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Six-legged deer in Georgia
This is either the grossest cute thing or the cutest gross thing that I've ever seen.
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Good and Evil: A Cancer Vaccine from Tobacco Plants
In the first human trial of its kind, a vaccine grown in genetically engineered tobacco plants has proved to be safe, paving the way to one day use it to help combat a potentially fatal form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Researchers report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA that the experimental vaccine triggered the immune systems of 11 of 16 volunteers (with so-called follicular B-cell lymphoma) to attack their tumors without any apparent dangerous side effects.
In the first human trial of its kind, a vaccine grown in genetically engineered tobacco plants has proved to be safe, paving the way t... more -
Athapaskan Migration To Southwest 500 years ago
A large-scale genetic study of native North Americans offers new insights into the migration of a small group of Athapaskan natives from their subarctic home in northwest North America to the southwestern United States. The migration, which left no known archaeological trace, is believed to have occurred about 500 years ago.
The study, led by researchers at the University of Illinois, is detailed this month in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology. It relied on a genetic analysis of the Y chromosome and so offers a window on the unique ancestral history of the male Athapaskan migrants. Previous genetic studies of this group focused on mitochondrial DNA, which is passed down exclusively from mothers to their offspring.
The new findings reinforce the hypothesis that the Athapaskan migration involved a relatively small group that nonetheless was very successful at assimilating and intermixing with native groups already living in the southwest. The newcomers were so influential that the Athapaskan language family now dominates many parts of the Southwest. Now called Apacheans, the Navajo and Apache descendants of the early migrants are dispersed throughout the central Southwest and speak languages closely related to the Chipewyan, an Athapaskan language found in the subarctic. A large-scale genetic study of native North Americans offers new insights into the migration of a small group of Athapaskan natives fr... more -
Study finds genetic link to violence, delinquency
Genes may play an important role in determining why some young men raised in rough neighborhoods or deprived families become violent criminals while others do not, accordidng to the August issue of the American Sociological Review as quoted by media Tuesday.
One gene called MAOA that plays an especially strong role has been shown in other studies to affect antisocial behavior -- and it is disturbingly common, according to the team at the University of North Carolina.
People with a particular variation of the MAOA gene called 2R were very prone to criminal and delinquent behavior, said sociology professor Guang Guo, who led the study.
"I don't want to say it is a crime gene, but 1 percent of people have it and scored very high in violence and delinquency," Guo said in a telephone interview with media.
Guo's team found specific variations in three genes -- the monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) gene, the dopamine transporter 1(DAT1) gene and the dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2) gene -- were associated with bad behavior.
Guo's team, which studied only boys, used data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, a nationally representative sample of about 20,000 adolescents in grades 7 to 12. The young men in the study were interviewed in person regularly, and some gave blood samples.
His team constructed a "serious delinquency scale" based on some of the questions the youngsters answered.
"Nonviolent delinquency includes stealing amounts larger or smaller than 50 U.S. dollars, breaking and entering, and selling drugs," it wrote in the Review.
"Violent delinquency includes serious physical fighting that resulted in injuries needing medical treatment, use of weapons to get something from someone, involvement in physical fighting between groups, shooting or stabbing someone,deliberately damaging property, and pulling a knife or gun on someone." Genes may play an important role in determining why some young men raised in rough neighborhoods or deprived families become violent c... more -
Two in a million: twins born - one black, one white
Doctors say it is an extremely rare occurrence, but it is possible if genes combine in a certain way. The twin boys, named Ryan and Leo, are the offspring of a mixed-race couple. Doctors say it is an extremely rare occurrence, but it is possible if genes combine in a certain way. The twin boys, named Ryan and Le... more
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The new Ten Commandments
The simple marker which we use to classify humans, namely race, is not as easy to define as we might think.
With our improved understanding of DNA, the criteria by which you and I would typically assign people a race are exposed to be seriously flawed: Features which we notice most easily, such as skin colour, or facial structure, are often only skin deep, rather than 'gene-deep' (I'm sure someone else has coined that before now). In short, our social definitions are often completely meaningless on the genetic level.
The need for a more definitive description of what constitutues a 'race' (try to define it, it's not easy!), and furthermore how much significance we should assign it when conducting genetic, medical, psycological, or even historical studies of individuals and groups, prompted leaders in a wide range of fields: ranging from geneticists and psychologists to historians and philosophers, to come up with a set of guidlines to aid in their studies.
So here are the new and improved Ten Commandments (although, like their Biblical namesake they were not set in stone):
1. All races are created equal
2. An Argentinian and an Australian are more likely to have differences in their DNA than two Argentinians
3. A person's history isn't written only in his or her genes
4: Members of the same race may have different underlying genetics
5. Both nature and nurture play important parts in our behaviors and abilities
6. Researchers should be careful about using racial groups when designing experiments
7. Medicine should focus on the individual, not the race
8. The study of genetics requires cooperation between experts in many different fields
9. Oversimplified science feeds popular misconceptions
10. Genetics 101 should include a history of racism
The simple marker which we use to classify humans, namely race, is not as easy to define as we might think. ... more -
Designer DNA: Should we be able to reprogram our genes?
This month, Just Imagine focused on the future of nature and the ways in which it can inspire solutions to some of the greatest challenges facing humanity today.
Yet as scientists gain a greater understanding of biological processes, they're also gaining a greater understanding of how to manipulate them, including the very essence of what makes us human -- our DNA.
Biotechnology advances are already helping scientists find groundbreaking ways to create personalized medicine, detect illnesses and eradicate disease.
And this, according to futurist Ray Kurzweil, is only the beginning. In the future, humans will be able to reverse the aging process, replace dying organs with younger ones grown from an individual's own DNA and even genetically engineer unborn children, he said.
But some, like the UK-based group Human Genetics Alert, worry the ability to reprogram our biochemistry could lead mankind into unknown territory with dangerous ramifications for the future, including genetic discrimination and even a redefinition of what it means to be human.
This month, Just Imagine focused on the future of nature and the ways in which it can inspire solutions to some of the greatest challe... more -
Scientists identify black sheep gene
Researchers have now identified the genetic basis for black coat color, and white, in a breed of domestic sheep.
Scientists at the CSIRO Queensland Bioscience Precinct in Australia have now taken this step and identified the molecular mechanisms underlying white and black coat color in domestic sheep.
"Surprisingly what we found was in fact that the genetic cause of domestic white and black sheep involves a novel tandem duplication affecting the ovine agouti gene and two other neighboring genes, AHCY and ITCH," explains Dr. Belinda Norris, lead author of the study.
I have no idea what any of that means. AHCY is something to do with sneezing? Researchers have now identified the genetic basis for black coat color, and white, in a breed of domestic sheep. ... more -
Chemical linked to baby deaths
Scientists have new evidence that the brain chemical best known for regulating mood also plays a role in the mystifying killer of seemingly healthy babies — sudden infant death syndrome.
Autopsied brain tissue from SIDS babies first raised suspicion that an imbalance in serotonin might be behind what once was called crib death.
But specialists couldn't figure out how that defect could kill. Now researchers in Italy have engineered mice born with serotonin that goes haywire — and found the brain abnormality is enough to spur sudden death, in ways that mesh with other clues from human babies.
Moreover, the work suggests it might one day be possible to test newborns for their risk of SIDS.
For now, even an animal experiment can offer a message for devastated families:
"It should provide them with some sense of comfort that there was nothing they could have done to prevent it," said Dr. Marian Willinger, a SIDS specialist at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, who wasn't part of the study. "It is a real disease."
The work was published in Friday's edition of the journal Science.
SIDS is the sudden death of an otherwise healthy infant — anywhere between ages 1 month and 1 year — that can't be attributed to any other cause. It kills more than 2,000 U.S. infants each year, and is the leading killer of babies after the newborn period.
Babies should always be placed to sleep on their backs, as the risk of SIDS increases greatly when babies sleep on their stomachs. And parents are urged not to allow anyone to smoke around their babies, or to let their babies get too warm while sleeping.
But beyond those risk factors, doctors have little advice.
