mutations

Researchers at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) have demonstrated an intriguing new variation on the CRISPR gene-editing system, which involves fixing a mutation on one chromosome by copying a healthy version from the other. “Nicking” the DNA seemed to work better than cutting it.In many genetic disorders, the defective mutation only occurs on one chromosome, while the other contains a functional version of that same gene. The new CRISPR tool corrects the mutation in one chromosome by copying the healthy gene…

The monkeypox virus has mutated at a far faster rate than would normally be expected and likely underwent a period of "accelerated evolution," a new study suggests.The virus, which has infected more than 3,500 people in 48 countries since its detection outside Africa in May, may be more infectious due to dozens of new mutations. In all, the virus carries 50 new mutations not seen in previous strains detected from 2018 to 2019, according to a new study published June 24 in the journal Nature Medicine.  Scientists usually…

Since the dawn of genetics in the early 20th century, biologists have debated whether evolution is driven more by chance mutations or by the original diversity in the gene pool.   Having a lot of genetic options to choose from might make natural selection move a lot faster at the start, but do the genetic mutations that happen over time contribute more to species survival in the end?To attempt to resolve this long-standing argument once and for all, researchers at Michigan State University have tested the adaptive…

For people with obesity, bariatric surgery is by far the most effective way to lose weight and keep it off, albeit also the most invasive.While diets have been shown scientifically to not work long-term for the vast majority of people, making the stomach much smaller via surgical means is incredibly effective – one study found that, on average, those that undergo the procedure lost over a quarter of their body weight.  Furthermore, the surgery doesn't just cause weight loss – it seems to also significantly lower the risk…

Using big data to find cancerous mutations When determining what type of cancer mutation a patient has, the gold standard is to compare two samples from the patient: one from the tumor and one from healthy tissue (typically blood). Since both samples came from the same person, most of their DNA is identical; focusing only the genetic regions that differ from each other drastically narrows the location of a possible cancer-causing mutation. The problem is that healthy tissue isn’t always collected from patients, for…

Smoking cigarettes is the number one risk factor for lung cancer, with tobacco products causing up to 90 percent of lung cancer deaths in the United States. Without a doubt, the safest way to protect yourself against lung cancer is to avoid smoking cigarettes, and yet, at the same time, it's also true that not all lifelong smokers are doomed to develop cancer.  In fact, the vast majority don't. Scientists have long wondered why, and a new study adds weight to the idea that genetics has a role to play.Among people who…

The researchers tested how three mutations altered the interaction between a key part of the virus (gray) and the human protein to which it attaches (orange). Credit: Adapted from Biochemistry 2022, DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.2c00132Like storm waves battering a ship, new versions of the <span class="glossaryLink" aria-describedby="tt" data-cmtooltip="<div class=glossaryItemTitle>SARS-CoV-2</div><div class=glossaryItemBody>Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2…

Researchers at EMBL Heidelberg found that inversions in the human genome are more common than previously thought, which impacts our understanding of certain genetic diseases.Our <span class="glossaryLink" aria-describedby="tt" data-cmtooltip="<div class=glossaryItemTitle>DNA</div><div class=glossaryItemBody>DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is a molecule composed of two long strands of nucleotides that coil around each other to form a double helix. It is the hereditary material…

Researchers have linked increased numbers of mutations in children to a higher rate of random mutations in sperm cells of the biological father, associated with chemotherapy or rare genetic defects in DNA repair.Scientists have traced the cause of increased numbers of mutations in children to a higher rate of random mutations in sperm cells of the biological father, associated with rare genetic defects in <span class="glossaryLink" aria-describedby="tt" data-cmtooltip="<div…

It’s a very promising world first! Scientists at the University of Louvain (UCLouvain) have managed to identify the key that allows the Covid virus to attack cells. Better still, they have also managed to close the lock to block the virus and prevent its interaction with the cell, in other words, to prevent infection. This discovery, published in the journal Nature Communications, raises a huge hope: that of developing an antiviral, in the form of an aerosol, which would help to eradicate the virus in case of infection or…