Monday Blues: GENETIC MUTANT FREAKS! or not so much...

I've talked about eyes a few times before, but usually in relation to sea critters or bugs. Today, it's about all you blue eyed people. Yes. All of you. You are all mutants! This is an old article, but a fun one to tie into my old Monday Blues series. 

According to a team at the University of Copenhagen, all blue- eyed people in the world share a common ancestor. A genetic mutation affecting the OCA2 gene is to blame. This gene is the one responsible for skin and hair color as well. If all the switches on this gene are" turned off," you get albinism. People in Turkey, Jordan, and Denmark all had this one switch on the exact spot of their DNA mutated, leading the team to the conclusion that all blue eyes stem from one mutation between 6 and 10,000 years ago.

You can read more here. And don't worry, you're all cute mutants.

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There's A New Fly on the Wall!

I’m all for science improving the life of humanity, but at what cost? Recently in Malaysia 6,000 genetically altered male mosquitoes were released into the wild. The Malaysian government claims that their efforts were to decrease the spread of dengue, a disease spread by female mosquitoes that killed in Asia an estimated 136 people last year.

The current solution being presented is that if scientists can genetically alter the life spans of mosquito, then they won’t live long enough to spread the disease or infect anyone. The problem with this scenario is that the genetically modified traits could spread to other insects resulting in a shortage of food for birds, bats, frog and other animals to eat. Essentially it would be a food chain disaster.

However Malaysia is not the first to try this tactic. An experiment much similar to this one was done in the Cayman Islands from May to October of 2010.

Oxitec, an Oxford-based research firm released sterile male mosquitoes into the wild. By August of 2010 the number of mosquitoes in the test area had dropped by 80%. The Oxitec scientists argue that because the sterile traits won’t be passed “this method will have no permanent ecological impact.” The claim is that the genetically altered males will act better at thinning the mosquito population that insecticides ever could while also reducing the amount of toxins being released into the environment.

Just so you know, dengue isn’t the only disease that mosquitoes pass on to humans and animals. The Malaria parasite is also a big one. Check out this article on how Scientists at the University of Arizona have successfully bred genetically modified mosquitoes that are 100 percent resistant to the malaria parasite, rendering the mosquito incapable of infecting humans with malaria.

What do you think PotSpooners? Do you want genetically altered mosquitoes in your neighborhood if it could mean fewer deaths, or do you want to just let Mother Nature and natural selection to continue doing their thing?

Refrences (Because I'm a geek like that XD)

 

Dillow, Clay. "Malaysia Releases 6,000 Genetically Modified Mosquitoes into the Wild Popular Science." Popular Science New Technology, Science News, The Future Now. N.p., 28 Jan. 2011. Web. 28 Jan. 2011. http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2011-01/malaysia-releases-6000-genetically-modified-mosquitoes-wild.

Ferreira, Becky. "What Could Possibly Go Wrong: Genetically-Modified Mosquitoes Popular Science." Popular Science New Technology, Science News, The Future Now. N.p., 28 Jan. 2011. Web. 28 Jan. 2011. http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2011-01/what-could-possibly-go-wrong-genetically-modified-mosquitoes.

Schiffman, Lizzie. "For The First Time, Genetically Engineered Mosquitoes Are Released Into The Wild Popular Science." Popular Science New Technology, Science News, The Future Now. N.p., 12 Nov. 2010. Web. 28 Jan. 2011. http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-11/mutant-mosquitoes-nearly-wipe-out-their-population-and-diseases-they-carry.

Schmidt, Laurie J.. "Genetically Engineered Mosquitoes Are 100 Percent Resistant to Malaria Parasite Popular Science." Popular Science New Technology, Science News, The Future Now. N.p., 15 July 2010. Web. 28 Jan. 2011. http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-07/genetically-engineered-mosquitoes-are-100-percent-resistant-malaria-parasite.

 

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More on Synesthesia

If you don't recall, a while ago I did a post on people who see color for words, smell days of the week, etc. This "condition" (another word I hate because it doesn't seem that serious to me) is called synesthesia and it appears that scientists are closer to figuring out what exactly causes it. It is known to run in families but the genetics behind it aren't understood.

Recently, scientists think they have found the genes linked to this. Why am I posting such a little blurb?

I suppose this goes back to earlier posts I have done about genetics. Mostly they were about tampering with bacteria and making beer good for you. One post was a Debate! about designer babies.

