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Humans split away from our closest animal relatives, chimpanzees, and formed our own branch on the evolutionary tree about seven million years ago. In the time since—brief, from an evolutionary perspective—our ancestors evolved the traits that make us human, including a much bigger brain than chimpanzees and bodies that are better suited to walking on two feet. These physical differences are underpinned by subtle changes at the level of our DNA. However, it can be hard to tell which of the many small genetic differences between us and chimps have been significant to our evolution.

New research from Whitehead Institute Member Jonathan Weissman; University of California, San Francisco Assistant Professor Alex Pollen; Weissman lab postdoc Richard She; Pollen lab graduate student Tyler Fair; and colleagues uses cutting edge tools developed in the Weissman lab to narrow in on the key differences in how humans and chimps rely on certain genes. Their findings, published in the journal Cell on June 20, may provide unique clues into how humans and chimps have evolved, including how humans became able to grow comparatively large brains.

In a groundbreaking study, researchers from Weill Cornell Medicine and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, a department of the National Institutes of Health.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. Founded in 1,887, it is a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The NIH conducts its own scientific research through its Intramural Research Program (IRP) and provides major biomedical research funding to non-NIH research facilities through its Extramural Research Program. With 27 different institutes and centers under its umbrella, the NIH covers a broad spectrum of health-related research, including specific diseases, population health, clinical research, and fundamental biological processes. Its mission is to seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability.

Research explores the effects of microgravity and radiation on the immune system in space conditions. It emphasizes the need to understand these effects for future long-duration space missions and highlights knowledge gaps for further investigation.

After immunotherapy caused diarrhea and colitis, Suzanne Singletary agreed to undergo a fecal transplant to help manage her symptoms so she could live her life and continue small cell lung cancer treatment.

GAINESVILLE, Florida (KXAN) — Did you ever wonder where butterflies came from? A recently published research paper has revealed a surprising origin: North and Central America.

The paper, published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, examined DNA from nearly 2,300 species of butterfly. The team used the data to develop a family tree and track down where the species came from.

Turns out, butterflies evolved from nocturnal moths around 101.4 million years ago.

Knowing that you’ve inherited genetic mutations that increase the risk of cancer can help you catch the disease earlier, and if diagnosed, choose the most effective treatments. But despite guidelines that recommend genetic testing for the majority of cancer patients, far too few are tested, according to new research by Stanford Medicine scientists and collaborators.

Among more than a million patients with cancer, only 6.8% underwent germline genetic testing — an analysis of inherited genes — within two years of diagnosis, according to the study published June 5 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The rates were particularly low among Asian, Black and Hispanic patients.

Continue reading “Few patients receive recommended genetic testing after cancer diagnosis” »

The microbe Akkermansia muciniphila is found in many animals and is a common part of the human gut microbiome; three to five percent of all the microbes found in human stool are A. muciniphila. This bacterium has been found to degrade mucin, a major component of mucus. This can pose a problem for people who are receiving chemotherapy. Higher levels of A. muciniphila have also been linked to an increase in symptoms of nausea during pregnancy. But this microbe may have many important and beneficial impacts too; it has also been connected to a lower risk of metabolic disease, and abnormal levels of the microbe have been associated with immune dysfunction, neurological disease, and other disorders.

There is still a lot to learn about A muciniphila, such as what its genes do. About one-third of its genome encodes for proteins with unknown functions. Scientists have now used molecular techniques to reveal the genes in A. muciniphila that might be related to its growth in the gut, how it uses mucin, and how is related to the production of cholesterol. The findings have been reported in Nature Microbiology.

Vitamin D supplements may reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events such as heart attacks among people aged over 60, finds a clinical trial published by The BMJ.

The researchers stress that the absolute risk difference was small, but say this is the largest trial of its kind to date, and further evaluation is warranted, particularly in people taking statins or other cardiovascular disease drugs.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a general term for conditions affecting the heart or blood vessels and is one of the main causes of death globally. CVD events such as heart attacks and strokes are set to increase as populations continue to age and chronic diseases become more common.

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A breathtaking scientific revolution is taking place – biotechnology has been progressing at stunning speed, giving us the tools to eventually gain control over biology. On the one hand solving the deadliest diseases while also creating viruses more dangerous than nuclear bombs, able to devastate humanity.

Continue reading “The Most Dangerous Weapon is NOT Nuclear” »