How trustworthy is your dog's DNA test?

Lila is a registered purebred beagle, but depending on what company does her DNA testing, she might be part rottweiler, part American foxhound, or not a beagle at all.

When growth becomes a weakness for cancer cells

ETH researchers are shedding light on what can happen when cells exceed their normal size and become senescent. The new findings could help to optimize cancer therapies.

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Genetic testing

Genetic testing allows the genetic diagnosis of vulnerabilities to inherit diseases, and can also be used to determine a person's ancestry. Normally, every person carries two copies of every gene, one inherited from their mother, one inherited from their father. The human genome is believed to contain around 20,000 - 25,000 genes. In addition to studying chromosomes to the level of individual genes, genetic testing in a broader sense includes biochemical tests for the possible presence of genetic diseases, or mutant forms of genes associated with increased risk of developing genetic disorders. Genetic testing identifies changes in chromosomes, genes, or proteins. Most of the time, testing is used to find changes that are associated with inherited disorders. The results of a genetic test can confirm or rule out a suspected genetic condition or help determine a person's chance of developing or passing on a genetic disorder. Several hundred genetic tests are currently in use, and more are being developed.

Since genetic testing may open up ethical or psychological problems, genetic testing is often accompanied by genetic counseling.

This text uses material from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA