How your behaviour can change your children’s DNA
July 19, 2008
For Beatrix Zwart being young means having fun. She works hard, and out of hours she plays hard — including plenty of nights on the town with her friends.
“I lead a similar lifestyle to a lot of young professionals in Britain and I don’t intend to have any children until I’m well into my thirties,” said Zwart, a 25-year-old Belgian who lives in London.
“I’ve never really thought my lifestyle now could have any effect on my future children or grandchildren.”
Until recently that would also have been the opinion of most scientists. Genes, it was thought, were highly resilient. Even if people did wreck their own DNA through bad diet, smoking and getting fat, that damage was unlikely to be passed to future generations.
Now, however, those assumptions are being re-examined. At the heart of this revolution is a simple but controversial idea: that DNA can be modified or imprinted with the experiences of your parents and grandparents.
How your behaviour can change your children’s DNA – Times Online .
We were just talking about epigenetics on my molecular genetics class. Does this imply that if someone were to have a child, say at the age of 16, and another at the age of 40, that these children would inherent different genes (assuming everything else is the same)?
Biotech Music Videos (geek humor at its best)
July 1, 2008
Do I smell sexy? Here’s a new reason to swap spit
May 17, 2008
Do I smell sexy? Here’s a new reason to swap spit – Los Angeles Times
Swapping spit: The term takes on a more refined meaning at the new dating site ScientificMatch.com. A prerequisite for signing up — in addition to having a bit of cash to spare — involves swishing a cotton swab inside your cheek and mailing a juicy sample of skin cells and saliva.
What do you get in return for your DNA-laden drool? A chance at genetic and olfactory harmony. ScientificMatch.com — perhaps the first company to combine the commercial potential of genetic testing, dating and the Internet in one package — offers to find you a lover who smells good.
Though the scientific picture is complicated, the ScientificMatch.com algorithm is not. Members are first genetically matched on the basis of their two copies (one inherited from Mom, one from Dad) of three major genes (sometimes known as HLA, for human leukocyte antigen). Members can choose to use results from a personal-values survey to refine the pool even further.
“We still don’t understand how MHC genes relate to actual mate preferences,” says Craig Roberts, a biological sciences professor at the University of Liverpool and mate-choice expert. “This is not to say I don’t like the idea. . . . But I think we are a long way from really understanding what’s going on.”
Why beauty is an advert for good genes
May 9, 2008
Why beauty is an advert for good genes – Telegraph
Beautiful people are healthier and live longer, according to a study of sex appeal.
The discovery has come from research conducted across cultures and species that focused on one trait that earlier work found was attractive: symmetry.
No one disputes that symmetrical faces, such as that of Kate Moss, are more attractive.
But why? One idea is that the trait is an advert of genetic quality or fertility.
Congress passes anti-genetic discrimination bill
May 1, 2008
Congress passes anti-genetic discrimination bill
WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress sent President Bush a bill Thursday forbidding employers and insurance companies from using genetic tests showing people are at risk of developing cancer, heart disease or other ailments to reject their job applications, promotions or health care coverage, or in setting premiums.
Bush was expected soon to sign the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, which lawmakers and advocates called “the first major civil rights act of the 21st century.” Federal law already bans discrimination by race and gender.
“Your skin color, your gender, all of those are part of your DNA,” said Francis Collins, head of the National Human Genome Research Institute. “Shouldn’t the rest of your DNA also fall under that protective umbrella?”
This reminded me of Gattaca, which I watched (again) the other night – this time in full HD glory. There’s only a handful of movies worth watching more than once, this is one of them.
