New Atlas

Medical Audio available

Genetic variant may explain why birth control is not effective in all women

Rich Haridy March 13, 2019

A fascinating new study has for the first time linked a specific genetic variant with the efficacy of hormone-based birth control treatments. The research suggests birth control may be less effective in women found with this particular gene.

A specific gene, found in five percent of women studied, could increase the chances of hormonal ...

Environment Audio available

DNA study shows bacteria mixing and matching genes to survive

Michael Irving March 7, 2019

You can check the health of an environment by taking a census of the microorganisms that call it home. Researchers at Berkeley Lab have developed a new way to get a larger snapshot of what’s going on, looking specifically at the genes bacteria pass around to help each other adapt to a changing world

Researchers have found a new way to study the genes that bacteria swap to give each ...

Science Audio available

Novel mechanism explains how sleep repairs damaged DNA in the brain

Rich Haridy March 5, 2019

A team from Israel’s Bar-Ilan University has uncovered a previously unknown function of sleep that may explain why the behavior is so fundamental to all complex organisms with a brain.

Using zebrafish as a model scientists have discovered repairing DNA damage in neurons may be one ...

Biology Audio available

Incredibly rare "semi-identical" twins born in Australia

Michael Irving February 27, 2019

Twins born in Queensland, Australia have been found to belong to an extremely rare in-between type known as “semi-identical” twins. This is only the second known case in the world, and the first time it was identified during pregnancy using genetic testing.

Semi-identical twins born in Australia mark only the second known case in the world

Science

Two massive genetic studies home in on the origins of insomnia

Rich Haridy February 25, 2019

Two massive new studies have homed in on the genetic foundations of insomnia. The rigorous analyses reveal novel links between insomnia and certain brain regions, while paving the way for personalized treatments.

The research examined over a million people finding hundreds of genes that could be associated with ...

Science

How gut bacteria controls gene expression through “interspecies communication”

Rich Haridy February 21, 2019

Imagine a tiny microbe living inside you with the power to control the activity of your DNA. Scientists are increasingly discovering how much control our gut bacteria may actually have over us with a study describing how bacteria can secrete a molecule that literally turns genes off or on.

New research reveals insight into how our gut bacteria may changing the way genes are expressed ...

Biology Audio available

Synthetic DNA demonstrates just how weird aliens might be

Michael Irving February 21, 2019

Different conditions on different planets could have led life down paths that are completely … well, alien. To demonstrate, a NASA-funded study has successfully created a new synthetic genetic system that’s a viable alternative to DNA, made with twice as many “ingredients.”

An illustration of the new synthetic DNA structure, showing regular nucleotides (green, blue, red, yellow) along ...

Science Audio available

First human gene therapy surgery attempts to halt common form of vision loss

Rich Haridy February 19, 2019

In an extraordinary milestone procedure, scientists in the UK have performed the first gene therapy operation aimed at stopping progression of the most common cause of vision loss. The success of the procedure is yet to be determined.

A novel form of gene therapy may save the vision of millions of people around the ...

Biology Audio available

DNA tags in the brain found to help erase fear memories

Michael Irving February 19, 2019

New research from the University of Queensland (UQ) has now found a chemical pathway that helps the brain wipe fear memories, which could lead to new potential treatments for phobias and other fear-related anxiety disorders.

A new study has found DNA modifications related to how we unlearn fears, which could be ...

Biology

Grasses found to cheat evolution by stealing genes from their neighbors

Michael Irving February 19, 2019

Plenty of students cheat on tests by copying off neighbors, and it turns out that grasses are doing the same thing. Scientists have found evidence that some species of grasses are stealing genes from their neighbors to help them adapt, effectively bypassing millions of years’ worth of evolution.

Researchers have found that a species of grass known as Alloteropsis semialata can steal genes from ...