Are some youngsters simply born to be bad?
In what has been thought of throughout the years as a product of environmental factors it now appears that we may all have been wrong and that childhood behavior is mainly dictated by the child's DNA. Let the debate rage on.
Monday, February 5, 2007
Catfish or Grouper? The Ultimate Question May Now Be Answered
Broiled, blackened, fried - DNA-tested?
I never knew that restaurants served Catfish instead of Grouper and now I also learn that apparently people truly care which fish they are served. Now for those people who truly they will soon be able to genetically test which fish they served and then I guess if they're served the wrong one they'll complain?
I never knew that restaurants served Catfish instead of Grouper and now I also learn that apparently people truly care which fish they are served. Now for those people who truly they will soon be able to genetically test which fish they served and then I guess if they're served the wrong one they'll complain?
Sunday, February 4, 2007
Could it be the Perfect Valentine's Day Gift?
Nothing Says 'I Love You' Like Framed Genetic Code
Seriously, how cool is this!? All you have to do is send these people a swab of cheek cells and at least $390 and they'll give you a cool looking image of a gel electrophoresis they ran with your DNA. I don't know if it's the perfect gift from the heart to give to the one you love but it's certainly fun for those with money to burn.
Seriously, how cool is this!? All you have to do is send these people a swab of cheek cells and at least $390 and they'll give you a cool looking image of a gel electrophoresis they ran with your DNA. I don't know if it's the perfect gift from the heart to give to the one you love but it's certainly fun for those with money to burn.
Where Do We Draw the Line?
Although the trial began a while ago this is the first I have heard of this story. Essentially these parents are suing because a doctor failed to detect a rare genetic disease that is all but fatal to all children that are born with it. I understand the reasons why the parents would be upset but should someone be allowed to sue based on doctors failing to diagnose a disease before the child is even born? As little as five or ten years ago if a child was born with this disease it would be extremely unfortunate but no one's fault, now the thought is that if it's possible to detect a problem it has to be detected instantly and if it isn't, it's someone's fault.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Endorsement for the Anti-discrimination Bill
IBM supports genetic anti-discrimination bill
I know it seems like I keep coming back to this topic and the fact is that's true. Not only is it a huge story within the field of genetics it is becoming one of the largest news stories of the national stage. The story was taken to another level when IBM became the first major corporation to endorse the genetic anti-discrimination bill. The fact that IBM is now backing may get the ball rolling to give this bill the strength it needs to get through congress.
I know it seems like I keep coming back to this topic and the fact is that's true. Not only is it a huge story within the field of genetics it is becoming one of the largest news stories of the national stage. The story was taken to another level when IBM became the first major corporation to endorse the genetic anti-discrimination bill. The fact that IBM is now backing may get the ball rolling to give this bill the strength it needs to get through congress.
Could Lewis Black Be Right?
Eating According to Your Genome
When you think about it, it makes sense that since everyone has their own given genome they would also have a diet that would perfectly compliment that genome. When I first read this article I thought about a bit by comedian Lewis Black that I absolutely love. On his album Rules of Enragement he talks about a New York City man and his diet. Here's a portion of the bit:
"...there was a gentleman living in New York City a few years ago who was 115. He was the oldest man living in New York and he was doing quite well,he lived on his own, got around with no trouble and could deal with anything that came his way. People asked him of course, 'what is your diet, what are you eating?' He'd narrowed his diet down, from the ages of 90 to 115 his diet consisted mostly of three gallons of Thunderbird Wine a week and bread fried in fatback. When they asked him, 'why don't you fry your bread in bacon?' He said, "bacon's too lean." Here's a man who knew exactly what his body needed and he lived a rich, full life on what one would think is f****** rocket fuel. And if he'd gone to a doctor, that doctor would have been, 'what the f*** is the matter with you?! You're out of control! You know what!? You're going to have to start eating vegetables!' And he would have, and he'd have been dead in a week."
Now I know how absurd that story is and it has only a very little to do with this article but he makes the point that everyone has their own special diet, no matter how odd it may be.
When you think about it, it makes sense that since everyone has their own given genome they would also have a diet that would perfectly compliment that genome. When I first read this article I thought about a bit by comedian Lewis Black that I absolutely love. On his album Rules of Enragement he talks about a New York City man and his diet. Here's a portion of the bit:
"...there was a gentleman living in New York City a few years ago who was 115. He was the oldest man living in New York and he was doing quite well,he lived on his own, got around with no trouble and could deal with anything that came his way. People asked him of course, 'what is your diet, what are you eating?' He'd narrowed his diet down, from the ages of 90 to 115 his diet consisted mostly of three gallons of Thunderbird Wine a week and bread fried in fatback. When they asked him, 'why don't you fry your bread in bacon?' He said, "bacon's too lean." Here's a man who knew exactly what his body needed and he lived a rich, full life on what one would think is f****** rocket fuel. And if he'd gone to a doctor, that doctor would have been, 'what the f*** is the matter with you?! You're out of control! You know what!? You're going to have to start eating vegetables!' And he would have, and he'd have been dead in a week."
Now I know how absurd that story is and it has only a very little to do with this article but he makes the point that everyone has their own special diet, no matter how odd it may be.
The 'Evil' Side of Genetics
Young people who died suddenly and inexplicably had genetic heart defects
When we think of genetic defects we think of the ones that are outwardly obvious like Downs Syndrome, or the ones that can be discovered before death and be treated like Juvenile Diabetes. We, for the most part, however, do not think of something that could sneak up on us without obvious symptoms or signs, especially at the age of 14. To know that something like that could sneak up on any one of us is a scary thought.
When we think of genetic defects we think of the ones that are outwardly obvious like Downs Syndrome, or the ones that can be discovered before death and be treated like Juvenile Diabetes. We, for the most part, however, do not think of something that could sneak up on us without obvious symptoms or signs, especially at the age of 14. To know that something like that could sneak up on any one of us is a scary thought.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)