The epigenome is considered one of the most interesting and promising unexplored territories in the biosciences. Epigenetics, understood as the connection between genes and the environment, will enable us to understand, among other things, how lifestyle affects the expression of genes and why genetics do not fully determine our destiny

GONZALO CASINO | JANUARY 31ST, 2011

Since the human genome was first sequenced thousand of DNA regions associated with various diseases and physical traits have been identified. But to better study these associations a detailed map of the major variants in our genome is needed. The pilot phase of an international project has now revealed eight million unknown variants.

GONZALO CASINO | NOVEMBER 17TH, 2010

Companies sell genetic tests online that promise consumers the opportunity to know and understand their very own DNA. In practice, this translates into estimates of risk for a number of diseases, an uncertain and thorny issue that falls squarely within the medical field and requires regulation by health authorities. Regulatory agencies, with the U.S.’s Food and Drug Administration in the lead, have begun to take action.

GONZALO CASINO | SEPTEMBER 16TH, 2010

Reconstructing the natural history of a living organism is above all a question of time and resources, experts say. The use of molecular technologies not only complements the contribution from the fossil record but is increasingly replacing it and thereby reduces the margin of error to “practically zero”. The investigation of the malaria plasmodium is one of the best examples.

XAVIER PUJOL GEBELLÍ | JULY 30, 2010