[Crossposted from GeneticFuture.org] Scientists at Newcastle University have been given approval for new research aimed at combating a particular set of inherited human diseases: those that are passed on via mitochondrial DNA instead of the nuclear DNA most folks are familiar with. The trick? They’ll be creating human embryos that are the product of two […]

This news article on New Scientist references a patent awarded on July 1 for a specific mutation of the BRCA breast cancer gene that mostly affects Ashkenazi Jews. Note the strange legal twist where supplimentary royalty fees are only due for testing if you fess up to knowing your Ashenazi ancestry… Myriad Genetics of Salt […]

(Crosspost from GeneticFuture.org.) The results of a study published this week suggest an undeniable connection between genetics and sexual behavior — at least with fruit flies. A single gene appears to be responsible for whether a fruit fly will court male or females, regardless of its own gender. [ From Medical News Today ]A male […]

[crossposted from GeneticFuture.org] Apparently, there’s speculation that the Columbian drug cartels have been working on genetically modified coca plants. Whether GM technology is being used or not, it does appear that new crops are popping up that are herbicide resistant and produce eight times the yield of cocaine: From a Reuters release: BOGOTA, Colombia (Reuters) […]

Crossposted from GeneticFuture.org My friend Steve Miller, prolific creator of venerable innervision-arts site mkzdk.organd current events watchdog site dvmx.com pointed me to this page: http://www.head-space.org/virus/frameset.html If you’ve ever read Neal Stephenson’s The Diamond Age then this post-apocalyptic corporate sales pitch should be familiar. Take a moment to meditate on the future of you and your […]

Crossposted from GeneticFuture.org. Trawled from Genetic Kit to Pick Sports Stars The West Australian. Want to know whether you’re better suited to endurance sports like marathons, or “sprint-power” sports like Judo or short-distance swimming? You could spend some time swimming and running and see which one feels more natural… … or, you could just send […]

[Crossposted from GeneticFuture.org] – What do lightning and bacteria have to do with one another? Quite a bit, it turns out… Global Gravy To begin with, lightning and bacteria share the important job of providing the fundamental food for all of life on Earth: fixed nitrogen. Plants eat the nitrogen, animals eat the plants, and […]

[Assorted pet news crossposted from GeneticFuture.org] DINGOES EVOLVED FROM PET DOGS Once again, studies of mitochondrial DNA have revealed something interesting about the ancestral origins of species: Aug. 3, 2004 — Dingoes, Australia’s wild dogs, are descended from Asian domesticated dogs, not wolves, according to international research.[Discovery Channel News, reporting on this PNAS abstract] I […]

[Crosspost from geneticfuture.org] Here’s an article that brings up some tricky cause/effect questions: Genes May Determine Who Developed Gulf War Syndrome [U. Buffalo news wire, Aug 9 2004] The research showed that a certain gene predicted whether or not veterans who served in the Persian Gulf War would come with Gulf War Syndrome: External or […]

[crosspost from geneticfuture.org] The National Academy of Sciences recently published a report (available as a book, or as a free download from here) which says that genetically modified food is no way substantially different from non-GM food. It says that GM foods, just like regular foods, carry risks. The report admits that GM technology can […]