In 2006, Dr. Hannah Kinney of Children's Hospital Boston compared brain tissue from 31 SIDS babies and 10 infants who died of other causes. The SIDS babies had abnormalities in their brain stem that led to imbalances in serotonin, a neurotransmitter or chemical that helps brain cells communicate.
Low serotonin famously plays a role in depression. Less known to laymen is that it also helps regulate some of the body's most basic functions — breathing, heart rate, body temperature, arousal from sleep.
Dr. Cornelius Gross and colleagues at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Italy were studying how the serotonin system turns itself on and off when they stumbled onto the SIDS connection.
They genetically engineered mice to have an overactive serotonin-regulating receptor, which in turn reduced the amount of serotonin in the brains of otherwise normal baby mice.
More than half of the mice abruptly died before they were 3 months old. More intriguing, they had erratic episodes where their heart rate would drop and, five to 10 minutes later, so would their body temperature, Gross reported. Sometimes they died in the midst of what Gross calls those crises, other times afterward.
The exact cellular defects in the mice and the human babies studied so far aren't identical, researchers caution.
But heart and temperature problems are consistent with what little human data is available, Willinger noted.
Here's another key: Gross could switch on and off the genetic defect that controlled serotonin levels in the mice. By doing so, he showed that older baby animals were less likely to die from haywire serotonin than younger ones.
"This is a very exciting part of the research," says Willinger — because doctors have long suspected that if at-risk babies just get through a developmental period, they'll be OK. That's impossible to test in humans, however. Scientists have new evidence that the brain chemical best known for regulating mood also plays a role in the mystifying killer of seem... more -
Gene editing could make anyone immune to AIDS
Some people have a mutation that makes them amazingly resistant to HIV -- and now, scientists may have found a way to give that immunity to anyone. Some people have a mutation that makes them amazingly resistant to HIV -- and now, scientists may have found a way to give that immuni... more
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Changing your lifestyle can change your genes
Here's some very good news: your genes are not your destiny. Newsweek reports on new research showing that improved diet, meditation and other non-medical interventions can actually "turn off" the disease-promoting process in men with prostate cancer.
The changes included a plant-based diet (predominant fruits, vegetables, legumes, soy products, and whole grains low in refined carbohydrates), moderate exercise (walking 30 minutes per day), stress management techniques (yoga-based stretching, breathing techniques, meditation, and guided imagery for one hour per day), and participating in a weekly one-hour support group.
Here's some very good news: your genes are not your destiny. Newsweek reports on new research showing that improved diet, meditation a... more -
Human genome reveals signs of recent evolution
New genetic evidence suggests that evolution has continued to shape our species powerfully over the past 100,000 years. By looking for signals based on how much DNA mutates over generations, researchers found clues that as much as 10 percent of the human genome may be linked to these recent adaptive genetic changes.
Cornell University population geneticist Scott Williamson and colleagues analyzed over a million genetic variations in DNA samples from 24 individuals, including African Americans, European Americans, and Chinese. They were looking for regions in the genome where a beneficial mutation is carried by everyone in a population. Then, by looking at the variability in the DNA surrounding the mutation, the team could figure out how long ago the mutation spread through the population.
More than a hundred sites in the genome showed strong evidence of recent selection, including genes that affect muscle tissue, hair, hearing, immune-system function, skin pigmentation, sense of smell, and the body’s response to heat stress.
by Jennifer Barone
Discover Magazine
http://discovermagazine.com/2008/jan/human-genome-revea...
Localizing Recent Adaptive Evolution in the Human Genome
http://www.plosgenetics.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/jo... New genetic evidence suggests that evolution has continued to shape our species powerfully over the past 100,000 years. By looking for... more -
New discovery proves 'selfish gene' exists
A new discovery by a scientist from The University of Western Ontario provides conclusive evidence which supports decades-old evolutionary doctrines long accepted as fact. Since renowned British biologist Richard Dawkins ("The God Delusion") introduced the concept of the 'selfish gene' in 1976, scientists the world over have hailed the theory as a natural extension to the work of Charles Darwin. A new discovery by a scientist from The University of Western Ontario provides conclusive evidence which supports decades-old evolutio... more
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Jurassic Park comes true: How scientists are bringing dinosaurs back to life
Dinosaurs walking the Earth once again . . . quite a concept.
