genetics

Modern fish and salamander genes tell us a lot about where our hands come from — and a little about why we can’t regrow them after a fight.

We’re much closer to genetically modifying ourselves than you think. But professor Michael Bess warns that toying with our genetics could create a divide between the modified and unmodified.

As surprising as it may seem, humans share a common genetic ancestor with yeast. Yes, yeast. Now researchers have shown that even today, some human genes swapped into a yeast cell will function identically as the yeast genes they replaced.

Even with good intentions and legitimate potential medical applications, gene research poses ethical debate and concern among scientists, many of whom have called for a worldwide moratorium on its use. That’s no different for a new method called CRISPR, which is splitting scientific opinion.

Sequencing the first human genome cost a whopping $2.7 billion; today it costs only about $1,000. But now that genomic testing a lot more accessible, are we ready to deal with the legal and ethical questions surrounding genetic information?