Our mitochondrial DNA accounts for a small portion of our total DNA. It contains just 37 of the 20,000 to 25,000 protein-coding genes in our body. But it is notably distinct from DNA in the nucleus. Unlike nuclear DNA, which comes from both parents, mitochondrial DNA comes only from the mother. Nobody fully understands why or how fathers’ mitochondrial DNA gets wiped from cells. An international team of scientists recently studied mitochondria in the sperm of a roundworm called C. elegans to find answers.
Month: June 2016
Fertility Treatment Not Tied to Twin Birth Defects
Twins born after fertility treatments may be susceptible to different — and fewer — birth defects than other twins, new research suggests. The study confirms that twins have a higher risk of birth defects than singletons, but it questions the notion that fertility treatments contribute to those abnormalities.
Bioethics in China: No Wild East
The first and only published papers to describe genome modification in human embryos have come from Chinese laboratories. For some, this is another signal of China’s successful transformation from a closed society focused on farming and the manufacturing of commodities to a world leader in innovation. For others, these studies are the latest in a list of feats reported over the past decade that reflect the country’s lax regulation or cultural indifference to fundamental ethical tensions.
Endometriosis Might Be Determined By Blood Test, Study Shows
Pennsylvania State University researchers have revealed that lipid metabolism, a parameter easily measured with a blood test, is different in mice models of endometriosis. The finding may ultimately lead to a new diagnosing tool for endometriosis patients.
Service Members Need More Access to Reproductive Medicine
Just three weeks ago, on Memorial Day, we honored our service members who gave the ultimate sacrifice while serving our country. Soon we will celebrate our National Day of Independence. Americans will take time to enjoy their families on this federal holiday.
Infertile Women Could Get New Wombs Grown from Stem Cells Within 10 Years, Says Transplant Pioneer
Infertile women could be implanted with new wombs grown from their own stem cells within 10 years, the doctor who achieved the first uterus transplant has predicted.
Human Cloning Fear Could Stymie Effort to Provide Wounded Vets with Fertility Care
A prominent conservative group hopes to derail a congressional effort to give wounded veterans access to fertility services through the VA, saying it could lead to human cloning and three-parent embryos.
Do Women Who Donate Their Eggs Run a Health Risk?
Maggie Eastman considers it the worst decision she ever made. In 2003, beset by $30,000 in tuition debt and imbued with a burst of altruism, Eastman, a college senior, decided to donate her eggs to help an infertile couple have a baby. Over the next decade she donated nine more times, earning a total of about $20,000 — money that helped Eastman and her then-husband buy a house.
These Feminine Smells Get Sperm Moving
Sperm are the cheetahs of the microscopic world: Made of little more than molecular muscle and batteries, tipped with a payload of genetic information, they are optimized for speed. But to orient themselves before their epic, seven-inch sprint (it’s more impressive if you’re less than one three-thousandth that size), they first need to sniff out the location of the egg—and, it turns out, the analogy to the sense of smell may be particularly apt.
DIY Sperm Test to Hit the Market this Fall
A semen centrifuge is the newest direct-to-consumer fertility device on the market. The Trak, a desktop gadget that measures a man’s sperm count, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration earlier this month for consumer use.