Category: Genetics
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You are fat. And it's not your fault! (huh?)
Our genetic makeup influences whether we are fat or thin by shaping which types of microbes thrive in our body, according to a new study. Scientists identified a specific, little known bacterial family that is highly heritable and more common in individuals with low body weight. This microbe also protected against weight gain when transplanted…
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Psychology, ADHD, genes, dogmatism.
Psychologists have made a brain-related discovery that could revolutionize doctors' perception and treatment of attention-deficit disorders (ADHD). This discovery opens up the possibility that environmental and/or genetic factors may hinder or suppress a specific brain activity that the researchers have identified as helping us prevent distraction. (1) Free will sacrificed for the sake of gene-based…
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Babies. Health screening. Stupidity.
WILL my baby be healthy? It's a question that concerns every prospective parent. Now a service that creates digital embryos by virtually mixing two people's DNA will give a clearer glimpse of their possible child's health, and perhaps much more – before it has been conceived. The Matchright technology will be available in two US…
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Noah's Ark and the stupidity of modern ecology.
GENETICS could help solve the Noah's Ark problem: faced with limited space, which species do you save? Focusing on the most evolutionarily unique and ancient species could allow us to save more branches of the tree of life, at the lowest cost and effort. (1) We do not love nature. We do not trust…
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Maths, genes, anxiety, silence.
A new study of math anxiety shows how some people may be at greater risk to fear math not only because of negative experiences, but also because of genetic risks related to both general anxiety and math skills. The results don't mean that math anxiety can be blamed solely or even mostly on genetic factors,…
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