Policy Memo by Yug Yadava
Executive Summary
When a child is born at a hospital in the United States, he or she is tested for genetic, inherited, heart, and hearing…
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By Justin McMahon
Around 1 in 4 people will be affected by a mental illness at some point throughout their lives (World Health Organization, 2022), and unfortunately up to 60% of…
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by Rebeka Popovic
To operate properly, each cell relies on thousands of proteins performing their function at the right time and place within the boundaries of its membrane. The function…
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By Lauren Wagner
Thirteen years after the first Avatar movie came out in 2009, director James Cameron invites viewers to journey back to the faraway, lush exo-moon of Pandora with…
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By Marta Garo-Pascual
Telomeres are the “shoelace caps” of linear chromosomes and, as shoelace caps protect shoelaces, telomeres serve a protective role for chromosomes. Barbara McClintock and Hermann Muller described…
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For Migraine Awareness Week, from September 5-14 this year, Federica Raguseo created an infographic to raise awareness – click here to read more.…
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When you hear a baby relentlessly crying on an airplane, even through your noise-cancelling headphones, you can do nothing but sigh in defeat. With all hope of an in-flight nap…
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Sleep paralysis is a type of REM parasomnia or abnormal behavior that takes place during the REM sleep cycle. Also known as sleep atonia, this condition refers to the feeling…
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Our brains are extremely rich in fat. Indeed, about two thirds of the human brain is composed of fat, 35% of which consists of essential polyunsaturated fatty acids. What are…
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Have you ever wondered how each cell of our body reaches its correct place? It is even more astounding when you realize that our body is formed from only two…
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Around the world, all populations of humans are essentially the same. The differences that make us who we are lie in differences among individuals, which result from only 0.1% of…
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This past November the mug shot of Charles McDowell went viral after viewers noticed that the man in the photo had an unusual phenotype- specifically a larger than average neck.…
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Language is a uniquely human trait, and how it evolved is one of the greatest unanswered questions in neuroscience. Spoken and written language facilitate much of what makes up human…
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What happens to the brain in aging?
Normal aging comes with many changes in brain structure and function. As individuals approach the age of 65 years and above, they experience…
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A family curse
During the early 1980’s, an Italian physician was investigating a mysterious and dreadful disease that had long plagued his family. In earlier generations, this disease had killed…
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The phrase, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” seems especially true for scientists. What we study becomes not only intellectually beautiful, but also literally beautiful: the form is…
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Epigenetics change which genes are active and which are inactive. Research over the past few years has shown that these changes are important for protecting the brain from neurodegeneration and…
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The evening of November 9th, 1938, began with typical fall solemnity for many Jews living across Germany: closing up their shops and businesses, returning home from school, and preparing family…
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The human genome consists of nearly 25,000 protein-coding genes – and a mutation in just one of these can have dramatic effects on our brains. Remarkably, one tiny change in…
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It is an exciting time for neuroscience. The BRAIN Initiative (Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies) is in the spotlight as a part of the new Presidential focus and recently…
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Huntington’s disease (HD) is an incredibly debilitating neurodegenerative disorder. Currently, there is no treatment that effectively reverses the progression of the disease or delays its onset. Huntington’s is a particularly…
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The potential to manipulate DNA sequences and insert genes with the use of zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs) has huge implications for human genetic disease therapeutics. One exciting example is a…
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Scientists have debated the importance of nature vs. nurture for years. For the first time, however, both sides have shaken hands and acknowledged a tie. The burgeoning field of epigenetics…
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