Gene therapy

Scientific American asked leading scientists and science writers to look forward to what the world will be like in the years 2063, 2113 and 2163, and tell us what role science and technology will play in our future

Gene therapy, once off to a rocky start, transforms medicine by getting at the root cause of many diseases

A new study offers proof that stem cells can reconnect the inner ear to the brain

With the new annotation of the human genome, researchers are finding that most of the code between genes is controlling crucial functions for life and health

Can specific genes cause muscles to grow faster or stronger, and can genetic tampering give athletes an unnatural edge?

China was the first country to approve a gene therapy product for commercial use, in 2004. The U.S. has yet to endorse any such treatments and the field has been plagued by carcinogenicity

In most cases, identifying mutations will not point to medical treatments, let alone cures. But scientists say the importance of a diagnosis should not be discounted

Citations and further reading for the print news section

A microbiologist is harnessing beneficial bacteria to help coral reefs weather pollution, overfishing and climate change

Two doses of gene therapy restore vision to three women who were born nearly blind

Tsunami-damaged nuclear reactors, Twitter-fueled political uprisings, a possible violation of Einsteinian physics--these and other highlights defined this year in science and technology

Technique now being tested in a range of conditions