Can a Double Mastectomy Really Prevent Cancer?
Angelina Jolie has made the surprising announcement that she’s undergone a double mastectomy. Doctors discovered she carries a gene mutation that dramatically increases her chances of getting breast cancer. So what is this gene, and how do women go about testing for it? Trace takes a look.
via DNews Channel.
Science Bulletins: Potato Biodiversity—Ensuring the Future
Farmers in the Andes use biodiversity as insurance. The potato, a plant native to the area that is now the world’s fourth most important staple crop, is still locally grown in thousands of varieties. With help from Lima’s International Potato Center, Andean farmers are preserving potato diversity to protect this critical food source against threats like pests and diseases, weather extremes, and climate change.
via AMNH.
A Week in Science with RiAus- 10 May 2013
A Week in Science is the science news brought to you by RiAus.
This week:
Brain Scans can identify psychopaths even in childhood
Climate change killed off megafauna
No, really- Don’t shop when you’re hungry
DNA reveals that most Europeans are closely related
Eco-friendly way for iron ore unveiled
Brain’s laughter response studied
Nurture, not nature, determines your personalityYou can follow A Week in Science throughout the week on Twitter, and join the discussion, by following the hashtag #weekinsci
For more information visit http://riaus.org.au/articles/a-week-in-science-10-May-2013/
via RiAus.
Leveraging NGS Data to Unlock the Biological Mysteries in Cancer and Diabetes
Information on genetic variations has been used to better understand the inheritance of and susceptibility to certain diseases, response to drugs, signaling pathways involved in normal versus disease states, and more. However, biological interpretation of thousands of variants is a bottleneck in extracting valuable insights from DNA sequencing studies, often requiring months of effort after completion of the reference genome alignment and variant calling steps. These limitations can largely be overcome by using more sophisticated informatics tools that can help interpret the biology accurately and in more detail.
Presenters:
Heather Highland is a Ph.D. candidate in the Human and Molecular Genetics program at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston’s Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. She earned her B.S. in biology from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.Dr. Michael L. Nickerson is an intramural research fellow in the Cancer and Inflammation Program at the National Cancer Institute. He obtained a master’s degree in biochemistry from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and a PhD in molecular medicine from the George Washington University. Dr. Nickerson has made significant contributions to the identification and characterization of disease genes.
Duration: 1:02:16
via The Scientist LLC.
Crouching turkey, hidden dragon
Like us, birds stand on two legs. But unlike us they ‘crouch’. To explain this odd posture, scientists at the Royal Veterinary College in the UK looked at the ancestors of birds: dinosaurs. They made 3D models of various dinosaur taxa including Tyrannosaurus and the bird-like Velociraptor and Archaeopteryx. In this video, see how the models were made and what they show us about the evolution of bird locomotion and flight.
Research paper: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature12059
via Nature Video Channel.
Unraveling the Secrets of the Epigenome
This second webinar in The Scientist’s Decoding DNA series will cover the Secrets of the Epigenome, discussing what is currently known about DNA methylation, histone modifications, and chromatin remodeling and how this knowledge can translate to useful therapies. Stephen Baylin, M.D., Professor, Oncology and Deputy Director of the Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University Victoria Richon, Ph.D., Vice President, Discovery and Preclinical Research Oncology, Sanofi Paolo Sassone-Corsi, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Biological Chemistry and Director, Center for Epigenetics and Metabolism, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine
Duration: 1:30:31
via The Scientis, LLC.
Circadian Regulation and Growth Vigor in Maize Hybrids
The phenomenon of hybrid vigor was first systematically described by Charles Darwin in 1876, after he noticed that his toadflax plants that were the product of cross-fertilization between distinct toadflax parents were “plainly taller and more vigorous” than those that were self-fertilized clones of their parents.
In 2008, University of Texas biologist Jeff Chen identified a key mechanism of hybrid vigor in the common experimental plant Arabidopsis. He’s now studying the same phenomenon in corn (maize). This video shows how the two maize hybrids grow (on the inside) grow faster than their inbred parents.
via College of Natural Sciences.
Hybrid Plants Outperform Their Inbred Parents
The phenomenon of hybrid vigor was first systematically described by Charles Darwin in 1876, after he noticed that his toadflax plants that were the product of cross-fertilization between distinct toadflax parents were “plainly taller and more vigorous” than those that were self-fertilized clones of their parents.
In 2008, University of Texas biologist Jeff Chen identified a key mechanism of hybrid vigor in the common experimental plant Arabidopsis. This video shows how the two hybrids grow (on the inside) grow faster than their inbred parents.
via College of Natural Sciences.
A Week in Science with RiAus- 26 April 2013
Week in Science is the science news brought to you by RiAus.
