Researchers have identified a rare genetic variation that seems to reduce how much people smoke, offering a fresh clue in the fight against tobacco addiction. The study, published in Nature Communications, looked at nearly 38,000 smokers and found that people with certain variants of a gene called CHRNB3 tend to…
A new study looked at what people actually do after getting important health results from direct-to-consumer genetic tests—like those offered by companies such as 23andMe. The findings suggest that, for many people, these tests don’t just sit in a report. They often lead to real medical steps. Researchers surveyed more…
For many children with rare neurological conditions, the path to a diagnosis can take years. Families often go through a long series of tests—blood work, scans, and multiple genetic analyses—without finding clear answers. This journey is sometimes called the “diagnostic odyssey.” A new study from three Italian medical centers shows…
Modern medicine already uses screening to catch problems early. Newborns are tested for serious genetic conditions, adults have their blood pressure and cholesterol checked, and women have Pap smears to detect cervical cancer. These programs work because they identify risks before symptoms appear, when treatment is most effective. Now, scientists…
Cancer treatment is changing around the world because doctors are beginning to look beyond what they can see under a microscope. They are now looking deep inside the DNA of cancer cells to understand what truly drives the disease. In India, an important step in this direction has been taken…
A large new study published in BMC Cancer has uncovered something important for how we think about inherited breast cancer risk in India: most of the genetic risks would be missed if doctors only test for the famous BRCA genes. When people hear about genetic testing for breast cancer, they…
Why do some people live to 100 while others die decades earlier? Most of us have heard the same explanation for years: eat well, exercise, avoid smoking, get lucky. Lifestyle, environment, and chance were thought to do most of the work. A new study led by molecular biologist Uri Alon…
For many people with rare or unexplained conditions, getting a clear diagnosis can take years. This long journey—often called the diagnostic odyssey—may involve multiple doctor visits, repeated tests, and lingering uncertainty. Advances in genetic testing are changing this, and whole genome sequencing (WGS) is emerging as one of the most…
Most of us grow up thinking of genetic conditions as something rare—something that happens “in other families” or only when there is a known history of disease. The truth is more surprising: many healthy people unknowingly carry genetic changes that can be passed on to their children. This is where…
The NHS in England has launched a first-of-its-kind national genetics programme to help people at high inherited risk of cancer receive ongoing checks, tests and personalised care. This new initiative centres on the NHS National Inherited Cancer Predisposition Register, a database of people whose genes put them at higher risk…
Researchers have identified a rare genetic variation that seems to reduce how much people smoke,…
A new study looked at what people actually do after getting important health results from…
For many children with rare neurological conditions, the path to a diagnosis can take years.…
