May 10, 2012
If you have a big head, you may be subjected to a fair bit of teasing, but science may offer you some consolation. For instance, individuals with a smaller intracranial volume (the area within the skull) are at slightly higher risk for late-life dementia. In addition, a smaller hippocampus (a section of the [...]
November 18, 2011
From your toenails to your hair follicles, every cell in your body contains genetic information. Furthermore, each cell (except sperm and egg cells) contains the same genetic information as every other cell in your body. This all-cells-are-created-equal premise, however, is an oversimplification of reality. [...]
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 [...]
April 8, 2010
An aneurysm occurs when the wall of a blood vessel weakens and balloons outward, making the blood vessel abnormally large. The larger the vessel becomes, the greater the risk of rupture — a serious emergency. Often there are no symptoms of an aneurysm until a rupture occurs. Brain (also known as [...]
December 1, 2009
Even if you do everything right – exercise, healthy eating, no smoking-- whether or not you'll make it to the century mark depends to some extent on your genes. One of the important longevity genes seems to be FOXO3A. It's been linked to lifespan in several experimental animal models. In humans, [...]
September 8, 2009
Despite years of effort and millions of dollars in research funding, only one gene, APOE, has been conclusively associated with Alzheimer's disease risk so far. But now the results of two of the largest Alzheimer's studies ever provide convincing evidence that three more genes affect risk for the [...]
May 6, 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 [...]
April 28, 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 [...]
November 10, 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 [...]
