When the DNA sequences of Homo sapiens and Pan troglodytes were sequenced, the difference between the sequences of coding genes was smaller than expected based on the phenotypic differences between…

Scientists have discovered more about the intricacies of Natural Killer cells, a unique type of white blood cell important in early immune responses to tumors and viruses.   Unlike most…

For millenia, science and technology have been mobilized toward a Utopian dream; making food so plentiful and cheap poor people could afford to be fat. Well, they can, and because we have freedom (…

Some genes appear to have an effect on lifespan. This shouldn’t be too surprising news. But now, a research team from Stanford has shown that there are epigenetic effects on longevity as well. Using…

Earlier this year, a DNA computer was reported that could calculate square roots. A little later, a neural network was constructed out of ‘the stuff of life’. These advances strongly hinted at the…

The genome of the medieval form of Yersinia pestis, the pathogen responsible for the Black Death in Europe between 1347 – 1351, has been reconstructed. A surprising finding is that the genes…

At first sight, the hand held tablets and screens hosted on nurse tables and held dearly to the palms of able clinical staff, may appear to be incongruous with the functional obligations of their…

Number crunchers have never been much of nature lovers. Most venture capitalists, as it were, would rather be content, mulling over their wins and losses in the vagaries of business transactions of a…

Stem cells by virtue of their potential for self renewal and capacity to differentiate into diverse cell types have remained a primordial force in ensuring evolution of the species and sustenance of…

A meta-analysis has provided support to the previously suggested idea that a certain gene's variation is linked to suicidal behavior. The gene in question is the one that codes for BDNF (or brain-…