What we’re reading this month: January 2018

In between meetings, events, science workshops, and getting work done in the lab, Helix employees love finding a few minutes here and there to read. (A, C, G, and T might be our four favorite letters, but we actually like all of them.) Each month, we’ll be highlighting articles and books that catch our attention.
Have any recommendations of your own? Connect with us on Twitter and let us know.

“Using nature to understand nurture”
Science Magazine
The age-old concept of “nature versus nurture” takes a new twist in this research article from Science, which suggests that the lives of future generations can be affected indirectly by our own genetics.

“How Genetic Testing Guided My Breast Cancer Journey – To Eschewing Beef”
PLOS Blogs
The BRCA genes are almost synonymous with breast cancer, but there is more to breast cancer than just the BRCA genes. This post tells the story of how its author discovered she had breast cancer—and what she learned from genetic testing. Through this piece, the author gives a personal account her diagnosis and treatment alongside an informative discussion of how cancers develop.

“Terminal Pleistocene Alaskan genome reveals first founding population of Native Americans”
Nature
When the remains of ancient individuals are found, sequencing their DNA can provide significant insights into human history. In this article from Nature, researchers use DNA sequencing of recently uncovered remains to explore the earliest traces of human life in the Americas.