A Wellcome Trust study published in the journal Brain reports that a computer algorithm designed to diagnose Alzheimer’s from brain scans proved more accurate than the current standard — blood tests, family interviews, and clinicians looking at the brain scan themselves. The experiments were conducted by scientists at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuro-imaging at University College London. 
Automated bio-imaging correctly diagnosed Alzheimer’s in 96% cases compared with 85% for standard testing.
The method involves teaching a standard computer the difference between brain scans from patients with proven Alzheimer’s disease (a condition caused by the build-up of plaques and tangles of tissue in the …read more

 
Papers published in Nature and Science this week support the previously held theory that humans originated in East Africa, migrating outward until they reached all parts of the globe. But the genetic work from these studies brings a new level of precision to human migration studies, with each group finding subtle and intriguing details that shed light on different aspects of human genetic variation and ancestry.
Study 1 – University of Michigan:This study was based on the analysis of more than 500,000 SNPs and nearly 400 copy number variants — sections of DNA that are repeated or duplicated in the genome — for 485 individuals. These samples, …read more

Family Tree DNA advises it is now offering DNA Traits a personal genomics service that specializes in DNA testing for specific diseases. This company offers individual tests, group tests, and even a membership plan, all for relatively cheap prices compared to the other companies offering genome-wide SNP scans. The difference between them and their competitors, they claim, is that the patient has to meet with a genetic counselor before he or she can directly access resulting data.
Sorry, not a new service - Opaldia has been doing this for a number of years.  Opaldia’s difference is that customers also meet with a Consultant Specialist as …read more