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All about genetics

All about genetics

A combination of genetic alterations makes melanoma immortal

What makes melanoma (skin cancer) immortal? Scientists discover a combination of genetic alterations that enables cancer to live forever. A study published in Science describes how the combinati..

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Seasonal affective disorder (seasonal depression) – symptoms, risk factors, causes and genetics

Here in the Northern Hemisphere, winter is not far away. The days are colder and shorter. It is barely light when we put on our coats to go to work in the morning, and by late afternoon, the light is..

All about genetics

Ancient viral DNA in the human genome guards against infections

A recent paper published in Science reports that viral DNA in human genomes, embedded there from ancient infections, serve as antivirals that protect human cells against certain modern viruses. The r..

All about genetics

The genetics of height

Prospective parents often wonder what their child will look like. What eye or hair color will they have? Will they look more like them or their partner? Among these questions, height is also a freque..

All about genetics

Genetic disorders: monogenic, polygenic and chromosomal disorders

Genetic disorders are diseases caused by changes to an individual’s DNA sequence. Our DNA sequence provides the instructions for making the proteins essential to the human body and a change can mea..

All about genetics

Modern humans generate more brain neurons than Neanderthals due to a single amino acid change in the protein TKTL1

A single amino acid change in the transketolase-like 1 (TKTL1) protein may have given modern humans an advantage over more ancient contemporaries like Neanderthals by enabling increased neuron produc..

All about genetics

Genetics of blood type: inheritance and compatibility

About 118.54 million blood donations are collected worldwide [1, WHO]. Knowing your blood type is important for medical reasons, e.g. if you require a blood transfusion or if you want to donate blood..

All about genetics

Genetics can influence the time that ADHD is first diagnosed and its persistence into adulthood

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is primarily a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting children. However, about two-thirds of those affected will continue to have the condition into adu..

All about genetics

Health risks for people with red hair

In a previous article (Red hair: it’s in your genes), we discussed melanin (made by melanocytes) and the two types of melanin involved in hair and skin pigmentation: eumelanin and pheomelanin. How ..

All about genetics

Genetics of chimerism: being your own twin

In genetics, a chimera is an organism or tissue that contains at least two different sets of DNA, most often originating from the fusion of as many different zygotes (fertilized eggs) [1]. The term i..

All about genetics

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