As men grow older, they often experience a gradual loss of the Y chromosome from some of their cells. Although the Y chromosome has few genes, its loss has been increasingly linked to serious diseases and shorter lifespan. New methods for detecting Y chromosome genes have revealed that Y loss is common in the tissues […]
Every person born on Earth carries a small number of cells that originated from their mother. Roughly one in every million cells in the body may be maternal, meaning we each contain millions of cells that are genetically different from our own. Despite this, the immune system generally accepts them rather than attacking them as
Millions of Your Mother’s Cells Remain Inside You — Scientists Now Know Why Read More »
As the ovaries grow older, the tissue that supports them gradually becomes stiffer, and researchers believe that slowing this change could help preserve fertility for longer. The area surrounding cells is far from empty. Instead, it resembles a gel-like environment filled with proteins and other molecules that provide structural support and nourishment to the cells.
Scientists May Have Discovered a Method to Prolong Fertility in Mice Read More »
Researchers are increasingly discovering that psychiatric disorders that appear very different from one another may actually have overlapping genetic foundations. In February of the previous year, scientists reported that eight separate psychiatric conditions shared common genetic factors. A December follow-up study in Nature became the largest of its kind. Genetic Patterns Across Psychiatric Disorders Researchers
Study Finds 70% Genetic Overlap Between Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder Read More »
Scientists have found that avian flu viruses carry a gene that makes them unusually tolerant to heat, rendering one of our key immune defenses—fever—largely ineffective. Instead of slowing the infection, higher temperatures actually help these viruses reproduce.
Bird Flu Has a Heat-Resistant Gene That Helps it Survive Fever Defenses Read More »
Who hasn’t heard someone say a child “takes after their father” or “got their dad’s charm”? Now, science seems to agree. A recent study has revealed an intriguing finding: children are more likely to inherit beauty-related traits from their fathers than from their mothers. That’s right—striking features like facial structure and bone definition appear to
Research Suggests Children Look more like Their Fathers than Their Mothers Read More »
Blood-producing stem cells, known as hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), function best when they’re stable and well-rested—like managers keeping a factory running smoothly. But when the body faces stress, such as infection or injury, these cells quickly ramp up production of immune cells to defend against threats. Over time, repeated stress wears them down, causing them
Space Travel Speeds Up Cellular Aging Read More »
It started subtly, hidden within the immune systems of just a handful of people around the world. They weren’t heroes in capes, but they carried something remarkable—an unseen armor that blocked every virus nature sent their way. No flu, no measles, no chickenpox, not even a cold. Though they were vulnerable to some bacterial infections,
A Rare Genetic Mutation Gives Certain Individuals Resistance to Viral Infections Read More »
A team of doctors and scientists has successfully treated a rare genetic disorder using the first personalized gene-editing therapy. The results, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, were accompanied by an editorial from a former FDA gene-therapy regulator. The patient in this landmark case was KJ, an infant diagnosed with CPS1 deficiency—a condition
Doctors Used first Personalized Gene-editing Therapy on Baby Read More »
The ability to sense rhythm isn’t unique to humans, but it’s relatively rare in the animal world. While chimpanzees can follow a beat, their rhythmic skills are quite limited compared to humans. Interestingly, one species of lemur is better “Mastering New Rhythms and Outperforming Humans” A 16-year-old California sea lion named Ronan (Zalophus californianus) outshines
This Sea Lion Has Better Rhythm Than Many People Read More »