Humans have an unclear number of genes - ab initio gene finding and comparative gene finding yield different totals (see the Human Genome Project for details) - but it is likely in the low 20,000s…

Bt corn, which is engineered to produce the bacterial toxin, Bt, that organic farmers spray on foods all of the time, is better than a pesticide because is naturally resists attack by the corn…

Celiac disease is not controversial, some people have always had it. But belief that it is on the rise - some claims are that the disease is four times more common today - rather than being diagnosed…

Bacteria resistant to antibiotics may be the subjects of sci-fi Hollywood horror, but it is also the reality at hospitals across the country. There are ongoing complaints that feeding animal…

A new study in mice found that it might be possible to fine-tune mitochondria, tweaking one aspect to increase insulin sensitivity, reduce body and fat mass, and even extend life. The researchers…

In light of ethical concerns with using human embryonic stem (hES) cells for research and therapeutic development, scientists have since developed technologies to allow one to reprogram somatic cells…

Epigenetics is a nascent, exciting field and due to its broad scope, it is used to rationalize the 'it might be so' potential of the mundane (evolutionary psychology) to the silly (social psychology…

Our behavior is critically linked to our genetics but the relationship remains murky. Genes, by constructing our brain and nervous system and by regulating our hormones, influence behavior — in…

Studies are revealing new details about a molecular surveillance system that helps detect and correct errors in cell division that can lead to cell death or human diseases. The purpose of cell…

The IFIT protein enables the human immune system to detect viruses and prevent infection by acting as foot soldiers guarding the body against infection. They recognize foreign viral ribonucleic acid…