By the time my first child was two months old, I knew something was wrong. Amanda, who is 14 now, has low muscle tone and didn’t walk until she was almost 2 years old. Her arms have limited ability, and she has inflammatory …
Genetics
Test Your DNA for Diseases — No Doctor Required
Anne Wojcicki plans to sell whole-genome sequencing directly to consumers, no doctors needed
Will My Son Develop Cancer? The Promise (and Pitfalls) of Sequencing Children’s Genomes
Sophisticated new DNA testing can tell parents whether their babies are at increased risk of cancer, dementia and other diseases that may not strike until adulthood
Faster DNA Testing Helps Diagnose Disease in NICU Babies
Fifty hours. That’s how long it now takes to decode and interpret a newborn baby’s genome — an undertaking that used to take weeks, or even months. And those two days can mean the difference between life and death for a …
A New Way to Fight Acne? Harmless Viruses that Live on Your Skin
Teens rejoice! Researchers have identified a potential new treatment for acne
Genetic Study Identifies Four Main Types of Breast Cancer
A sequencing study of breast-cancer-tumor genomes suggests that cancers should be categorized by their genetic heritage, rather than where they reside in the body
Junk DNA — Not So Useless After All
Researchers report on a new revelation about the human genome: it’s full of active, functioning DNA, and it’s a lot more complex than we ever thought
Who’s Your Daddy? A Mobile Paternity-Testing Truck Offers Answers on the Go
Getting your DNA tested is almost as easy as hailing a cab, at least in New York City.
Older Fathers Linked to Kids’ Autism and Schizophrenia Risk
Don’t blame older mothers for their offsprings’ developmental problems. A new study finds “there is probably much more reason to be concerned with the age of the father”
23andMe Wants FDA Approval for Personal DNA Testing. What Can It Reveal?
Winning government approval would be the first step in increasing public confidence in personalized genetic testing
Scientists Identify Rare Gene Mutation that Protects Against Alzheimer’s
A rare gene variant appears to protect against the degenerative brain disease, holding hope as a target for future drug development
The Good Bugs: How the Germs in Your Body Keep You Healthy
A consortium of scientists has set about mapping the millions of bacteria that live in and on our bodies, keeping us healthy
Decoding Cancer: Scientists Release 520 Tumor Genomes from Pediatric Patients
Could the answer to cancer lie within our own DNA?