Choice

Children's taste sensitivity and food choices influenced by taste gene

Variation in a taste receptor gene influences taste sensitivity of children and adults, accounting for individual differences in taste preferences and food selection, report a team of researchers from the Monell Chemical Senses Center. In addition to genes, age and culture also contribute to taste preferences, at times overriding the influence of genetics. The findings may help to explain...

Biologists call for better choice of model organisms in 'evo-devo'

Research in evolutionary developmental biology, known as ‘evo-devo? is being held back because the dominant model organisms used by scientists are unable to illustrate key questions about evolution, argue biologists in the latest issue of Nature Reviews Genetics. The subject of evo-devo, which became established almost a decade ago, is particularly dependent on the six main model organisms...

'Patient-choice' C-section rate rises 36%: HealthGrades study

More women choosing C-sections when no medical necessity exists - The number of pregnant women choosing to have a "patient-choice" Cesarean section (C-section) rose by 36.6 percent from 2001 to 2003, according to a study released today by HealthGrades, the leading provider of independent healt...

Genetic testing still smart choice, despite uncertainties

Screening embryos for genetic diseases during in vitro fertilization offers couples the best chance for a healthy child, but a genetic glitch could potentially cause doctors to misdiagnose a small fraction of them, University of Florida researchers say. Citing concerns about the accuracy of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, the method many practitioners use to pick the healthiest embryos...

Researchers find that bumblebees' flower choice matters

To predict where a bumblebee will carry its pollen next, you have to literally think like one. Flanigan and her professor, Jeffrey Karron, a...

Embryo tests give parents the choice

MORE than 40 per cent of fertility clinics in the US are allowing couples to choose the sex of their child, a survey conducted by the Genetics and Public Policy Center (GPPC) in Washington DC suggests. The testing method, called preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), was originally designed to test for severe or deadly diseases such as Tay-Sachs. It is typically performed by removing a cell fro...

Physicist cracks women's random but always lucky choice of X chromosome

Human males have both a X and a Y chromosome but females have two X chromosomes. This means that in an early stage in the development of a woman’s fertilised egg the cells need to silence one of those two X chromosomes. This pr...