Aiming to find a cheaper, easier way than IVF to ensure human embryos are healthy before implantation, researchers paid women to be inseminated, then flushed the embryos from their wombs for analysis.
Medical and genetic data from more than a million Americans are now in scientific databases. Some programs hoard the data, while others share widely with scientists, hoping to speed medical discovery.
A project that shares medical information from 500,000 volunteers is driving innovative research around the world. The richness of the database means scientists are motivated to make it even better.
They work with patients to decide when genetic testing is appropriate, interpret test results and counsel families on the ways hereditary diseases might impact them. A trusting relationship is key.
Scientists hoping to get more diversity of ancestry among medical research volunteers need to grapple with the history of medical exploitation, says a Columbia University bioethicist.
Analysis of DNA from more than 400,000 people in the U.K. suggests a genetic modification that protects against HIV may actually increase the overall risk of premature death.
A genetic analysis of samples taken from a large UK health database suggest that people who are more sensitive than their peers to the bitter taste of caffeine tend to drink more coffee — not less.
A full genome sequence costs about $1,000. But Nebula Genomics expects that companies and researchers would defray the cost in exchange for key medical information about the person involved.
Sometimes discoveries derived from patients' medical data become the foundation of new profit-making companies. A fledgling industry wants to help patients get a cut of the cash.
Genomic sequencing reveals new evidence of interbreeding among different groups of our ancient relatives. A scientist calls the find "almost too lucky to be true."
Carl Zimmer wondered what secrets lurked in his genetic code — so he decided to have his genome sequenced. He writes about the implications of the study of genetics in She Has Her Mother's Laugh.
Cattle ranchers know that making the best steak starts with the genetic makeup of the herd. Now those genetics have taken a historic leap thanks to new, predictive DNA technology.
After failing to find a match within criminal databases, law enforcement uploaded the killer's DNA profile to a no-frills website used to trace ancestry. The tactic has spurred privacy concerns.
New data have confirmed major differences in mutation rates between the sexes — showing that children inherit more mutations from their dads than from their moms, says guest commentator Robert Martin.
Why do dogs look different from wolves? The question bedeviled Charles Darwin. Now scientists have a fascinating theory that links droopy ears and splotchy coats with domestication.
Fordham University graduate student Matthew Combs studies the DNA of New York City's rats. He found that rats living uptown are genetically distinct from rats living downtown.
Companies distributing genetic tests at pro sports events say they can help people make the most of exercise and nutrition. But regulators say some are medical tests that could land people in trouble.
An influential Harlem church is trying to help the National Institutes of Health overcome reluctance by some African-Americans to participate in a medical study of 1 million diverse Americans.
Calling someone a Neanderthal because of his coarse manners or brutish looks may seem like fun. But be careful. Neanderthal DNA persists inside many of us.
A baby who was conceived through an experimental procedure designed to prevent a deadly disease appears to be healthy. But some potentially defective DNA remains. Will it affect his health long term?
You'd think it would be a simple matter of looking at a few genes from Mom and Dad. But scientists say they've already found more than 700 variants that affect height and are still counting.
New Yorker writer Michael Specter discusses emerging biotechnologies that will make it possible to remove disease and change the characteristics of life by rewriting the genetic code in cells.
In 2016, scientists combined the genes of three people in an effort to make a baby free of an inherited disease. But the process doesn't wipe out all faulty mitochondria, and could pose new risks.
People with unlucky genes but good health habits were half as likely to develop heart disease as those who had an unhealthful lifestyle and genes that increased their heart risk, a study found.
An easier way to edit genes, called CRISPR-Cas9, is revolutionizing biomedical research. But as patents and big prizes hover, some contributors to the discovery aren't getting much credit.
