Genes are switched on in the human embryo at one-cell stage
The finding that some genes are active from the get-go challenges the textbook view that genes don't become active in human embryos until they are made up of four-to-eight cells, two or three days after fertilization. The newly discovered activity begins at the one-cell stage -- far sooner than previously thought -- promising to change the way we think about our developmental origins. The research, published in Cell Stem Cell, was co-led by Professor Tony Perry at the Univers
Cannabis impacts sperm count and motility in two generations of mice
An intense but short-term exposure to cannabis vapor lowered sperm counts and slowed sperm movement, or motility, not only in the directly exposed male mice but also in their sons. The Washington State University study, recently published in the journal Toxicological Sciences, builds on other human and animal studies, showing that cannabis can impede male reproductive function. The current study uses more controlled circumstances than human studies, which often have to rely o