This week:
Australia’s Aboriginal population descended from just 1000-2000 original inhabitants
Asthma worsened by low fibre and high fat diets
Genital Warts diagnoses drop by 59%
Marijuana pills more effective for pain relief than smoking
Genetically engineered bacteria produce petrol
1970 to 2000 was the hottest period for over 1400 years
20% of all land will change climate zones
Tropical rainfall directly affected by CO2 in the atmosphereYou can follow A Week in Science throughout the week on Twitter, and join the discussion, by following the hashtag #weekinsci
For more information visit riaus.org.au/articles/a-week-in-science-26-April-2013/
via RiAus Vid.
Gene Patents: 5 Things You Should Know
The debate over whether we can patent genes has come to a head with the US Supreme Court weighing in on two human genes linked to cancer. Laci has all the details on what you need to know about this colossal decision and the impact it could have on medicine.
via DNews Channel.
The Sordaria Cross
In this video Paul Andersen shows you how a cross between mutant and wild types of Sordaria fimicola can be used to show and measure frequency of crossing-over. He begins by reviewing the process of meiosis in a typical organism. He then shows how crossing-over can affect the formation of sports in the perithecium of the fungi. He discusses the importance of frequency of crossing-over in determining the distance between the gene and the centromere.
via Bozeman Biology.
Teemu Teeri: Geenimuuntelun perusteet ja mahdollisuudet
0:00 Intro
01:15 Kasvinjalostus (risteytys ja valinta)
04:12 Lajien väliset risteytykset, mutaatiojalostus, geeninsiirto
06:09 Geenitekniikka kasveilla
08:05 Geenit ohjaavat proteiinien valmistumista
12:02 Agrobakteerivälitteinen geeninsiirto
14:07 Geeninsiirto laboratoriossa
15:54 Geeninsiirron avulla voidaan kasveihin lisätä uusia ominaisuuksia
17:44 GM neilikoita
20:42 Geeninsiirrolla voidaan myös poistaa ominaisuuksia
23:09 Flavr Savr
26:10 Hyönteisresistenssi
27:38 Herbisidiresistenssi
29:42 Taudinkestävyys
31:19 GM-lajikkeiden osuus soijan viljelyalasta USA:ssa
31:50 Siirtogeenisen BT-maissin viljelyala USA:ssa
31:54 Global area of biotech crops
32:58 Global adoption rates for principal biotech crops
33:59 Maissin hybridilajikkeiden käyttöönotto USA:ssa
35:16 Biotech crop countries
36:29 Onko geenitekniikka vaarallista?
37:38 Geenitekniikan riskit
41:42 Kasvinjalostuksen riskit
45:31 Pensasmustikka
47:11 Pensasmustikan riskianalyysi
48:28 Geenitekniikan lainsäädäntö
49:02 Onko laki kaikille sama?
50:06 Herbisidiresistenssi, glyfosaatti ja atrasiini
50:46 Kyntämätön viljely - Ekologista hyötyä
51:31 Taloudellista hyötyä
51:57 Tomaatin kypsyminen
53:08 GM ei ole nopeaa eikä halpaa
54:01 GMO ongelmia
56:43 Keisarin uudet vaatteet
58:25 BASF
58:42 Kuluttajien hyväksyntä
59:07 Tarvitaanko GM-jalostusta
59:31 Onko sillä väliä?
1:00:20 In the pipeline
1:01:48 Funktionaaliset GM elintarvikkeet
1:02:37 Geeninsiirrolla voidaan poistaa kasveista ominaisuuksia, esim. allergiaa aiheuttavia proteiineja
01:04:15 Mistä tietoa tulevasta?
01:08:20 GM approval database
01:09:20 Kenttäkokeet
kesto: 01:11:56
by Skepsis Finland.
Human Evolution & Migration: National Geographic’s Genographic Project Tells Our Story
Our human lineage is not actually linear. In fact, it’s more of a branching tree, telling the story of our origins in Africa and our migrations throughout the world. National Geographic’s not-for-profit Genographic Project aims to trace and connect each of our individuals branches to answer questions about how human beings became so genetically diverse.
But how can we peer so far back in history? By looking at our DNA. In fact, DNA analysis can reveal specific markers that tell the rich story of our ancestral migration patters. It can even inform us about our mixed Neanderthal origins.
Full transcript.
Human Evolution and Disease
India represents one of the largest sources of human diversity, comprising of more than 4500 anthropologically well defined populations. This presentation focuses on on how the Indian genetics is different from rest of the world and what would be its implications in health and disease.
Duration: 02:08:05
by Nirmukta Videos.
inFact: The Unpopular Facts about GMOs
Why the big fuss about GMO crops? Are they indeed as terrible as some people say?
by Skeptoid Media.
