Autism researchers have long believed that there is more than one gene involved in autism, and that these genes are interacting with one another to create the spectrum associated with the disorder.
For the first time, scientists at MIT found that mice carrying mutations in two candidate genes for autism have more severe symptoms than those with only one mutation. The two genes studied were PTEN and serotonin transporter. In female mice, mutations in PTEN impaired sociability while those who also had mutations in the serotonin gene had worse symptoms.
"We found that two genetic risk factors for autism spectrum …read more

Quoted from the Times Online on an interview with leading geneticist Professor Steve Jones, of University College London:
“Small populations which are isolated can evolve at random as genes are accidentally lost. World-wide, all populations are becoming connected and the opportunity for random change is dwindling. History is made in bed, but nowadays the beds are getting closer together. We are mixing into a global mass, and the future is brown.”

I wonder how long it will take before the world turns brown? Already, rebuttals are in.
From Gene Expression:
First, we’re nowhere close to panmixia. Second, there is going to …read more

Mutations in a gene called FIGLA cause premature ovarian failure in at least 1% of women who suffer from the disorder, said researchers from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and Shandong University in China in a report that appears online in the American Journal of Human Genetics. Premature ovarian failure, which means that the ovaries lose function before age 40, not only causes infertility but also bone and heart problems.  Ovarian reserves are important for women’s health.
FIGLA is one of four transcription factors found to control the differentiation of egg cells early in development. Transcription factors govern the activity of …read more