{"html":"<li><figure><a href=\"https:\/\/www.medicaldaily.com\/tallest-people-world-netherlands-height-chart-global-study-392838\"><img src=\"https:\/\/d.medicaldaily.com\/en\/full\/392835\/man-standing.jpg?w=466&amp;h=311&amp;f=507f0614cbb234186b03ecbab4e9e63c\" alt=\"The Western diet may be responsible for stunted growth in the U.S. compared to countries like the Netherlands.\"><\/a><\/figure><h3><a href=\"https:\/\/www.medicaldaily.com\/tallest-people-world-netherlands-height-chart-global-study-392838\">The Tallest People In The World Live In Or Near The Netherlands, Global Study Finds<\/a><\/h3><summary>The Western diet may be responsible for stunted growth in the U.S. compared to countries like the Netherlands.<\/summary><\/li><li><figure><a href=\"https:\/\/www.medicaldaily.com\/human-enhancement-freaked-out-designer-babies-392723\"><img src=\"https:\/\/d.medicaldaily.com\/en\/full\/392721\/dna-163466-640.jpg?w=466&amp;h=311&amp;f=5e5bb86bbee669b655428d8eea8f1461\" alt=\"A new survey of over 4,000 Americans finds that many are worried about using technology to enhance our brains and edit our genes.\"><\/a><\/figure><h3><a href=\"https:\/\/www.medicaldaily.com\/human-enhancement-freaked-out-designer-babies-392723\">Human Enhancement Freaks People Out, Study Finds; Designer Babies Might 'Meddle With Nature'<\/a><\/h3><summary>A new survey of over 4,000 Americans finds that many are worried about using technology to enhance our brains and bodies.<\/summary><\/li><li><figure><a href=\"https:\/\/www.medicaldaily.com\/diet-plan-dna-best-body-391944\"><img src=\"https:\/\/d.medicaldaily.com\/en\/full\/391941\/salmon.jpg?w=466&amp;h=311&amp;f=c0736b9b3db0d5e4bf7ca79aa9366259\" alt=\"Your DNA may determine the food that's best to eat.\"><\/a><\/figure><h3><a href=\"https:\/\/www.medicaldaily.com\/diet-plan-dna-best-body-391944\">A Customized Diet Plan Based On Your DNA? Scientists Find Genetics Influence What Foods Will Give You The Best Body<\/a><\/h3><summary>Your DNA may determine the food that's best to eat.<\/summary><\/li><li><figure><a href=\"https:\/\/www.medicaldaily.com\/kate-rubins-nasa-astronaut-dna-decoding-dna-sequencing-genetics-alien-life-391905\"><img src=\"https:\/\/d.medicaldaily.com\/en\/full\/391903\/nasa-astronaut.jpg?w=466&amp;h=311&amp;f=e11d664971dd4abef53ea0b7d3265dcc\" alt=\"NASA astronaut Kate Rubins seen in quarantine behind glass during a crew press conference at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, July 6, 2016.\"><\/a><\/figure><h3><a href=\"https:\/\/www.medicaldaily.com\/kate-rubins-nasa-astronaut-dna-decoding-dna-sequencing-genetics-alien-life-391905\">For The First Time, Scientists To Sequence Genes In Space<\/a><\/h3><summary>NASA astronaut Kate Rubins to test pocket-sized DNA sequencer in hopes of finding signs of DNA-based life one day.<\/summary><\/li><li><figure><a href=\"https:\/\/www.medicaldaily.com\/why-do-we-die-human-genome-391727\"><img src=\"https:\/\/d.medicaldaily.com\/en\/full\/391726\/graveyard.jpg?w=466&amp;h=311&amp;f=f1332f997322b0adede959c586e01078\" alt=\"One expert explains why it's impossible for humans to avoid death despite their inclination to survive.\"><\/a><\/figure><h3><a href=\"https:\/\/www.medicaldaily.com\/why-do-we-die-human-genome-391727\">The Evolutionary Reason Humans Die Despite The Inclination To Survive<\/a><\/h3><summary>One doctor explains why it's impossible for humans to avoid death despite their inclination to survive.<\/summary><\/li><li><figure><a href=\"https:\/\/www.medicaldaily.com\/crispr-cas-9-gene-editing-humans-designer-babies-391070\"><img src=\"https:\/\/d.medicaldaily.com\/en\/full\/391076\/perfect-humans-designer-babies-how-crispr-technology-edits-genes-human-dna.jpg?w=466&amp;h=311&amp;f=2157d035eaa9ca426802b4c848d62135\" alt=\"It seems as though there are few limits when it comes to genetic engineering today, as the notion of editing genes to remove mutations or disorders has become a reality. A new type of genetic engineering, known as CRISPR\/Cas system, in particular offers a huge potential in editing genomes with the possibility of removing faulty genes and replacing them with functional ones, rewriting muscular dystrophy genes, or protecting us from tropical diseases like malaria \u2014 and much