Category Archives: Human Genetics

Sequencing the Count Draculome!

Posted on July 31, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

Ok, not really, but it’s always fun to tweak Jonathan Eisen with new ‘badomics’ words. One of the things I like about PLoSOne is that, even though the papers might not be The Seminal Papers of Our Time, they are … Continue reading →

Posted in Genomics, Human Genetics | 1 Comment

The Unspoken, yet Vital Component of Hertability Estimates: Is This a Problem for GWAS?

Posted on October 26, 2010 by mikethemadbiologist

Until we characterize the environment more rigorously–and healthy and diseased isn’t going to cut it–we have to treat many of these heritability estimates, and the attempts to explain the underlying contributions of genes, as speculative.
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Posted in Environment, Genetics, Genomics, Human Genetics | 6 Comments

Federal Judge Rules Against Patenting the Sun

Posted on March 31, 2010 by mikethemadbiologist

The real problem here is that many hospitals and most doctors are not doing simple molecular biology techniques, commonly done in high school laboratories, as part of standard practice.
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Posted in Biotech, Genetics, Human Genetics | 1 Comment

What Have Biologists Forgotten That We Need to Remember?

Posted on March 11, 2009 by mikethemadbiologist

What things in biology do you think we’ve forgotten to our loss?
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Posted in Economics, Education, Evolution, Genetics, Genomics, Human Genetics | 5 Comments

The Genetics of Financial Risk Taking and Norms of Reaction

Posted on February 13, 2009 by mikethemadbiologist

Norms of reaction and overinterpretation.
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Posted in Evolution, Genetics, Human Genetics | 1 Comment

Is Bisphenol A Responsible for Obesity?

Posted on January 14, 2008 by mikethemadbiologist

Bisphenol A levels lower than those found in 93% of people led to obesity in mice.
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Posted in Environment, Human Genetics, Obesity, Public Health | 2 Comments

Fumarase Deficiency and Gay Marriage

Posted on June 22, 2007 by mikethemadbiologist

There is one type of marriage we should prohibit: incestuous marriage.
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Posted in Civil Liberties, Fucking Morons, Human Genetics, Public Health | 7 Comments

Huckabee and Yglesias: Sometimes the Evolution ‘Controversy’ Is About the Science

Posted on June 7, 2007 by mikethemadbiologist

I like much of Matt Yglesias’ writing. But he still doesn’t appreciate how science and evolution affect public policy issues.
Sometimes the scientific particulars do matter–if the cornerstone of modern biology can be called a ‘particular’. Sometimes the argument about evolution is just about …evolution.
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Posted in Antibiotics, Conservatives, Creationism, Evolution, Healthcare, Human Genetics, Microbiology, Public Health, Religion, The War on Science | 8 Comments

Lactoferrin: It Might Actually Prevent Disease

Posted on March 14, 2007 by mikethemadbiologist

You might not know this, but your body produces a whole bunch of antibacterial compounds, one of which is lactoferrin. It’s found in breast milk and mucosal substances such as tears and saliva. Lactoferrin hasn’t really been investigated as a medical antibiotic because many disease-causing bacteria (e.g., E. coli) also live on (and in) people as harmless commensals, and consequently, have evolved resistance to lactoferrin. However, a new paper suggests that some lactoferrin might kill these pathogens.
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Posted in E. coli, Human Genetics | 1 Comment

A Question About Genetically Tracing One’s Ancestry

Posted on September 3, 2006 by mikethemadbiologist

Over at Pandagon, Pam’s aunt had her ancestry traced using mitochondrial DNA (‘mtDNA’). How is it even possible to conclude that one is ‘percent-anything’ based on a mtDNA haplotype?
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Posted in Evolution, Human Genetics, Likelihood | 3 Comments