS), but understanding this complex autoimmune disease has vexed medical researchers for years. In the largest MS study to date, researchers recently identified 29 new genetic variants associated with the disease in people of European [...]
July 15, 2011
Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is a rare movement disorder caused by damage to certain areas of the brain. People with PSP experience increasing difficulty balancing and walking and suffer from frequent falls, in addition to varying vision, mood, and cognitive problems. PSP is similar to Parkinson’s [...]
June 24, 2011
Science is slow. It can take years to enroll patients in studies, run experiments and analyze data. To make matters worse, it can often take a year or more just to get those findings published. Wouldn’t it be great if there was a faster way? A recent paper on genetic associations in migraines gave our [...]
April 18, 2011
Whether you reach for a Starbuck’s Venti — the “Big Gulp” of coffee servings — or a wee size cup of Joe in the morning, or none at all, might be influenced by your genes. Two recently published studies found an association between coffee and caffeine consumption and SNP variants near the same two [...]
April 7, 2011
Results published this week in the journal Nature Genetics identified five more genes associated with risk of developing Alzheimer’s, doubling the total number of genes known to be linked to the devastating disease. The two studies — one led by Paul Hollingworth and Julie Williams in Europe and the other [...]
