Australasian Science November/December 2007, pages 16-18 Jewels among the junk (by Ken Pang) Investigates the link between ‘junk DNA’ and medical disorders.
November/December 2007, page 12 Epigenetic nanosensors to test for breast cancer Reports on the development of nanoscale biosensors to improve early detection of breast cancer.
March 2007, pages 25-27 How cancer cells take control (by Susan Clark and Branwen Morgan) Explains how cancer is about more than what’s in our genes.
Environmental Health Perspectives March 2006 Epigenetics: The science of change Provides a technical review of research on epigenetics, including diagrams.
New Scientist 13 June 2007, page 20 ‘Junk’ DNA makes compulsive reading (by Andy Coghlan) Explores the role of extra DNA fragments.
19 May 2007, page 8 New gene therapy targets cholesterol (by Linda Geddes) Explores a new technique to cut cholesterol levels
7 April 2007, pages 42-45 Turn genes on, turn diseases off (by Bob Holmes) Looks at the possibilities of using RNA interference based treatments for all kinds of diseases.
13 November 2006 You are what your grandmother ate (by Roxanne Khamsi) A new mouse study shows that a mother's diet can change gene behaviour for at least two generations.
24 May 2006 Safety scare over 'the new gene therapy' (by Peter Aldhous) Reports on an experiment using RNAi that caused liver damage in mice.
1 April 2006, page 17 Single RNA jab adjusts blood cholesterol (by Andy Coghlan) Describes how an injection of RNAi molecules can block the gene that makes ‘bad’ cholesterol.
4 March 2006, page 15 Have we got cell division all wrong? (by Rowan Hooper) Describes a new insight into the separation of chromosomes during mitosis.
6 January 2006, page 10 Men inherit hidden cost of dad's vices (by Rowan Hooper) Describes how poor nutrition and smoking in early life may influence the health of men's sons and grandsons.
17 November 2005 The food you eat may change your genes for life (by Alison Motluk) Suggests that swallowing a pill or eating a specific food supplement may permanently change the expression of your genes.
5 September 2005 Human stem cells become unstable in the lab (by Gaia Vince) Looks at the effect of culturing stem cells for long periods in the lab on genes known to cause cancer.
2 August 2005 Famine increases the risk of schizophrenia (by Gaia Vince) Reports on a study in China showing an increased risk of schizophrenia for babies born during famine.
11 June 2005, page 7 Toxic effects can pass down the generations (by Rowan Hooper) Suggests that epigenetic changes are responsible for decreases in sperm counts for at least four subsequent generations of male rats exposed to pesticides.
8 June 2005 New suspect implicated in the development of cancer (by Andy Coghlan) Reports on three studies suggesting that microRNA misregulation can cause cancer.
31 May 2005 Embryonic stem cells pass key safety test (by Shaoni Bhattacharya) Suggests that the methylation patterns of six genes in four embryonic stem cell lines does not change when grown in the lab.
11 April 2005 Pregnant smokers increases grandkids' asthma risk (by Gaia Vince) Suggests that the effects of smoking when pregnant can be passed on to children and grandchildren.
27 November 2004, page 36-39 Unlocking the secret power of RNA (by Philip Cohen) Reports on the growing awareness of a more important role for RNA in the cell.
10 November 2004 Unlikely ally rescues gene-blocking therapy (by Philip Cohen) Suggests that cholesterol can be used to enhance the effect of injecting RNAi molecules to treat diseases in humans.
30 October 2004, page 47 Life sentence (by Alison Motluk) Reports on diet during pregnancy and the increased risk of heart disease and diabetes in children.
15 September 2004 Gene technique to fight human blindness (by Peter Farley) Reports on the first human trial of RNAi to treat a condition that causes blindness.
29 May 2004, pages 42-45 Wonderful spam (by James Kingsland) Looks at the possible roles for transposons in the genetic material.
9 August 2003, pages 14-15 You are what your mother ate (by Philip Cohen) Suggests that what mothers eat during pregnancy could have a lifelong effect on the genes of their children.
23 June 2003 Gene to halt ovarian cancer found (by Shaoni Bhattacharya) Reports that a tumour suppressor gene is switched off by methylation in nearly all human ovarian cancers.
Scientific American 14 March 2007 How to make – or break – memory (by Nikhil Swaminathan) Reports on a study that memories may be formed by the same gene-silencing tool that is used in embryonic development.
12 February 2007 Ask the experts Answers the question ‘What is junk DNA, and what is it worth?’
5 July 2005 Identical twins exhibit differences in gene expression (by Sarah Graham) Suggests that the differences observed between identical twins may be due to different DNA methylation patterns.
1 October 2004, pages 30-37 The hidden genetic program of complex organisms (by John Mattick) Describes the regulation of genes by RNA encoded in ‘junk DNA’ and its role in development and evolution.
1 October 2004, pages 68-71 Hitting the genetic off switch (by Gary Stix) Reports on companies considering the use of drugs and RNAi in therapies to block the action of RNA.
1 December 2003, pages 78-85 The unseen genome: Beyond DNA (by W. Wayt Gibbs) Reviews the epigenetic control of gene expression by DNA imprinting and methylation.
1 November 2003, pages 26-33 The unseen genome: Gems among the junk (by W. Wayt Gibbs) Reviews the role of RNA encoded in the ‘junk DNA’ and the role of RNA in control of gene expression.
August 2003, pages 26-33 Censors of the genome (by Nelson Lau and David Bartel) Provides an overview of the RNAi mechanism in plant and animal cells.
9 June 2003 Untangling the roots of cancer (by W. Wayt Gibbs) Looks at the molecular causes of cancer.
1 April 2003, page 14 Ma's eyes, not her ways (by Carol Ezzell) Looks at the epigenetic differences between clones.
15 July 2002 Killing the messenger (by Carol Ezzell) Looks at the possible use of RNAi to treat cancer and HIV.
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Page updated December 2007.
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