Natural Selection
Posted May 7 2008
So far, DNA websites provide mixed results. But the role of commerce is crucial to push medicine and government to take individual DNA testing seriously. Last in a four-part series. Continue
Posted Apr 30 2008
Are there really genes for sprinting and bitter taste? A comparison of genetic traits from new online DNA testing sites with tech guru Kevin Kelly. Third in a series.
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Posted Apr 24 2008
According to DeCodeMe, 23andme, and Navigenics, my genes tell me that I have high, medium, and low risk for heart attack. What gives? Second in a series.
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Posted Apr 16 2008
Personal genetic tests are proliferating; some are even available online. Do they really tell you anything? First in a series. Continue
Posted Apr 2 2008
A closed-door meeting of global stem-cell advocates maps out the post-Bush era of research and suggests that cures may be on the horizon. Continue
Posted Mar 19 2008
A chance meeting with Paleontologist Jack “Jurassic Park” Horner connects my DNA with a 68-million-year-old tyrannosaurus rex — oh, and a chicken too. Continue
Posted Mar 5 2008
DNA tests for everything from diseases to ancestry are proliferating as a nascent industry tries to spark a revolution. Is this déjà vu all over again? Continue
Posted Feb 20 2008

The PCR turns 25—a blockbuster invention that is the backbone of genetics. It was conceived late one night in 1983 by a hippie-surfer-researcher who saw nucleotides floating above a lonely country road.

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Posted Feb 13 2008
Illumina C.E.O. Jay Flatley is moving fast to outmaneuver rivals in a futuristic industry that stands to make billions of dollars off your DNA. Continue
Posted Feb 6 2008
Maverick scientist Craig Venter announces that his team has created the largest manmade molecule in history—a chromosome that may be the key to building organisms that can make fuel, and much more. Continue
Posted Jan 23 2008
Scientists think the new field of neuroeconomics can explain some business behavior, perhaps even distinguish rational from irrational decisions. Are some people's brains hardwired to run companies or to make deals? Continue
Posted Jan 9 2008
George W. Bush enters his last year in office with scientific research short on cash, the F.D.A. in a state of near collapse, and promising therapies slowed by ideology.
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Posted Dec 26 2007
What comes after discoveries in biotech? A hard look at bio-economics, politics, personality, and ethics, this week with help from Andy Grove. Continue
Posted Dec 12 2007
A report says the Food and Drug Administration, which regulates $1 trillion worth of food and drugs, is dangerously underfunded and near collapse. Continue
Posted Nov 28 2007
Brain scans show that humans are unfailingly optimistic, which may explain how we have come to dominate the planet.
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Posted Nov 7 2007
Sirtris Pharmaceuticals is testing a fountain-of-youth pill in humans. You won't live forever, but it may slow aging and increase lifespan. So far, it's working. Continue

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