Tag: "genetics"
The Nose Knows
We've known for awhile that animals find their "true love" partly through smells. One of the things they are sensing is whether the potential mate has a different set of MHC genes. People might be able to do this as well.
Post on Sep 29, 2008 by Dr. Barry Starr
A Viral Infection that Might One Day Cure Diabetes
People get Type 1 diabetes when their bodies attack and destroy their own islet cells. These people can't make insulin anymore. The best cure would be if scientists could replace the old islet cells with new ones.
Post on Aug 29, 2008 by Dr. Barry Starr
Better Eating Through Genetic Engineering
In a new studt out in Nature Neuroscience, scientists tinkered with a single gene in a mouse and made it less likely to get fat. Finally I can eat as many Double Stufs as I want without worrying about gaining weight. If scientists can turn what they've learned into a pill that is.
Post on Aug 18, 2008 by Dr. Barry Starr
Obesity and the modern man
Given today's environment, it is surprising that there are still thin people around. The origins of this epidemic are pretty easy to spot—lots of food and less opportunity for exercise. And yet, not everyone in the U.S. is overweight. So why is one person fat and the next thin?
Post on Aug 04, 2008 by Dr. Barry Starr
Surviving Chromosomal Rearrangements
Last blog I talked about the Transcaucasian mole vole. This little burrowing mammal has lost its Y chromosome over time. Now both males and females have only a single X. I focused on how scientists can't yet figure out how there are any male mole voles running around. This week, I want to focus on what this means from an evolutionary perspective.
Post on Jul 21, 2008 by Dr. Barry Starr
Why no Y? Gender-bending Transcaucasian mole voles
I've always been fascinated by weird animals. Especially those with out-of-the-ordinary genetics. Transcaucasian mole vole. Image Courtesy of Heike HimmelreichOne of my favorites is a little burrowing mammal called a Transcaucasian mole vole. These guys live in the Caucasus Mountains of Armenia, Iran, Turkey, and Azerbaijan. There they are born, live, have babies and die. [...]
Post on Jul 07, 2008 by Dr. Barry Starr
Genetic Testing or Recreational Genomics?
Do you have a note from your doctor? So much information, so little understandingOn June 9, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) sent letters to 13 different direct-to-consumer genetic testing companies telling them that they were not in compliance with California laws and needed to stop providing testing. The two main issues appear to [...]
Post on Jun 23, 2008 by Dr. Barry Starr
Drive by Science is OK Too
The author feeling cheekyLast Monday I finally took my show out on the road. At The Tech Museum I run hands on genetics programs for visitors. On Monday, we took them to Overfelt High School in San Jose. And the students had a blast*. They got to take home 4X6 glossy pictures of their cheek [...]
Post on May 27, 2008 by Dr. Barry Starr
Chromosome Fusion: Chance or Design?
Human and chimpanzee chromosomes are very similar. Note that human chromosome 2 is very similar to a fusion of two chimpanzee chromosomes. For the last few weeks I have been corresponding with someone about intelligent design (ID). More specifically, we have been chatting about why humans have 46 chromosomes and most of the great apes [...]
Post on May 12, 2008 by Dr. Barry Starr
Fish and SNPs: What fish are teaching us about human skin color
These fish can tell us a lot about ourselves. Species often end up a different color when their environment changes. And humans are no exception. When people moved out of Africa tens of thousands of years ago, they were dark-skinned. Now when we look around Northern Europe or parts of Asia, we see much lighter [...]
Post on Apr 28, 2008 by Dr. Barry Starr
Hug-a-helix: celebrate DNA Day, April 25th
DNA magnified 850,000 times through a scanning electron microscope DNA day is coming up on Friday April 25th. This annual celebration of genetics and genomics was set up in 2003 to commemorate the sequencing of the human genome and the 50th anniversary of the solving of the structure of DNA.DNA day was thought of as [...]
Post on Apr 14, 2008 by Dr. Barry Starr
Producer's Notes - Doggie DNA
There is a lot we don't know about our DNA and how it works. While there seems to be news every week about genetics, scientists are still in the early stages of finding out what effect our genes have on us (check out this post from another QUEST blogger, Dr. Barry Starr). That's what the [...]
Post on Apr 11, 2008 by Lauren Sommer
Producer's Notes – Alzheimer's: Is the Cure in the Genes?
By 2050, as our population ages, 15 million Americans will suffer from Alzheimer's disease – triple today's number. There is no cure for Alzheimer's, but several treatments can help alleviate its symptoms, and many research projects aim to understand the disease better and find a way to fight it. In this QUEST story, we visited [...]
Post on Apr 08, 2008 by Gabriela Quirós
Redheads are here to stay
Red hair genes will be diluted but will not go away.I got a call last week from a reporter in Virginia. Someone had come up to her in a bookstore to offer her condolences about her kind dying out. She is a redhead. The guy from the bookstore must have read one of the stories [...]
Post on Mar 31, 2008 by Dr. Barry Starr
Explosive hypothesis about humans' lack of genetic diversity
Genetically, we're all pretty much the same. A massive volcanic eruption 75,000 years ago may be why. Lake Toba is all that is left of the volcano that nearly wiped out mankind.Last blog I talked about how East Africans are genetically more diverse than Asians. Who are genetically more diverse than Native Americans. From all [...]
Post on Mar 17, 2008 by Dr. Barry Starr
Curing mouse sickle cell anemia with stem cells
Last blog I talked about how scientists turned skin cells into embryonic stem (ES) cells. This was big news because scientists can now make an ES-like cell without destroying an embryo. This blog I thought I'd talk about how scientists have used these cells to cure a mouse’s sickle cell anemia. If the mouse stays [...]
Post on Jan 21, 2008 by Dr. Barry Starr
Wired for wireless: the genetics of text messaging
I love my cell phone. We have a serious relationship. One that may be biologically predetermined. Let me explain. On New Year's Eve I brought my phone with me to San Francisco's Ocean Beach, where I traditionally go, rain or shine, to watch the year's last sunset. I was by myself, but I wasn't alone. [...]
Post on Jan 10, 2008 by Robin Marks
Stemming the tide of disease
Scientists can now turn skin cells into embryonic stem cells like these.(Image: Nissim Benvenisty)It is amazing how fast stem cell research is accelerating. Six months ago, we had to destroy embryos to get at their precious embryonic stem (ES) cells. Or we had to at least steal them. Now, as 2008 begins, we can turn [...]
Post on Jan 07, 2008 by Dr. Barry Starr
Gay Genes? part deux
Bobby is more likely to be gay than Greg. Last blog I talked about some studies that link homosexuality and genes. The most powerful studies are those that compare identical twins to fraternal twins. These studies show that both twins in an identical pair are more likely to be gay than are both twins in [...]
Post on Nov 12, 2007 by Dr. Barry Starr
Gay Genes?
Gay Pride Parade in BrazilA big federal study is underway to identify the specific DNA changes that contribute to being a homosexual. Note that scientists are not investigating whether or not being gay is genetic. The evidence is already pretty strong at this point that there is a genetic component to being gay. What they [...]
Post on Oct 29, 2007 by Dr. Barry Starr
