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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Tag: evolution

June 2017
Week of JuneJun
12th
2017

Fever finding; neuronal cookbookery; CRISPR’d unicorns; mining 23andMe

by  /  16 June 2017

The evidence linking autism and maternal infections grows, special neuron recipes are in development, a CRISPR pioneer envisions unicorns, and 23andMe delivers empathy data.

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March 2017
Four white mice bike ahead of a white rat, who is juggling on a unicycle; suggesting that rats can do more for research than mice.

Meet the newest contestant in the scientific rat race

by  /  15 March 2017

Mice have long been the mainstay of autism research, but a small group of scientists say rats are the superior choice. Rats are bigger, smarter, friendlier — and a lot more fun.

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September 2016
evolution of humankind

Questions for Evan Eichler: An evolving theory of autism

by  /  6 September 2016

A gene that raises the risk of autism in some people may also give humans an evolutionary boost.

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August 2016

Autism risk region arose during human evolution

by  /  11 August 2016

Humans may be uniquely prone to rearrangements of chromosome 16 that lead to autism, according to preliminary results presented Saturday at the American Society of Human Genetics Annual Meeting in San Diego.

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June 2016

The treasures of monkey island

by  /  22 June 2016

On Cayo Santiago island, scientists track the alliances and power struggles of a colony of feral monkeys — collecting data to generate new insights into the social challenges that people with autism face.

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March 2015
Week of MarchMar
2nd
2015

Spotted: Bigger brains; dress debate

by  /  6 March 2015

A human gene gives mice bigger brains, and people with autism weigh in on that white or blue dress.

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February 2015
Week of FebruaryFeb
23rd
2015

Spotted: Social cells; brain bulge

by  /  27 February 2015

A cluster of neurons helps monkeys cooperate, and a human gene makes a mouse brain look like a person’s.

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Lingering gaps permeate public perception of science

by  /  6 February 2015

When it comes to research, scientists and the public are often at odds. It’s a long-standing problem, but the results of a survey released last week reveal that in particular areas, this opinion gap has grown.

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November 2014

Some autism risk arose during human evolution

by  /  11 November 2014

Evolution may have made people susceptible to certain genetic variations that can lead to autism, suggest two intriguing new studies.

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October 2014

Massive sequencing database helps interpret mutations’ role

by  /  23 October 2014

Researchers have analyzed more than 90,000 exomes — the protein-coding regions of the genome — the largest such set yet, they announced Monday at the American Society of Human Genetics Annual Meeting in San Diego. The resource gives scientists an invaluable tool to probe the significance of specific mutations.

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