You searched for sperm | Page 2 of 5

Epigenetic Biomarkers May Help Assess a Father’s Likelihood of Having an Autistic Child

March 16, 2021 Natalie Crowley

Autism rates have risen steadily in the past two decades, now affecting an estimated 1 in 54 children in the US. Efforts to better understand this condition and treat it effectively have risen, too. However, the underlying causes of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) remain unclear, and there is no known preventative measure or cure. But with research on the rise, scientists are coming closer to some answers. For one, ASD appears to be primarily related to the father’s transmission. While [more…]

Premature Birth Can Leave Epigenetic Marks on Child’s DNA

May 6, 2020 Andrea P

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the annual figure for preterm births is 15 million babies, which is somewhere in between 5% and 10% of all births worldwide. These babies are born before 37 weeks’ gestation, and are known to be at higher risk for health complications at birth that include: respiratory issues, eye problems, and even neurodevelopmental disorders. But what are the specific molecular mechanisms that drive these health problems? After all, once born, premature babies are given [more…]

Epigenetics May Help Rebuild The Coral Reefs

February 18, 2020 Natalie Crowley

Coral reefs are some of the most extraordinary and diverse ecosystems on the planet. Taking up only a fraction of the ocean’s surface, they support about a quarter of all marine life. But their existence is continually being threatened by a variety of factors including pollution, global warming, and destructive fishing techniques. For years, scientists have investigated various ways to save the corals, from breeding them in a lab to making them more resistant to pollution. Now, a new study [more…]

Your Zodiac Sign and Epigenetics

September 3, 2019 Natalie Crowley

Do you know your zodiac sign and what it means? If you do, perhaps you have the qualities that are typically predicted for people under that sign. According to astrologers, your zodiac sign, which refers to the position of the stars on the date you were born, can strongly influence your personality and life. But how can something so far away, like the stars or any other celestial object, control one’s behavior or predict occurrences? Well, there’s no scientific evidence [more…]

Cancer Genes May Have Been Epigenetically Silenced Over Time

August 6, 2019 Andrea P

The factors contributing to the development of cancer in an individual are often complex and varied. Sometimes they are more straightforward, like when someone carries a specific gene known to indicate cancer risk; for example, specific mutations of BRCA1 or BRCA2 are linked to breast cancer. But usually, these risk factors are not so directly observable, making cancer risk detection—and possibly even cancer prevention—difficult. Any insights into what leads into the development of cancer are therefore critical. It’s not just [more…]

Paternal Exercise Epigenetically Enhances Expression and Inheritance of a Key Gene Involved in Learning and Memory

February 19, 2019 Matthew Mahavongtrakul

It is widely known that a mother has substantial influence over her offspring during prenatal development. Her eating, exercising, and overall lifestyle can have lifelong effects for her children. But what about the father? It turns out that fathers are not off the hook when it comes to prenatal development, and his physical activity may have lasting effects on the epigenetic regulation of gene expression in an area of the brain important for learning and memory: the hippocampus. First, a [more…]

A Fatty Diet May Affect Behavior Across Generations Through Epigenetic Mechanisms

December 26, 2018 James Cain

Having a high-fat diet (HFD) is not only linked to obesity but also to an increased risk of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain mental health disorders. With obesity levels on the rise, it’s critical that we know more about how a HFD affects the body and find ways for early prevention. In recent years, there has been a growing area of interest into the behavioral consequences of a HFD and if these are passed onto subsequent generations [more…]

Epigenetic Marks From Parents Could Influence Embryo Development and Future Health

July 17, 2018 Tim Barry

DNA is the blueprint from which most living organisms are built. It makes up the genes that carry the distinctive characteristics and information that determine physical appearance and health, and it makes everybody unique. At the beginning of life, human embryos inherit genes from both their mother and father, and although the actual genes cannot be altered, the way they are expressed can be influenced by epigenetics. Parents can have a huge epigenetic influence on the development of an embryo [more…]

exercise epigenetic inheritance and mental ability

Parents Who Exercise Could Epigenetically Pass on Heightened Learning Ability to Their Children

May 29, 2018 Bailey Kirkpatrick

Exercising your body and your brain are two ways to improve your own health. It’s well known that physical and mental activity can boost learning ability and reduce risk for diseases such as Alzheimer’s. But, could doing so also directly benefit your future children? New research in Cell Reports indicates that a child’s capacity for learning could actually be boosted as a result of the physical and mental exercise that their parents carried out before they were born. Researchers are [more…]

« 1 2 3 4 5 »

Search Results for sperm