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The language used in genetic and medical research to describe populations has a fraught history, and current practices must be sensitively considered when reporting on genetic cohorts and analyses.
A concerning trend in genetics is the common use of the term ‘trans-ethnic’ to describe analyses that combine or compare several ancestrally diverse populations. In this commentary, we discuss how this term is inaccurate and alienating. We propose that geneticists avoid using the term trans-ethnic entirely and that researchers across disciplines reach a new consensus about the best terms to use to describe the populations we study.
Although it should be a given that scholarly communication must be clear and accurate, researchers, particularly those in the field of human genetics, can also promote the responsible reporting of their findings to a broader public audience in ways that heighten understanding and reduce misinterpretation.
Here we introduce ‘FAQs on Genomic Studies’ (FoGS), an open-access repository of explanatory documents that accompany genomic analyses in social and behavioral genomics. For fields such as social and behavioral genomics that are shaped by an ugly history and uncertain future, socially and ethically responsible research and research communication are crucial. FoGS amplifies one such approach towards responsible research communication.
Stephen T. Warren was a key contributor to the 1991 discovery of an unstable trinucleotide repeat that expands in families and causes loss of function in fragile X syndrome.
For most organisms, DNA sequences are available, but the complete RNA sequences are not. Here, we call for technologies to sequence full-length RNAs with all their modifications.
Guided Open Access is a new publishing option offered at Nature Genetics. Authors can submit once and be simultaneously considered by three journals. Editorial collaboration and a single submission system combine to make the publication process easier and faster.
The International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium reports the generation of new mouse mutant strains for more than 5,000 genes, including 2,850 novel null, 2,987 novel conditional-ready and 4,433 novel reporter alleles.
We present the Polygenic Score (PGS) Catalog (https://www.PGSCatalog.org), an open resource of published scores (including variants, alleles and weights) and consistently curated metadata required for reproducibility and independent applications. The PGS Catalog has capabilities for user deposition, expert curation and programmatic access, thus providing the community with a platform for PGS dissemination, research and translation.
It’s time for a paradigm shift in the scientific enterprise. Our social responsibilities, especially as stakeholders in a field such as genetics, are central to the responsible conduct of research.