Stem cell-based embryo models (SCBEMs) are three-dimensional biological structures that mimic aspects of early human embryo development.  They can be … read more

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority is currently reviewing the law on fertility treatment regulation and embryo. At the same … read more

A conference presentation (not a published paper) presented at the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) urges caution … read more

A study published in Nature provides the first detailed cellular and molecular examination of a human embryo in the process … read more

Two studies published in Nature report two different methods to produce human blastocyst-like structures in the lab.   Dr Teresa … read more

The 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded jointly to Prof Emmanuelle Charpentier and Prof Jennifer Doudna for the … read more

Researchers, publishing in Nature, have reported that a mutation in a protein involved in autophagy – the process of breaking down cellular components into their constituent parts to be recycled – leads to extended lifespan and improved health in mice. read more

A new study, published in Cell Reports, examines whether exercise, through epigentic effects, can have a cognitive benefit on the health of future offspring of adult male mice.  read more

The British pioneering genome scientist, Sir John Sulston, has died. read more

The 2017 Chemistry Nobel Prize as been awarded to Jacques Dubochet, Joachim Frank and Richard Henderson for developing cryo-electron microscopy for the high-resolution structure determination of biomolecules in solution.
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In a study published in Science, scientists have looked at how diet is linked to epigenetic changes in mice. read more

The effect of a man’s weight on the markers which regulate activity of genes in their sperm is the subject of a paper published in the journal Cell Metabolism, with the authors reporting differences in the profile of such epigenetic markers between lean and obese men, and also following weight loss surgery. read more

A paper published in the journal Science has reported changes in the structure of heterochromatin, a tightly packed form of DNA, as a potential cause of human ageing. Building on previous research, the authors used a model of premature ageing and put forward a number of specific protein which may be responsible for the changes. read more

Researchers studying the effects of the paternal diet of male fruit flies on the metabolic epigenetic and phenotypic profiles of their offspring have published their findings in the journal Cell. They report that short-term changes to sugar intake of the father were able to influence obesity of future offspring. read more

A new study published in the European Journal of Human Genetics investigated links between smoking in boys and men, and BMI and fat mass of their children. A press briefing was held to present the findings of the study. read more

Nature Neuroscience published research demonstrating that mice biologically inherit information learned by their grandfathers by training mice to fear a cherry blossom-like smell and then allowing them to mate. read more

Scientists and the heads of science-based organisations gave their thoughts on the 2011 Budget and what it means for UK science. read more

The paper demonstrated a method of studying the molecular and genetic basis of sexual preference in mice. read more

It is 25 years since scientists first determined that there might be heritable biological information separate from DNA – that there might be another inheritance ‘code’ in addition to what we understand within classical genetics. As the field of ‘epigenetics’ matures, research in this area is fundamentally changing the way we think about normal development and disease. The SMC invited two leading experts in this field to brief the media, in advance of an international meeting being held in Cambridge on 4-6th September, addressing questions including how the field of epigenetics has developed since the original discoveries of 1984, and what breakthroughs we can expect in the future. read more

Maverick would-be cloner Panayiotis Zavos has once again claimed to be able to clone a human being; this time, he claimed to have cloned 14 human embryos and implanted 11 of them into the wombs of four women. However, he provided no credible proof of this, and scientists remain sceptical. read more