more.Amazingly, CRISPR\/Cas was adopted from an immune system function in bacteria (humans really looked to nature on this one). CRISPR, which stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeat, refers to short sections of repeating DNA in bacteria or other microorganisms. These sequences are important for the organism\u2019s immune system function. To understand how CRISPR works, we first have to know how the system works in bacterial immune systems. When a virus invades a bacterium, it replicates its DNA until it completely takes over the cell. But the bacterium has to stop the replication in order to survive. To do that, it must destroy the viral genome, and this is where the CRISPR\/Cas system comes in.Within a bacterium\u2019s CRISPR, there are small parts of the DNA called spacers, which contain information about viruses that have previously attacked. It\u2019s a way of notifying the bacterium\u2019s immune system to attack a virus. But if the virus is new, the viral DNA must first be placed into the CRISPR sequence as a new spacer. Once that\u2019s done, the viral DNA is copied into an RNA molecule \u2014 and then Cas enzymes, or CRISPR-associated proteins, come to the rescue. Cas enzymes, particularly Cas9, are the immune system elements that enter the RNA molecule, attack viral DNA, and cut it in half to prevent replication.Scientists can take this system and apply it to humans and other animals, to adjust genes, remove mutations, or even add completely new ones. It\u2019s a powerful system that has huge implications for the future of genetic engineering, but the question remains whether it will lead to designer babies or the development of \u201cperfect humans.\u201d\"><\/a><\/figure><h3><a href=\"https:\/\/www.medicaldaily.com\/crispr-cas-9-gene-editing-humans-designer-babies-391070\">Perfect Humans And Designer Babies: How CRISPR Technology Edits Genes In Human DNA<\/a><\/h3><summary>CRISPR\/Cas technology has the potential to remove bad genes and replace them with functional ones. What does this mean for the future of genetic engineering?<\/summary><\/li><li><figure><a href=\"https:\/\/www.medicaldaily.com\/nature-vs-nurture-identical-twins-epigenetic-changes-390869\"><img src=\"https:\/\/d.medicaldaily.com\/en\/full\/390875\/nature-vs-nurture-genetically-identical-twins-may-differ-traits-due-epigenetic-changes-diet.jpg?w=466&amp;h=311&amp;f=82fd257c11bf1b834628719335833254\" alt=\"Our tolerance for alcohol, musical talent (or lack thereof), or our  personality traits can derive from genetic inheritance or our upbringing. These two distinct views \u2014 nature or nurture \u2014 offer opposing explanations on how social behaviors develop and stay with us, including future generations. However, &nbsp;it\u2019s not only our life experiences that influence our genes directly, it's also what our ancestors did centuries before we were even conceived.In Ted-ED's  video, \"How the choices you make can affect your genes\u201d, host Carlos Guerrero -Bosagna suggests epigenetics can explain why people with the same DNA (i.e., genetically identical twins) can turn out so differently, even in relation to traits that have a significant genetic component. Epigenetics refers to how our DNA interacts with a multitude of smaller molecules found within cells, which can either activate or deactivate genes. These molecules aren't making any conscious choices themselves, rather their presence and concentration within cells makes the difference.Genes in our DNA are expressed when they're read and transcribed into RNA, which is translated into proteins by structures called ribosomes. Proteins are the majority of what determines a cell's characteristics and function. Now, epigenetic changes can boost or interfere with the transcription of certain genes.The most common interference that happens is that DNA, or the proteins wrapped around it, get labeled with small chemical tags. The set of all of the chemical tags that are attached to the genome of a given cell is called the epigenome. Some of these, like a methyl group, inhibit gene expression, by altering the cellular transcription machinery, or causing the DNA to coil more tightly, making it inaccessible \u2014 the gene is still there, but it's silent.Meanwhile