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Fantasy Becoming Reality - Unicorn found in Italy
A deer with a single horn in the center of its head — much like the fabled, mythical unicorn — has been spotted in a nature preserve in Italy, park officials said Wednesday.
"This is fantasy becoming reality," Gilberto Tozzi, director of the Center of Natural Sciences in Prato, told The Associated Press. "The unicorn has always been a mythological animal."
The 1-year-old Roe Deer — nicknamed "Unicorn" — was born in captivity in the research center's park in the Tuscan town of Prato, near Florence, Tozzi said.
He is believed to have been born with a genetic flaw; his twin has two horns.
Calling it the first time he has seen such a case, Tozzi said such anomalies among deer may have inspired the myth of the unicorn.
A deer with a single horn in the center of its head — much like the fabled, mythical unicorn — has been spotted in a nature preserve i... more -
Mythical Unicorn Found!
Exciting, I know. But it's really just a genetically flawed deer.
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My DNA Test
The rapid growth of companies offering personal genetic DNA tests has prompted officials in California and New York to start investigation into the legality and accuracy of these services. The rapid growth of companies offering personal genetic DNA tests has prompted officials in California and New York to start investiga... more
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DNA from an extinct tiger species lives... in a mouse
For the first time, DNA from an extinct species of animal has been born again... but in the form of another animal. Scientists in Australia have found a way to resurrect the gene controlling the development of cartilage and bone from the now extinct Tasmanian Tiger. For the first time, DNA from an extinct species of animal has been born again... but in the form of another animal. Scientists in Aust... more
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DNA reveals the best diet for you
A scientific discipline known as "nutrigenomics", which brings to bear a detailed understanding of how humans differ from one another in genetic terms and applies it to the traditional science of nutrition. Advocates say nutrigenomics could allow us to tailor our diets to our individual genetic characteristics -- potentially helping us lose weight more effectively, avoid cancer, say goodbye to binge drinking and live to a ripe old age. Folate -- a vitamin found in leafy vegetables, fortified grain products and other foods -- is a good example of how nutrients can affect our genetic makeup.When one has inadequate intake of folate, the DNA in the cells can be damaged, or fragmented, or the expression of the genes can be altered. This can have a dramatic effect on our chromosomes, causing as much damage as carcinogenic doses of radiation. About one in five people carries a specific variant of the gene that raises cholesterol, increases diabetes and Alzheimer's risk and reverses the protective effects of moderate alcohol drinking. Individuals with that genotype should be careful about their diet and exercise, and in particular should give up or avoid smoking and alcohol, Lynn Ferguson from Nutrigenomics New Zealand wrote in the journal Molecular Diagnosis & Therapy in 2006. "However, very few of the population are aware of their APOE genotype at present." Similar damage may result from deficiencies in other nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, retinol, nicotinic acid, vitamin E and vitamin B12,. And as our cells grow and divide the damage can accumulate, a problem associated with infertility, developmental defects in the foetus, cancer, Alzheimer's disease and other conditionsgenes. Genes can also partly determine how well you do on particular diets. "We know that there is variation in people's response to weight-loss diets and the genetic basis of that response is being unravelled A scientific discipline known as "nutrigenomics", which brings to bear a detailed understanding of how humans differ from one another ... more
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Big Brother opens door for GINA genetic testing bill
Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) of 2008 is expected to be signed into law by President Bush soon.
GINA will amend laws to prohibit a group health plan from adjusting premium or contribution amounts for a group on the basis of genetic information.
Reluctance to get genetic tests range from being fired, priced out of health insurance or dropped from coverage altogether.
Having been used to diagnose fetal problems for inherited diseases, the scope of testing has expanded in the last decade.
There are now about 1,500 genetic tests.
Washington’s Public Citizen group stated that some people have been misled by inaccurate results, and industry oversight is scant and superficial. As the new law takes effect, testing of the genetic tests also needs to be a priority.
My question: How will Big Brother safeguard the DNA tests?
Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) of 2008 is expected to be signed into law by President Bush soon. ... more
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Genetics
