Schizophrenia can be caused when genes are duplicated or deleted in an often random process that isn't inherited from parents, new research says.

This finding, published in three independent studies, identified new genetic variants that increase the risk of schizophrenia and may open ways to new methods for classifying and diagnosing people with the mental illness

Scientists have discovered a simple gene test to help doctors identify patients at risk of rare side effects before they take the cholesterol-lowering drug statins.

Scientists at University of Oxford are hoping the test can help identify patients at increased risk of myopathy (severe muscle pain and weakness) and enable higher doses of statins to be safely prescribed to patients without the risk of the condition

British Health Secretary Alan Johnson, in a major speech, has asked the public to be kinder to obese Britons.

In a major speech, Johnson said vilifying the overweight would not spur the obese to amend their behavior. He said a campaign to encourage healthy eating must be done in a more intelligent and less hurtful manner

A gene which apparently evolved to protect people of African descent from malaria increases their chances of getting HIV infection by 40 percent, a new study finds.

The discovery not only marks the first genetic risk factor for HIV found only in people of African descent but also debunks the myth that people in sub-Saharan Africa were more likely to get HIV because of differences in their sexual behaviour, researchers added

Researchers studying more than 100 families linked to autism from the Middle East, Turkey and Pakistan said they had identified at least six new genes that may provide families new hope for future treatment.

The finding, published in the July 11 issue of Science, shows that autism is not only caused by the deletion of some genes but also by turning off other genes. These genes cause disruptions in the brain's ability to form new connections in response to experience