Blame genetics for bad driving, study finds. Telltale Signs You’ve Got the ‘Love Hormone’ Gene? Can you tell at first glance if someone is likely to be a good partner or parent? New research suggests that observers can identify the most nurturing and socially sensitive people, just by watching their behavior for 20 seconds — and that these highly empathetic people are more likely to have a gene variation associated with trust and caring.
The genetic variation affects the receptor for oxytocin, often referred to as the “love hormone” or “cuddle chemical” because it plays a role in social bonding, trust, empathy and generosity. Levels of oxytocin increase during orgasm and childbirth, and it helps the formation of bonds between friends, lovers, and parents and children. Research has shown that people with two G variants of the gene are more empathetic and “prosocial,” showing more compassion, cooperation and positive emotion. MORE: ‘Love Hormone’ Oxytocin Enhances Men’s Memories of Mom — Good or Bad MORE: Does Men’s ‘Bond’ with Porn Ruin Them for Real-Life Sex? Study Says DNA’s Power to Predict Illness Is Limited. The answer, according to a new study of , is, for the most part, “no.” While sequencing the entire DNA of individuals is proving fantastically useful in understanding diseases and finding new treatments, it is not a method that will, for the most part, predict a person’s medical future.
So, the new study concludes, it is not going to be possible to say that, for example, will occur with absolute certainty unless a person keeps a normal weight, or that is a foregone conclusion without frequent screening and removal of polyps. Conversely, it will not be possible to tell some people that they can ignore all the advice about, for example, preventing a because they will never get one. “The punch line is that this sort of personalized medicine will not in any way be the most important determinant of patient care,” said Dr. Since identical twins share all of their genes, the investigators could ask to what extent genes predict an increased chance of getting a disease.
Dr. Now, Dr. Dr. Pfizer Experimental Drug Reduces Autism Signs in Mouse Study. An experimental drug for depression being developed by Pfizer Inc. (PFE) reduced signs of autism in mice in a study, a finding that may shed light on the cause of the disorder and jump-start research into ways to treat it. The treatment, named GRN-529, targets the brain chemical glutamate, tied to socialization and behavior. When given to mice displaying signs of autism, it suppressed repetitive actions and anti-social behavior, according to the research published today in the journal Science Translational Medicine. Pfizer and the National Institutes of Health funded the study.
There are no drugs on the market to treat the symptoms or causes of autism. Until recently, scientists believed the brains of autistic patients were hard-wired before diagnosis, making treatment with a drug difficult, said Daniel Smith, an autism researcher at Pfizer. Pfizer shares rose 1.5 percent to $22.96 in New York time. Pfizer, based in New York, plans to continue studying the drug in animals, Smith said. Autism's Tangled Genetics Full of Rare and Varied Mutations. The underpinnings of autism are turning out to be even more varied than the disease's diverse manifestations.
In four new studies and an analysis published June 8 researchers have added some major landmarks in the complex landscape of the disease, uncovering clues as to why the disease is so much more prevalent in male children and how such varied genetic mutations can lead to similar symptoms. Large genetic studies have ruled out the idea that the malfunction of a universal gene or set of genes causes autism. And the new papers, which assessed the genomes of about 1,000 families that had only one autistic child, revealed that the genetic mutations that are likely responsible for the disorder are exceedingly rare—sometimes almost unique to an individual patient.
Even some of the most common point of mutations were found in only about 1 percent of autistic children. Despite the rarity of these genetic code errors, researchers could detect some important patterns in the disparate data. Identical Twins' Genes Are Not Identical. Identical twins are identical, right?
After all, they derive from just one fertilized egg, which contains one set of genetic instructions, or genome, formed from combining the chromosomes of mother and father. But experience shows that identical twins are rarely completely the same. Until recently, any differences between twins had largely been attributed to environmental influences (otherwise known as "nurture"), but a recent study contradicts that belief. Geneticist Carl Bruder of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and his colleagues closely compared the genomes of 19 sets of adult identical twins.
In some cases, one twin's DNA differed from the other's at various points on their genomes. At these sites of genetic divergence, one bore a different number of copies of the same gene, a genetic state called copy number variants. Normally people carry two copies of every gene, one inherited from each parent. Charles Lee, a geneticist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, agrees.
High-Frequency Hearing Loss. Peer Pressure. 462 pp. New York: The Free Press. $26. As I was writing this review, two friends called to ask me about ''that book that says parents don't matter.'' Well, that's not what it says. What ''The Nurture Assumption'' does say about parents and children, however, warrants the lively controversy it began generating even before publication. Judith Rich Harris was chucked out of graduate school at Harvard 38 years ago, on the grounds that she was unlikely to become a proper experimental psychologist.
The public may be forgiven for saying, ''Here we go again.'' What makes Harris's book important is that it puts all these theories into larger perspective, showing what each contributes and where it's flawed. First, researchers have been unable to find any child-rearing practice that predicts children's personalities, achievements or problems outside the home.
Second, even when parents do treat their children the same way, the children turn out differently.
Genes & behavior in news. Counsyl Brings Genetic Screening to the Masses. Study suggests breast cancer is clutch of 10 diseases. Scientists who conducted a major international study into the genetics of breast cancer say they can now classify the disease into 10 subtypes - a finding that points to more accurate, tailored treatment for individual patients in future. In research published in the journal Nature on Wednesday, a team led by scientists at the Cancer Research UK (CRUK) charity also found several completely new genes that drive breast cancer, offering potential targets for new types of drugs. Carlos Caldas, who co-led the study at CRUK's Cambridge Research Institute and the University of Cambridge said the findings mean breast cancer should now be seen as an "umbrella term" for a larger number of diseases.
"Essentially we've moved from knowing what a breast tumor looks like under a microscope to pinpointing its molecular anatomy," he said. "This research won't affect women diagnosed with breast cancer today. Molecular map. Journalist's Resource: Research for Reporting, from Harvard Shorenstein Center. Academia, meet the press. We live in a world of too much information and not enough knowledge.
No one feels the strain of that digital-age truism more than journalists, who are asked to ferret out and process information with ever-increasing speed — and often at the expense of providing solid context for the news of the day. Journalist’s Resource, a new online tool developed at Harvard’s Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy, aims to put that background knowledge at the fingertips of reporters, bloggers, or even concerned citizens by making the work of academics less opaque and easier to find. But the website, which curates scholarship on government, economics, society, and the environment, is more than just a reliable shortcut for deadline-driven journalists.
It’s also the ever-evolving manifestation of two Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) professors’ mission to promote what they call “knowledge-based reporting” in the mainstream media. That’s where Journalist’s Resource comes in.
Genetic Disease. Genetic Discoveries. Reproductive technology. Technologies. Eugenics.