Genetics

Sugarcane is a key food crop, but its large environmental impact leaves plenty of room for improvement. Unfortunately it’s tricky and time-consuming to breed new varieties, but now researchers have used CRISPR gene-editing to do so more easily.

Researchers have found the earliest known strain of the plague-causing Yersinia pestis bacteria, through genetic analysis of teeth and bone from a hunter-gatherer who was buried in present-day Latvia 5,000 years ago.

New clinical data shows that CRISPR gene editing can be done safely and effectively inside the body. CRISPR was injected into the bloodstream of patients with a genetic disease, with better outcomes than current treatments and no side effects.

Researchers have catalogued 178 gene variants associated with major depression in one of the biggest genome-wide association studies ever conducted. The study encompassed several million people in the hope of developing a genetic test to detect those most at risk.

With psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy on the cusp of broad clinical approval, millions of people may soon experience these hallucinogenic drugs for the first time. Can a genetic test help predict how individuals will respond to psychedelics?

The most detailed genomic study ever conducted of individuals over the age of 100 years has homed in on several genetic traits that may protect from age-related disease. Gene variants improving DNA repair processes were particularly prominent.

Scientists at Harvard have demonstrated an alternative to CRISPR – a genetic engineering system called Retron Library Recombineering (RLR) that works without cutting DNA and can be quickly applied to huge populations of cells.

In a breakthrough new study, scientists have created human-monkey chimera embryos for the first time. They make for more accurate models of human biology and disease - but of course they also raise some complicated ethical concerns.

Two new studies have shed light on just how often our ancestors got frisky with Neanderthals. Scientists analyzed the genomes of 45,000-year-old human remains found in Czechia and Bulgaria, including the oldest known genome of a modern human.

Scientists have created a synthetic single-celled organism that can divide and grow like a regular living cell. This breakthrough could lead to designer cells that can produce useful chemicals on demand or treat disease from inside the body.

A study investigating the relationship between genetics, diet and heart health is claiming the cardiovascular benefits often linked to taking fish oil supplements may be only apparent in those individuals of a certain genotype.

A striking new study has found gene expression can dramatically increase in some brain cells hours after a person dies. The researchers suggest scientists studying post-mortem brain tissue must take into account these significant changes in future work.