Genetic Factors

Just as the atom and the byte needed careful societal control to prevent damage to society, perhaps, so does the gene, particularly in debates like 'genes vs merit'

Genetic defects underlie about a fourth of Chinese children affected by cerebral palsy, and not a lack of oxygen at birth as previously thought, new research has found. Cerebral palsy is a disorder affecting one's ability to move. It is the most common motor disability in children, with symptoms emerging in infancy and early childhood. The disability is sometimes also associated with autism and intellectual deficiencies. Birth asphyxia, or receiving insufficient oxygen at the time of being born, can cause physical harm, especially to the brain, and is considered one of the main causes of cerebral palsy. The world's largest study of cerebral palsy genetics, involving more than 1,500 affected Chinese children, found that mutations were significantly higher in a fourth of these children receiving insufficient oxygen at birth. Researchers said this indicated that birth asphyxia could be secondary to the underlying genetic defects. The results, published in the journal Nature Medicine

On April 17, it is celebrated to raise awareness of Haemophilia and other inherited bleeding disorders

In an interview, Mehta tells Anjuli Bhargava that picking up mutations before a spike in numbers is crucial and genomics is the future of medicine

Sexual rights campaigners welcomed the study, saying it 'provides more evidence that being gay or lesbian is a natural part of human life'

The findings are notable because they diverge from the predominant narrative in divorce literature