Fig 1. There is nothing wrong with having different genes than everything around you. You just stand out a bit more.

I have a hard time with certain genetic ventures. I am not a big fan of certain types of bioengineering. Some of the stuff is ok. I can deal with more nutritious rice. Designer babies and finding a "cure" for something that isn't really debilitating (like synesthesia) bothers me. I say this because as someone who is dubbed as having a "disorder," I honestly used to have days where I had dreams of nothing more than never having another mood swing again.

I have longed for the days when there would be a magic pill to fix me so that I could finish school— without kidney or liver problems. However, the more soul-searching I do, the more I realize that without my condition/disorder/whatever I would not be the nutty, artistic, music playing, science geek that I am today. Yes, at times I consider my disorder debilitating and in those instances I turn to drugs (prescribed of course)— but do I want it to go away? Would I have the same sense of adventure? Same need to explore? Same insatiable curiosity? Same passion? Probably not! Would I feel guilty about passing on this genetic trait to a child? ABSOLUTELY, but that is my call to make, not anyone else's.

Fig 2. Rawr! I needed to vent

I didn't mean to turn this into a rant, but sometimes I think that while the science is good, the wording and reasoning why is flawed. I know that studying the genetics behind this will give us better insight to how we function as the amazing machine we are and this will lead to insight on other things that may not have otherwise even been discovered... I just don't want to alter my genes to fit in.

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Cheers!

In an interesting article I stumbled across on Discovery, I learned that beer can be good for cancer. Don't run out to the bar just yet, though. It is a special beer created by scientists at Rice University. They have dubbed the beer BioBeer (hardly marketable if you ask me) and what they have done is spliced three genes in the yeast used by brew masters and made the yeast form resveratrol as a byproduct. If you don't recall, resveratrol is found in grape juice and red wine and is believed to aid in all kinds of age related illnesses based on various studies. The red wine news story is more popular than grape juice, however, because deep down inside we always want a better excuse to indulge.



The sad part of the news is many of the students responsible for the findings cannot appreciate the fruits of their labor as they are not yet old enough to drink. Oh the irony. The scientists and brew masters involved don't know yet if they can put a beneficial amount of resveratrol in the beer as of yet. Who knows though? The old toast of "to your health" seems to becoming more and more true these days.


Photo from Wikimedia Commons.

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Debate! Designer Babies

I think I would like to do a weekly or bi-weekly discussion on this blog about controversial scientific issues. Of course, I will see how this goes over first. So now presenting this weeks debate!


The hubs and I were having a conversation last night about what fields of science I distrust the most and I told him biotech or bioengineering. I have many reasons for my distrust of these fields, one being the whole "designer baby" thing. I don't really believe in gene manipulation of any sort. I know that gene therapy can potentially help us avoid children with Duchenne dystrophy and things of the like, but even that I still have my qualms about. Maybe I am a bit alone in this aspect, but I think nature's way of human population control is disease. Biotechnology wants to extend our lifespans. We all have the longest lifespans in thousands of years, or ever depending on who you talk to, yet we want more. I don't think people realize the ramifications of living that long. That just means a HUGE increase in populations and more people to feed around the world. This also means, more waste, more consumption, more economic strain... I don't know. This is my opinion, remember. I also know that bioengineering has taught us about fermentation and DNA sampling. I can plays the Devil's Advocate for this as well. I do, however, want to hear your opinions on these topics. What do you like/dislike about bioengineering?

brewing is a form of biotechnology.

While no longer in print, The Impact of the Gene: From Mendel's Peas to Designer Babies is an excellent read on this topic.

Image from Wikimedia Commons

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The Oldest Family Tree

Many people know what genealogy is and have probably done at least a small family tree project in the past. Some people I know can trace their heritage back clear to Europe and the Mayflower. Two men in Germany, however, have everyone beat: they can trace their family tree 3000 years back. The finding was done via DNA testing against some caves in Germany known as the Lichtenstein Caves. Bones were found in there arranged neatly and were in good enough shape that scientists could extract the DNA and match it to people in the area. The BBC went to speak to one of these men recently.

I wonder what it would be like to know that your ancestors were buried right in your back yard? I am doing a genealogy report for a class now and I can only find information about 3 of my 8 great-grandparents and not a whole lot on my paternal side at all. How far can you trace back your family tree?

Photo from BBC article.

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The Scary Truth About E. Coli... and Why It's Good!

