Is a woman’s longing for a child evolution at work, or social conditioning? And what about those who don’t want kids? Are they defying nature? Probably not, as almost everyone wants sex.
Don’t forget the genes!
Brain image via www.shutterstock.com.
Scientists have discovered that the high pressure in the eye that occurs with most common forms of glaucoma can trigger two genes that work together to cause vision loss, which may help pave the way for new glaucoma drugs.
What produces the differences between men and women? Are they trivial or profound? Are they genetic or environmental, or both? And are men really closer genetically to chimpanzees than to women?
The red Cas9 nuclease protein uses a blue guide RNA sequence to cut yellow DNA at a complementary site.
CRISPR-Cas9 via www.shutterstock.com
Until more is understood, it’s sensible to limit experimentation that would make changes to germ line cells that would be passed on to future generations.
“Hangry” is an amalgam of hungry and angry that describes the distinct grumpiness that some people experience when they haven’t eaten for a while. Ring a bell?
BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations prompted Angelina Jolie to have a preventative double mastectomy and surgery to remove both ovaries.
Sebastian Kahnert/AAP
When a family member dies from a disease caused by a genetic mutation, doctors have to decide whether to share the deceased person’s test results with the rest of the family.
The current outbreak of Ebola virus in West Africa is unprecedented in size, with nearly 4,800 confirmed or probable cases and more than 2,400 deaths. People have been infected in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra…
Genetics is just the latest specialist knowledge threatening to take the question of criminal responsibility away from law and hand it over to science.
Graham/Flickr
Welcome to Biology and Blame, a series of articles examining historical and current influences on the notion of criminal responsibility. Today, Arlie Loughnan considers the challenge to the legal system…