Top Genetics Related Articles & Blog Posts

Related concepts: Gilles de la Tourette syndrome, tics, PANDA Introduction to tourette syndrome: The great English poet, author, and conversationalist, Dr. Samuel Johnson, is believed to have had Tourette syndrome, complete with both facial and vocal tics. His towering success in his day — before useful medicines had been developed – can be an inspiration [...]

Related concepts: Hemoglobin S Introduction to sickle cell anemia: Normal red blood cells are soft, gel-like discs that can squish as needed to slip through the tiny capillaries of the body. In sickle cell disease, the red blood cells are brittle. What is sickle cell anemia? Sickle cell disease is caused by a genetic variation [...]

Related concepts: PKU, Classic phenylketonuria, Benign hyperphenylalaninemia, Malignant hyperphenylalaninemia, Transient hyperphenylalaninemia. Introduction to PKU: The sweetener aspartame, and many protein-rich foods, can act like poisons to children with PKU. What is PKU? Phenylalanine is an essential amino acid, one of the building blocks of protein that we need in our diets. Extra phenylalanine that we [...]

Related concepts: Martin-Bell syndrome, Marker X syndrome, Cluttering Introduction to fragile X syndrome: Fragile X syndrome is the most common cause of mental retardation in boys. What is fragile X syndrome? Fragile X syndrome is a condition caused by a fragile area on the X chromosome. This section of the chromosome contains ‘repeats’ in the [...]

Related concepts: Alcohol use during pregnancy Introduction to fetal alcohol syndrome: It used to be thought that drinking during pregnancy was fine for the baby. Fetal alcohol syndrome wasn’t discovered until 1968, and even then the effects of drinking during pregnancy weren’t widely accepted for several years. It is now widely recognized that exposure to [...]

Related concepts: Trisomy 21 Introduction to Down syndrome : Down syndrome is the most common chromosomal abnormality syndrome in humans. What is Down syndrome ? Humans are built to have two sex chromosomes as well as two copies of each of the other 22 chromosomes. Sometimes when babies’ genetic material is being assembled, they get [...]

Related concepts: CF Introduction to cystic fibrosis: A diagnosis of cystic fibrosis was once assumed to be an early childhood death sentence. As of 2009, the median lifespan was in the mid-30s, according to the CF Foundation Patient Registry. Children with CF attend school normally, graduate from college, and assume their places in the adult [...]

Related concepts: Achromatopsia, protanopia, deuteranopia, red-green colorblindness Introduction to colorblindness: The dazzling experience of color begins when light strikes a canvas of tightly packed nerve cells in the back of the eye. These rods and cones, as they are commonly called, fire a storm of nerve impulses in response to the light, which then travel [...]

What kind of test is done to determine who a child’s father is?

Hello Doc, Is there any way of determining the father of a child before it is born?
Jamaica