Category Archives: Genetics

Maybe a Genetic Bottleneck Followed by Rapid Expanision Is Just a Genetic Bottleneck Followed by Rapid Expanision?

Posted on May 6, 2020 by mikethemadbiologist

Many, many moons ago, when I was a wee Mad Biologist, and a graduate student in a ‘unified’ biology department (which wasn’t very unified at all…), one contentious issue was the insistence by many of the molecular biologists that, if … Continue reading →

Posted in COVID-19, Genetics | Comments Off on Maybe a Genetic Bottleneck Followed by Rapid Expanision Is Just a Genetic Bottleneck Followed by Rapid Expanision?

Something Genomics Does Need To Confront: Anti-Vaxxers

Posted on April 2, 2019 by mikethemadbiologist

Last week, a Canadian arbitrator ruled in favor of a parent who wanted to prevent the vaccination of her kids (the father had gone to court to get the kids vaccinated). This from the article leapt out of me (boldface … Continue reading →

Posted in Genetics, Genomics, Vaccination | Comments Off on Something Genomics Does Need To Confront: Anti-Vaxxers

Louise Slaughter, Congresswoman and Microbiologist, RIP

Posted on March 19, 2018 by mikethemadbiologist

Friday, Democratic Congresswoman Louise Slaughter died after complications from a fall. She was a stalwart for women’s rights, and co-author of the Violence Against Women Act; Slaughter also was one of the few congress(wo)men who attempted to delay the confirmation … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Antibiotics, Civil Liberties, Democrats, Genetics | 1 Comment

All Your Genetic Testing Results Are Belong To Us!

Posted on March 13, 2017 by mikethemadbiologist

And by us, I mean your employer. Because freedom (boldface mine): A little-noticed bill moving through Congress would allow companies to require employees to undergo genetic testing or risk paying a penalty of thousands of dollars, and would let employers … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Liberties, Genetics | 1 Comment

Anti-GMO Or Anti-Corporation?

Posted on December 30, 2016 by mikethemadbiologist

There’s an interesting New Yorker article about using CRISPR and gene drives to solve various problems. But what I found interesting was this part (boldface mine): For Esvelt, though, those achievements seem almost like secondary benefits. “For a lot of … Continue reading →

Posted in Genetics | 2 Comments

Not to Flog the Genetic Testing Horse…

Posted on August 14, 2014 by mikethemadbiologist

Oh, who are we kidding? We love to flog metaphorical horses. Anyway, there’s an interesting article about non-invasive genetic testing that looked at the accuracy of determining if prenatal genetic testing could accurately identify if a child would have Trisomy … Continue reading →

Posted in Genetics, Genomics | Comments Off on Not to Flog the Genetic Testing Horse…

Forget Genomics, Just Do the Genetics That We Know How to Do: The Rape Kit Edition

Posted on March 19, 2014 by mikethemadbiologist

As genomics becomes cheaper and more accessible, the torrent of articles debating and discussing its effects on human health will only increase. My contribution to this genre is to argue that microbial genomics is also critical, and, in the short … Continue reading →

Posted in Funding, Genetics, Genomics, Rape | Comments Off on Forget Genomics, Just Do the Genetics That We Know How to Do: The Rape Kit Edition

Myriad and Second Opinions

Posted on June 12, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

I’ve discussed before how awful it is that Myriad Genetics has patented the ability to use the BRCA genes to test for high risk of breast cancer. That said, Rose-Ellen Lessy raises a good point I haven’t seen discussed much … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, Cancer, Genetics | 1 Comment

ZOMG! FRANKENCHESTNUTS!!

Posted on June 7, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

So this story about saving the American chestnut provides some hope (boldface mine): An interloping fungus had arrived at America’s shores two decades earlier, and it would soon make short work of this then-common species. In less than a century’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Genetics, Plants | 4 Comments

Anyone Know a Biologist With This License Plate?

Posted on November 15, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

I was enroute to Long Island two weekends ago, and saw this license plate at the Bridgeport Ferry: Anyone know who this might be?

Posted in Genetics | 5 Comments