PhenDisco: phenotype discovery system for the database of genotypes and phenotypes. Genetics and Brain Tracking in The Quantified Self. How 23andMe Broke the Rules: The F.D.A. Versus Personal Genetic Testing. The United States Food and Drug Administration is not known for its prose.
So the warning letter that it sent to 23andMe, the direct-to-consumer genetic-testing company, on November 22nd, was a surprise in more ways than one. “It reads like the letter of a jilted lover,” Misha Angrist, a former genetic counsellor who writes about personal genomics and teaches at Duke University, said. “ ‘We went on fourteen dates! We exchanged all these e-mails! We held hands in the park! Now you’re telling me, “Fuck you,” and kicking me to the curb.’ ” The letter was sent to the 23andMe co-founder and C.E.O. As of Wednesday morning, five days later, the company is still selling its spit kits: you can mail your saliva to the company and have it analyzed for information about your personal genome, from your caffeine sensitivity to your maternal haplogroup. Another possibility is that the company simply dropped the ball.
Yet 23andMe delivers this information with little friction or guaranteed guidance. What is genetics? Genetics is the science that studies the mechanisms of transmission of characteristics from generation to generation, also known as inheritance.
Initial studies by Gregor Mendel in the 19th century on inheritance in plants, seem like ancient history to most modern geneticists, yet his work was a groundbreaking research. Genetics developed rapidly in the 20th century. Firstly, in 1944, Avery, McLoad and McCarthy showed that DNA was responsible for inheritance. A second important finding was published in 1953 by Watson and Crick, the structure of the DNA. New developments kept appearing with development of DNA sequencing, discovery of restriction enzymes, Southern blotting, and PCR revolutionizing the way genetic analysis was performed. Genetic Testing for Health, Disease & Ancestry; DNA Test - 23andMe. A carrier screen for birth defects associated with 100+ genetic diseases — Counsyl.
KiNG Display Software. KiNG (Kinemage, Next Generation) is an interactive system for three-dimensional vector graphics.
It supports a set of graphics primitives that make it suitable for many types of graphs, plots, and other illustrations; although its first use was to display macromolecular structures for biophysical research. KiNG builds on Mage, JavaMage, and the "kinemage" (kinetic image) concept to deliver a full-featured Java application with a user-friendly interface and integrated editing features. The KiNG jar file can be used within a web page as a Java applet or Java object to promote easy access to kinemages or coordinate files from a web browser.
Download kingInBrowser.zip for further instructions. Versions of KiNG 2 and higher need a Java Virtual Machine of version 1.5 or higher. The Windows 2.14+ version of KiNG now includes Java 1.6, for better compatibility with Windows Vista Aero. Instructions for installing KiNG for each platform are available. King-manual.pdf(240KB). Blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/assets_c/2009/09/2_Darwin tree-11130.html. When I began as a film critic, Jean-Luc Godard was widely thought to have reinvented the cinema with "Breathless" (1960).
Now he is almost 80 and has made what is said to be his last film, and he's still at the job, reinventing. If only he had stopped while he was ahead. Traces of Dutch 'Hunger Winter' in genetic material - News 2010. Conditions in the uterus can give rise to life-long changes in genetic material.
People in their sixties who were conceived during the Hunger Winter of 1944-45 in the Netherlands have been found to have a different molecular setting for a gene which influences growth. Researchers from the LUMC are the first to demonstrate this effect. They published their findings this week in PNAS Online Early Edition, together with colleagues from Columbia University. Epigenetics. Epigenetics and reproduction (Part 3 in epigenetics series)
Originally published on May 6, 2009 Today’s post draws on topics covered in the previous 2 posts, so it may be useful to browse those posts before reading this one.
Epigenetic inheritance of maternal care behavior in rats Yesterday I told you about how the quality of maternal care result in epigenetic changes in glucocorticoid receptor expression in the hippocampus. The result of this epigenetic modification is that the offspring of neglectful or depressed mothers have stronger endocrinological and behavioral responses to stress than the offspring of mothers who were more nurturing. Glucocorticoid receptor genes aren’t the only part of the genome experiencing epigenetic modifications in response to maternal care behaviors. The result is that female rat mothers give their offspring the same quality of care that they themselves received as pups. On the other hand, you can also get low-care mothers to increase care under certain conditions. Conclusions.