TV Review: Me, My Sex and I

'Me, My Sex and I' is a documentary about people who are born neither entirely male nor female. I must state at the outset that this programme is about the sex of the individual, and should not be confused with gender, which is how people identify themselves (something that many other TV reviews have got wrong in describing this programme). As the show makes clear, sex is not an 'either or' for many people; the real buzz word here is 'ambiguous'....[Read More]

'Man flu' - do women just have stronger immune systems?

Genetic differences between men and women could mean that women are better at resisting certain infections and diseases than men, a new study suggests. The second X chromosome in women gives them an immunological advantage over men, possibly giving credence to man's perceived susceptibility to 'man-flu'....[Read More]

Human history is written in everyone's genome

Two scientists claim to have pushed the boundaries of what can be learned about the ancestral history of the human race from one person's genome. Dr Richard Durbin and Dr Heng Li from the UK's Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Cambridge used information from the genomes of only seven individuals...[Read More]

Celebrating 20 years of preimplantation genetic diagnosis

At the beginning of this month, following the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) annual meeting in Rome, a workshop was held to celebrate 20 years of preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD)...[Read More]

Females lacking second X-chromosome may have started life 'male'

Turner Syndrome, a condition in which women have only one X chromosome instead of two, may be caused by a missing Y chromosome instead of a missing X as previously thought. Research published in Cell at the start of this month suggests that disruption in the Y chromosome can cause a range of male sex disorders including, surprisingly, Turner Syndrome which has always previously been considered a female sex disorder....[Read More]

Bizarre platypus genome is decoded

Scientists have decoded the genome of the duck-billed platypus, and discovered that the genetic code is as weird as the animal itself. The findings, reported in the journal Nature, hold invaluable clues for understanding evolution. When the first sample of a platypus arrived in England in 1799...[Read More]

Folate levels may affect sperm quality

US scientists have found a possible link between low dietary folate levels and abnormal sperm in men. The findings, from the University of California, Berkley, and the Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory, provide further evidence that healthy diets aid fertility. Folate is a soluble B vitamin found naturally...[Read More]

Sperm from female stem cells?

British scientists have created early-stage, human sperm from female stem cells, according to a news report in New Scientist magazine. It is claimed that the research will pave the way for same sex couples to have children that are genetically their own. However, other scientists are sceptical...[Read More]

Double dose of genes linked to learning difficulties

Australian researchers have announced the identification of two genes that are involved in learning difficulties. Over 10,000 children born in the UK every year are affected by some form of developmental delay, but in 80 per cent of cases doctors are unable to determine a cause. Reporting...[Read More]

Early pregnancy gender test sparks controversy

A new test that can reveal an embryo's gender as early as the sixth week of pregnancy is being marketed via the Internet. The kit, sold by DNA Worldwide for £189, is non-invasive and only requires a sample of the mother's blood. The company claims the...[Read More]

Making Babies the Hard Way

In mid-2003 I was in the depths of despair. My husband - the love of my life - could not father our much-longed for child as he was born with azoospermia (a zero sperm count, probably caused by a missing section of the Y chromosome). I had overcome my initial misgivings...[Read More]

Scientists grow sperm from human bone marrow

Scientists have claimed success in growing immature sperm cells from bone marrow, which they hope to employ in fertility treatments within five years. Professor Karim Nayernia, and his team from the Universities of Gšttingen and the Medical School of Hanover, took stem cell samples from the bone...[Read More]

First case of 'semi-identical' twins reported

A previously unreported form of twinning in humans has been discovered in America. The twins - dubbed 'semi-identical' - are thought to be the result of a single egg being fertilised with two sperm, and then splitting. Double fertilisations are thought to account for around one per cent of...[Read More]

Women sue makers of embryo gender testing kit

Sixteen US women have filed a lawsuit against the makers of a home-testing kit that promises to determine the sex of an embryo as early as five weeks after conception. In a suit filed in the US District Court in Boston, the women claim that the test got the gender...[Read More]

US study suggests little demand for social sex selection

A new study carried out at the University of Illinois in Chicago shows that most people would not choose the sex of their baby, if given the option. The findings, published in the journal Fertility and Sterility, are based on an online survey of 1,197 men and women aged between...[Read More]

Teenager tracks down sperm donor using internet

An American boy has found out the identity of his anonymous sperm donor using an online genealogy DNA testing firm, New Scientist magazine reports. His story means that donor anonymity can no longer be assured, according to an accompanying editorial. Following a change to the in April 2005, people conceived...[Read More]

Embryos tested for haemophilia gene mutation

UK scientists have used preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) to help a couple conceive a baby unaffected by haemophilia, a serious inherited blood clotting disorder. A team at the Clinical Sciences Centre in Hammersmith, London and colleagues at Queen Charlotte's Hospital used a new test that directly detects the gene mutation...[Read More]

American company offers home fetal DNA gender testing kit

A company in the United States has begun marketing a kit which allows women to discover the sex of their baby as early as five weeks into the pregnancy. Currently, expectant mothers can get a good idea of their baby's sex with a routine ultrasound at around 16 weeks, but...[Read More]

New DNA project aims to track human history

A new project launched by the National Geographic Society and computer firm IBM last week aims to trace the migratory history of human populations. The five-year study, entitled 'The Genographic Project', will establish ten research groups to look at 100,000 DNA samples from people around the world. Members of the...[Read More]

Chromosomes 2 and 4 completed

US researchers have unveiled the 'gold-standard' versions of the DNA sequence of human chromosomes two and four. Together, these two bundles of genetic material make up five per cent of the entire human genome. The analysis of chromosome four has revealed the largest 'gene deserts' identified so far - vast stretches...[Read More]