Escherichia coli, or E. coli as most know it, is bacteria that lives in our lower intestines. It exists in MOST warm blooded animals lower intestines, most strains are harmless (like the ones in our gut) but a few strains make us sick causing food poisoning. The ones that exist in our guts actually make vitamin K for us. On another down, E. Coli is responsible for 90% of all UTIs. Eww, I know. However, their metabolic cycle is so simple compared to ours that geneticists love them.

Knowing what we (collectively, because I didn't till a few hours ago) know about DNA synthesis, scientists can create short gene sequences and plug them into preexisting genomes. Some scientists did this with our lovely E. Coli and created a strain the litterally poops oil. One of my favorite scientists (who worked on the Human Genome) project did a talk about this recently.



I'm not too keen on this however, despite being a Craig fan, because I am of the belief that we need to move away from oil as an energy source and move to something cleaner. Also, I get a bit weirded out by creating life synthetically. So what do you all think?


Photo from Wikimedia Commons.

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The New Environmentally-Friendly (?!?!) Plastic

This photo is from the USDA and is therefore public domain.

There is a new plastic (well not that new) on the market and it's gaining popularity. This plastic is made from corn and touts its biodegradability. The material is polylactic acid and it has been known about for over a century. It is only now gaining popularity due to another wave (similar to the early 90's) of eco-consciousness.

While this new plastic does have a few things going for it (a renewable resource and, in principle, compostable) there are a few things a lot of people haven't really studied or answered.

The pros:

• Regular plastics use an average of 200,000 barrels of oil a day to produce our demand
• Corn is a renewable resource and the plants help offset the amount of carbon produced in the plastic's manufacture
• Plastics take up 25% of dumps by volume
  
• PLA (polylactic acid) is compostable within 3 months at a controlled composting facility
• It costs less than $1.00 to make a pound of PLA (see here)
• Generates less air pollution to make
  

The cons:

• PLA takes much longer to compost in a bin or even in a landfill
• There are only 113 controlled compost facilities nationwide... only a quarter of these facilities accept residential scraps
• PLA must be kept separate from other plastics to keep it from tainting their recycling process
• Estimates for this breaking down in landfills are anywhere between 100 and 1,000 years (see here)
• Cannot survive temperatures of 114 degrees Fahrenheit
  

Possible cons (of the controversial type)

• Made of highly genetically modified food
• Is using a food product to make non-food stuffs while people are going hungry
• Still supports single use and disposables still adding to landfills

So it seems that the pros and cons are evenly matched and there are some controversial issues that are brought up... but I guess at least it is a start in the right direction. At least there is a push for biodegradable containers.

The biggest manufacturer of PLA in North America is NatureWorks. Go check out the website and tell me what you think!

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Biodiversity continued...

Many of the terms that were thrown around in the first post about biodiversity may have been a bit hard to understand. This post is going to break down the terminology used in ecology. So, in a way I guess this is more of an ecology post not a biodiversity post, I'm just cross referencing! Hopefully, this will lead to less confusion... not more.

So, starting at the broad and bringing it in a bit we will start with ecology: what is it and what do ecologists do all day? Well, ecology is— in the simplest of terms— the study of the relationships of organisms and their environments. I hope I'm not plagiarizing anyone there, but that is pretty much it. Now this includes all the relationships in an organisms environment: interactions with other organisms in the same species, other animals, plants, climactic changes, bacterium... all these interactions are what ecologists study.

There are a few different types of relationships that pretty much cover the bases of all the interactions. Relationships come in the following categories:

Mutualism- both sides of the relationship gain something
Commensalism- benefit for one and no effect on the other
Predation- this covers herbivory and parasitism as well. It is a gain for one and a loss for the other
Amensalism- negative for one and neutral for the other
Competition- negative for both parties
Neutralism- just what it sounds like— no effect on either

By studying these relationships you are also studying populations, genetics, global patterns, different biomes and more. As an ecologist, one must be a bit of a zoologist, botanist, geneticist, statistician, and writer. Not exactly an easy task.

I hope this gives everyone a better understanding of what ecology is. I will continue this series every now and again by breaking things up into pretty simple terminology (I hope). If you have any questions or want to know about a certain area of study (any topic is ok) just let us know!

If you want to find out more about ecology, there are tons of textbooks out there, but one I found really easy to follow was Ecology: concepts and applications by Manuel C. Molles, Jr.

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