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Happy National DNA Day! April 25 marks the 60th anniversary of scientists’ discovery of the double helix. It’s also the 10th anniversary of the completion of the Human Genome Project, which set out to sequence the more than 3 billion letters in our genetic code. (CNN)

The simple story we’re told about how genes are the ‘blueprint’ or ‘book’ of life is “misleading” and “distorted”. That’s the provocative view of science writer Phillip Ball, who has written a commentary in this week’s Nature, calling for us to admit we don’t know how evolution works at the molecular level. (ABC Science)

Scientists have identified 14 new genes which may help advance treatment of childhood arthritis. (Business Standard)

Ten years ago, on 14 April 2003, the National Institutes of Health unveiled the three-billion-letter code that serves as the blueprint for the human body. The Human Genome Project took 13 years and three billion dollars to complete, but the payoffs have been huge — and the most exciting discoveries are likely yet to come. (Genetic Literacy Project)

Senior author Dr. Gregory Poland, director of the Mayo Clinic Vaccine Research Group, said worldwide vaccination is believed to have eradicated smallpox, but the highly contagious and sometimes fatal illness remains a bioterrorism concern. (UPI)

Gene therapy’s golden dawn had ended. But through the twilight years that followed, researchers learned from each setback and forged ahead. Today, many researchers investigating gene therapies and their biological underpinnings share an optimism long absent or long unseen. When it comes to conditions of the eye, gene therapists have achieved some of their most exciting successes to date. Researchers at HMS are building on that progress to help the blind to see. (Medical Xpress)

In a lively Supreme Court argument on Monday, the justices struggled to find a narrow way to rule on the momentous question of whether human genes may be patented. (New York Times)

Specific DNA once dismissed as junk plays an important role in brain development and might be involved in several devastating neurological diseases, UC San Francisco scientists have found. (Science Daily)

Genetic testing has saved many people from cancer. But the tests require a significant investment of time and money. To create tests for hereditary breast cancer and ovarian cancer, our company and its investors spent more than $500 million over 17 years before we were able to recoup this investment. (U.S.A. Today, op-ed by CEO of Myriad Genetics, Inc.)

Using genetic analysis, the new study suggests that certain medications may help “normalize” the activity of a number of genes involved in communication between brain cells. It is published in the current issue of Bipolar Disorders. (eScience News)

An international scientific collaboration led by Dr Ruth Loos of Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, UK, and Dr Erik Ingelsson of the Uppsala University, Sweden, has reported the discovery of four new loci (the specific place on a chromosome where a gene is located) influencing height and seven new loci related to obesity. (Sci News)

The US supreme court will hear oral arguments next week to decide whether companies can patent human genes, in a landmark case which could alter the course of US medical research and the battle against diseases such as breast and ovarian cancer. (The Guardian)

Personal genomics services are becoming popular for genealogical or ancestry-tracing purposes. But this direct-to-consumer practice undermines promises of sperm-donor anonymity, which is still common in clinics in many countries. (Nature, by subscription only)

Studies show 97 percent of American adults get less than 30 minutes of exercise a day, which is the minimum recommended amount based on federal guidelines. New research from the University of Missouri suggests certain genetic traits may predispose people to being more or less motivated to exercise and remain active. (News-Medical.net)

A mutation that gives people rock-bottom cholesterol levels has led geneticists to what could be the next blockbuster heart drug. (Nature)

After 15 years of research by 200 scientists from all over the world, their findings have been recently published.  Sellers says, “What we have found are six new genetic regions across the genome that appear to influence whether a woman will get ovarian cancer.” (ABC News)

As prostate cancer progresses, the cancer cells become more resistant to traditional treatments such as chemotherapy and they become more aggressive and spread more rapidly. But now, a Temple School of Pharmacy researcher is exploring the use of nanotechnology to effectively treat latter-stage prostate cancer. (A to Z Nanotechnology)

Children with autism have increased levels of genetic change in regions of the genome prone to DNA rearrangements, so called “hotspots,” according to a research discovery to be published in the print edition of the journal Human Molecular Genetics. (Science Blog)

Sensory disorders can have a profound effect on health and quality of life—but gene therapy may be coming to the rescue. Gene therapy’s success in treating  blindness disorders –many are in late stage trials—gave hope to a field deterred by early missteps. And now gene therapy researchers are expanding their gaze to focus on all manner of sensory diseases. (The Scientist)

A team led by scientists from The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) and the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) has unveiled a new technique for vaccine design that could be particularly useful against HIV and other fast-changing viruses. (Nanowerk)

New research published in the journal ACS Synthetic Biology describes genetically engineered Escherichia coli bacteria being addicted to caffeine in a way that promises practical uses ranging from decontamination of wastewater to bioproduction of medications for asthma. (Sci-news.com)