Genetics

by Matthew Niederhuber figures by Kaitlyn Choi Summary: Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a common bacteria that has played a very uncommon role in agriculture and the development of genetically modified foods. The natural insecticidal abilities of these…

by Pierre Baduel figures by Kaitlyn Choi Summary: The legality of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) remains a controversial issue around the world, especially in Europe. Recent discoveries in the field of epigenetics, or heritable information not…

by Jordan Wilkerson figures by Brian Chow Summary: In the history of agriculture, no technology has been adopted so quickly and completely as genetically engineered crops. Particularly useful crops are ones that have an engineered resistance to…

Visualizing DNA on a DNA gel. While the techniques to visualize and analyze DNA are commonplace, our ability to interpret what our DNA says about our likelihood to develop a particular disease is still lacking. Many human diseases are influenced by…

Seasonal changes in our immune systems may have implications for human health [Image: The six ecological seasons under CC-BY 3.0 licence]. The variations in daylight duration and temperature that accompany the changing seasons are known to impact normal…

Presented by Thomas Graham The DNA inside one of your cells, if stretched end to end, would be about two yards long and less than 1/50,000 the width of a human hair. Your cells have been following the instructions in your DNA since you began life as a…

Ant feeding on honey [Image: Fir0002/Flagstaffotos under CC-BY license] Traits that exist along a continuum, such as height, size, and behavior, vary significantly from person to person. The genetic and environmental interactions that cause these…

Scanning electron micrograph of Escherichia coli, grown in culture and adhered to a cover slip. Credit: Rocky Mountain Laboratories, NIAID, NIHGenetically modified organisms (GMOs) have amazing potential for improving lives, from providing nutrients to…

When it comes to smoking and cancer, men are mysteriously worse off: over 30% of cancer deaths in males are connected to smoking, compared to ~20% in women. It’s not all due to lung cancer either – male smokers also have a higher incidence of…

Presented by Radhika Mathur, Ilana Kelsey, and Matt Schwartz DNA contains the information your cells need to perform their functions but if every cell in your body contains identical DNA, how can one cell become a blood cell, another a muscle cell, and…