Nov 7th, 2008 · Eighty-four teams of students from 21 countries are gathering at MIT to compete in the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition. The teams have been working since the summer to construct biological machine systems — and operate them within living cells.
Nov 7th, 2008 · A genetics team sequenced DNA from both cancerous and normal tissue from a patient with the white blood cell cancer. The researchers then compared the two sequences to identify 10 mutated genes that appear to be associated with the formation of the cancer.
Nov 6th, 2008 · Darren Lynn Bousman thinks his "genetic opera" has the potential to be the next Donnie Darko or Rocky Horror Picture Show. But can you engineer a cult classic? Or is it only fans who can decide what's worthy of devotion?
Oct 31st, 2008 · Oetzi, a mummified man found frozen in the Italian Alps after 5,300 years, has no living genetic descendants among modern humans. The discovery came after researchers sequenced Oetzi's entire genome and compared it with human DNA.
Oct 30th, 2008 · Scientists have learned a lot about the man whose 5,300-year-old remains were discovered in the Italian Alps in 1991. But one question has remained unanswered: Does he have any living descendants? Apparently not, at least based on genetic markers from his mother.
Oct 24th, 2008 · The Personal Genome Project is attempting to find 100,000 volunteers to publish their entire genetic makeup — including their physical traits — online. So far, ten individuals have chosen to share their DNA sequences, medical records, and other personal information with the research community and the general public.
Oct 21st, 2008 · These genes aren't from your parents, but the genetic code of the bacteria in your gut can determine your health — and affect conditions like type 1 diabetes and obesity.
Sep 30th, 2008 · Tests for cancer are intimidating enough — and now genetic tests can reveal a patient's predisposition for certain cancers before there are any symptoms. Filmmaker Joanna Rudnick, upon learning she had such a genetic mutation, made a TV documentary about the agonizing choices such tests involve.