genetics Archives - Page 3 of 3

By Reed DL, Smith VS, Hammond SL, Rogers AR derivative work: Conquistador [CC BY 2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons

Far from random, evolution follows a predictable genetic pattern, researchers find

by Jonathan MS Pearce Oct 28, 2012

Reading Time: 5 minutes Evolution, often perceived as a series of random changes, might in fact be driven by a simple and repeated genetic solution to an environmental pressure that a broad range of specieshappen to share, according to new research.

Princeton University research published in the journal Science suggests that knowledge of a species’ genes—and how certain external conditions affect the proteins encoded by those genes—could be used to determine a predictable evolutionary pattern driven by outside factors. Scientists could then pinpoint how the diversity of adaptations seen in the natural world developed even in distantly related animals.

Evolution

Who’s in Charge Inside your Head?

by Jonathan MS Pearce Oct 21, 2012

Reading Time: 3 minutes This is an interesting article from the New York Times. I like it – it is well written and thoughtful, making us ponder the reality of the selfish gene, and the idea that we could, at any time, be being manipulated by other organisms, unbeknownst to our humuncular selves.

General

Happy Thomas Hunt Morgan Day!

by Ericka M. Johnson Sep 25, 2012

Reading Time: 2 minutes If Gregor Mendel was the Father of Genetics, Thomas Hunt Morgan, whose birthday we celebrate today, was the Godfather of Genetics. He was the first to win a Nobel Prize for genetics and, from his lab, several of his students went on to earn their own Nobel Prizes thanks in part to his mentorship. So […]

Science

‘Psychopaths’ have an impaired sense of smell – a slight bouquet of determinism

by Jonathan MS Pearce Sep 21, 2012

Reading Time: < 1 minute ScienceDaily (Sep. 20, 2012) — A new study suggests that a poor sense of smell may be a marker for psychopathic traits. People with psychopathic tendencies have an impaired sense of smell, which points to inefficient processing in the front part of the brain. These findings by Mehmet Mahmut and Richard Stevenson, from Macquarie University in […]

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