Do our genes influence whether or not we get a Staph infection? It looks like they do. A new study shows that, if your sibling had a Staph infection, you are twice as likely to get one yourself - suggesting that our genes, in addition to other factors, determine how susceptible we are to certain infections.
genetics
Direct-to-consumer genetic testing provided by 23andme claims to provide relatively benign services to consumers, but is it okay to trust a company who's CEO is married to the founder of Google?
A very large study of Nordic twins published recently in JAMA found that there's a significant link between their genetic makeup and their risk of getting certain cancers, with the strongest links involving melanoma and the prostate.
The evolution and spread of genetic disease is fascinating because genetic diseases (spread through inheritance only) really shouldn't exist. They are caused by having alleles (versions of a gene) that are detrimental to health and biological fitness, so they should not remain established in a population.
- « first
- ‹ previous
- 1
- 2
- 3