The human genome--the whole of a person's DNA--contains thousands of genes. Each person has two copies of most genes, called alleles, with one allele inherited from the mother and one from the father. During development and throughout life, the...
Alzheimer's disease causes severe disruption in critical thinking, memory, judgment and social skills. The dementia of Alzheimer's occurs along with distinctive changes in the brain, including abnormal protein deposits of plaques and tangles. The...
Genes are molecules of nucleotides that encode for the traits seen in organisms, including humans. Genes are the code used to create proteins. These proteins are used for human traits. Blue eyes, skin color, height and facial features are all...
You don't actually require vitamin D in your diet, because your body can synthesize it with the aid of a little sunshine. The active form is 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol, a highly lipophilic or fat-soluble molecule that gets around in the blood...
Cell replication and division are processes vital to the growth and reproduction of all living organisms. Prior to dividing, cells must first duplicate their genetic material or DNA. Crossing over, otherwise known as genetic recombination, refers...
Hair color is determined by two different forms of pigment: eumelanin (which is the largest influence) and phenomelanin. Eumelanin is a black pigment, and phenomelanin is a red or yellow pigment. Hair color is determined by three factors having...
Paternity testing can change the life of a child as well as the lives of the adults tested. Paternity testing provides highly accurate results within a few days. A rushed sample can be completed in as little as one to three days, Identigene...
At least 10 percent of people in the United States suffer from clinical depression at some point in their lives, says the Stanford School of Medicine. One way to study the genetic elements involved in depression is to study depressed individuals...
When you hear the term "high blood sugar," your next thought may naturally center on diabetes, but high levels of glucose circulating through your bloodstream also increase your risk of Alzheimer's disease. At a foundational level, the two...
Excessive alcohol consumption is directly linked to liver disease, heart disease and addiction, according to decades of medical literature, but an increasing number of studies indicate that moderate use of alcohol may actually lower the risk in...
C-reactive protein is a type of protein that dramatically increases in concentration when inflammation or infection occurs in the body. High levels can also indicate the presence of certain medical conditions, such as cardiovascular disease or...
Initially driven by the social sciences, the nature vs. nurture debate is still researched by many scientific, psychological, medical and anthropological groups. The foundation of the debate still questions whether a child is a product of genes or...
The human brain produces a number of "feel good" chemicals--from serotonin and dopamine, to norepinephrine, GABA and endorphins--all of which work together in to produce feelings of well-being. When levels of these "feel good" chemicals are low or...
Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of progressive dementia in elderly people, according to Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man, or OMIM. In Alzheimer's disease, nerve cells in the brain die, killed by the accumulation of abnormal...
Eye color in humans varies from very light to very dark. Eye color should more accurately be called iris color, since the iris, the central part of the eye, contains the different colors. While genetics plays the dominant role in eye color,...
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) refers to several different lung conditions, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis, among others, any of which ultimately damage the lungs so that breathing becomes difficult. Because it is not a...
Look around your gym at the different bodies. Everybody wants to "get swol" fast. You have to understand how your muscle cells react to resistance training, feed them properly and rest them properly to get bigger and more numerous muscle...
While many supplements promise to build up your body and enhance physical ability and appearance, Focus Factor concentrates on your brain. This supplement contains a blend of 40 ingredients, which its manufacturer claims can improve your mental...
Although evidence shows that depression has a genetic component, scientists have struggled to identify the genes that contribute to its manifestation. Depression is common, influenced by the environment and life events. It is also complex in that...
Whole grains make up one part of a healthy diet. Grains provide nutrients that are lacking in refined grains. Wild rice, brown rice, barley and whole-wheat pasta are complex carbs that digest slowly as opposed to refined grains such as white rice...
Epidemiological studies indicate that diets high in saturated fatty acids are linked to cognitive decline, while consumption of high levels of fish and omega-3 fatty acids are associated with improved cognitive function. Because cod liver oil is...
Unlike some diseases that are controlled by a single gene, almost 20 known genes can be involved in developing type 1 diabetes. The complex interaction among them can affect whether a child is diabetic. The American Diabetes Association reports...
Armpit odor is a common occurrence, with wide ranges of severity. As children age, hormonal changes related to puberty induce the production of novel sweat glands, which commonly leads to body odor. The connection between the types of sweat glands...
Your body needs some cholesterol to give structure to cell and artery walls, as well as to produce certain hormones. While you do need some cholesterol, your liver produces everything you need. Drinking alcohol can be harmful to your cholesterol...
Watch the whirling blur of a hyperactive 3 year old and you wonder what drives that kind of energy. According to Laura Knouse, Ph.D., some considerations for hyperactivity are cognitive development, foods and family factors. The gene DRD4 has also...
Bipolar disorder, a mood swing of mania and depression, affects over 10 million people in the United States with an equal prevalence rate in both men and women, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, NAMI. Two types of bipolar...
Alcoholism, or alcohol addiction, is a disease characterized by a loss of control over drinking, preoccupation with drinking, compulsion to drink, inability to stop, and the development of tolerance and dependence. Alcoholics rely on drinking to...
Flu vaccines are made by creating altered forms of the flu virus that do not infect humans. These altered forms are injected into the human body where they will be detected by the immune system. The immune system will then get sensitized to the...
Substance abuse is a term used to describe dependency on an addictive chemical substance such as cocaine, heroin or methamphetamine. Narconon suggests that these chemicals become the focus of addictive behaviors due to their impact and influence...