in boosting, transcription is essentially the opposite, where some chemical tags will unwind the DNA, making it easier to transcribe, ramping up production of the associated protein.These changes can survive cell division, which means they could affect an organism for its entire life \u2014 good or bad.Epigenetic changes are part of normal development. The cells in an embryo start with one master genome. As the cells divide, some genes are activated and others inhibited. Over time, through this epigenetic reprogramming, some cells develop into heart cells and others into liver cellsDiet, chemical exposure, and medication influence whether these chemical tags turn genes on or off. The remaining epigenetic changes can eventually lead to disease, if, for example, they turn off a gene that makes a tumor-suppressing protein.  Environmentally induced epigenetic changes are part of the reason why genetically identical twins can grow up to have very different lives.Social experiences can cause epigenetic changes. In an experiment, when mother rats weren't attentive to their pups, genes in the babies that helped them manage stress were methylated and turned off. Moreover, it might not stop with that generation.Previously it was believed most  epigenetic marks are erased when egg and sperm cells are formed. Now, researchers think that some of those imprints survive, passing those epigenetic traits on to the next generation. This means our mother's or our father's experiences as a child, or choices as adults, could actually shape our own epigenome \u2014 although they\u2019re not necessarily permanent.A balanced lifestyle that includes a healthy diet, exercise, and avoiding exposure to contaminants may in the long run create a healthy epigenome.Scientists are just beginning to understand how epigenetics could explain mechanisms of human development and aging, as well as the origins of cancer, heart disease, mental illness, and addiction.Once we understand how our epigenome influences us, we can learn how to influence it.\"><\/a><\/figure><h3><a href=\"https:\/\/www.medicaldaily.com\/nature-vs-nurture-identical-twins-epigenetic-changes-390869\">Nature vs. Nurture: Genetically Identical Twins May Differ In Traits Due To Epigenetic Changes From Diet, Social Environment<\/a><\/h3><summary>Our ancestors' life experiences can leave a mark on our genes.<\/summary><\/li><li><figure><a href=\"https:\/\/www.medicaldaily.com\/personality-traits-altruistic-behavior-social-evolution-social-environment-390505\"><img src=\"https:\/\/d.medicaldaily.com\/en\/full\/390504\/donate.jpg?w=466&amp;h=311&amp;f=e6825ffe519861e80c5df71be736899e\" alt=\"Personality traits, like being naughty or nice, are influenced by our social environment and our genes, too.\"><\/a><\/figure><h3><a href=\"https:\/\/www.medicaldaily.com\/personality-traits-altruistic-behavior-social-evolution-social-environment-390505\">Are You Naughty Or Nice? Personality Traits Linked To Genetics, Social Environment<\/a><\/h3><summary>Personality traits, like being naughty or nice, are influenced by our social environment and our genes, too.<\/summary><\/li><li><figure><a href=\"https:\/\/www.medicaldaily.com\/why-left-handedness-so-rare-390084\"><img src=\"https:\/\/d.medicaldaily.com\/en\/full\/390081\/left-handed.jpg?w=466&amp;h=311&amp;f=111d6ff6951356c18677456782b528a9\" alt=\"Only about 10 percent of the population is left-handed.\"><\/a><\/figure><h3><a href=\"https:\/\/www.medicaldaily.com\/why-left-handedness-so-rare-390084\">Why Is Left-Handedness So Rare?<\/a><\/h3><summary>Only about 10 percent of the population is left-handed. Why?<\/summary><\/li><li><figure><a href=\"https:\/\/www.medicaldaily.com\/extra-nipples-genetics-rare-explainer-389221\"><img src=\"https:\/\/d.medicaldaily.com\/en\/full\/389219\/milk-lines.jpg?w=466&amp;h=311&amp;f=74d6d3270fc5ea32bf22fd661bceb402\" alt=\"The same process of fetal development that helps us grow our regular breasts can also give us extra ones.\"><\/a><\/figure><h3><a href=\"https:\/\/www.medicaldaily.com\/extra-nipples-genetics-rare-explainer-389221\">Exactly What Are Extra Nipples, And Why Do Some People Get Them?<\/a><\/h3><summary>Medical Daily takes a look at the ins and outs of having extra nipples.<\/summary><\/li>"}