Every Thing Is GMO'd

If you don’t want your food genetically modified, tell nature to stop it

 "Recent research drives home how misled alarmists are about genetically modified food. All human beings, two Cambridge University scientists have established, are genetically modified, including Chipotle’s customers. Over the years, hundreds of foreign genes have jumped into human DNA through a natural phenomenon called “gene flow.” As a result, all humans carry genes that originated in algae, bacteria and fungi.  

If humans can safely accept alien genes without mishap, why not food, too?"

 

GMOs

Best damn article I've yet read on the subject:

We Are All GMOs

"We are all genetically modified organisms (GMOs), all 7.1 billion of us and every other creature on earth produced by sexual reproduction. We are all a random combination of our mother’s and father’s genes and are therefore genetically unique modifications. Only identical clones are not genetically modified.

We have been modifying the genetics of plants and animals since agriculture began, first by choosing which superior individuals to select for breeding, and more recently by using radiation and chemicals to induce mutations. How many people know the Durham Wheat used to make most of our pasta had its DNA modified by exposing seeds to high-level gamma radiation? No labeling required.

Oh no, the anti-GMOers opine, “Nature never moves DNA from one species to another; therefore GMOs are ‘unnatural’.” Not so, genes have been moving across species since life began. The random movement of genetic material from one species to another has been one of the driving forces of evolution. The human genome has 70 percent of its genes in common with the sea urchin for example. We would be remiss if we did not harness this naturally occurring phenomenon to improve the genetic makeup of our food crops."

[---]

"The new biotech crop varieties have been adopted at such a rapid rate that today 280 million farmers in 27 countries are growing GM crops on 12 percent of the world’s farmland. It would be at least three times that if not for bans and restrictions due to irrational opposition. And now smallholder farmers in developing countries grow the majority of GM crops."

RTWT

Who Knew??

Genetically modified foods are "more ecofriendly"

Regular old food is destroying the environment, apparently. /sarc

Oh Dear...

...whatever will they do now?

Alcoholism IS genetic: Scientists identify key DNA which makes some people more vulnerable to the addiction

Excessive alcohol consumption triggered by gene mutation

Is Alcoholism Genetic? Scientists Discover Link to a Network of Genes In the Brain

A gene mutation for excessive alcohol drinking found

Alcohol Abuse Linked to Newly Identified Gene Network

Study finds gene network associated with alcoholism

The Genetics of Alcohol Metabolism

I remember years ago someone suggested the rate of alcohol addiction amongst Indians was at least partly genetic. There was a big hue and cry from native organizations, suggesting that articulating any such link was "raaaacist". Perhaps this new research will actually help, though.

Just a week or two ago, it was announced a link had been found between homosexuality and genes. Now this. Old memes are set on their heads every day, but it takes a long time for the new findings to become well known and new medical techniques to be implemented. You just never know what science is going to uncover next week. Let's hope this one isn't of the "wait five minutes" variety.

Are We Ever Grateful!

Genetic mutation allowed humans to digest alcohol

What'll They Do Now?

Controversial new DNA study: Gay gene discovered

"The New Scientist reports that researchers have recently discovered concrete evidence of a gay gene. The study was based on an analysis of 409 pairs of gay brothers, including twins. The results give further support to the notion that homosexuals are born gay."

Gay Gene Discovery Is Important For Multiple Reasons

"It should be obvious to anyone that sexual orientation is not a choice, that no one actually decides whether to be either straight or gay."

[---]

"The study focused on 409 pairs of gay brothers, and the team ultimately found genetic markers on regions of the X chromosome and chromosome 8 which provide further evidence supporting the theory that homosexuality is hereditary. Sanders himself made bold claims about the impact of his study, claiming, “It erodes the notion that sexual orientation is a choice.” "

Largest ever study into the gay gene 'erodes the notion that sexual orientation is a choice'

"Sanders does not claim to have identified a single gene which ‘causes’ male homosexuality in humans and stresses that with complex human traits like sexual orientation there are many influencing factors, both genetic and environmental."

[---]

"neuroscientist Simon LeVay commented: “This study knocks another nail into the coffin of the 'chosen lifestyle' theory of homosexuality.”

[--]

Commenting on the research to The Independent, Richard Lane of LGBT rights charity Stonewall echoed Allen's reaction, saying: "While some people may choose to focus on the continuing debate of whether people are born gay or not, we'll continue to focus on making sure everyone has the same rights and opportunities regardless of who they love."

I suspect some people will be quite content to ignore this.

Unrelated To The Previous...

...post. (Just to make sure you know, any resemblance to Angry Tom is purely coincidental)

When did Neanderthals become extinct?

"By analyzing ancient remains across Europe, a team led by investigators have pinpointed the timing the Neanderthals’ extinction to between 39,000 and 41,000 years ago.

Neanderthals overlapped with early modern humans and, based on genetic evidence, interbred with them. However, the extent of the overlap of the two in terms of time and geography is still not fully known. New research has highlighted a shorter time frame for the potential interaction of humans with Neanderthals than other studies have shown. Many scientists think that there was a coexistence of Neanderthals and early modern humans in Europe between about 30,000 to 40,000 years, possibly extending to even more recently. The new research appears to contradict this."

Neanderthals: BFFs and frenemies of modern humans

"Far from wiping out Neanderthals overnight, modern humans co-existed with their shorter and stockier cousins for thousands of years, giving plenty of time for the two groups to share ideas – and even squeeze in a bit of time for sex.

The most accurate timeline yet for the demise of our closest relatives, published in the journal Nature on Aug 20, shows that Neanderthals overlapped with present-day humans in Europe for between 2,600 and 5,400 years before disappearing about 40,000 years ago."

Neanderthals, modern humans co-existed for 5,000 years

"Previous studies suggest that modern humans and Neanderthals co-existed for as less as 500 years. However, taking help from the new radiocarbon dating techniques, a group of international researchers suggest that Neanderthals died around 40,000 years ago but lived and mixed with modern humans for over 5,000 years in Europe before becoming extinct."

[---]

"Recent studies indicate that up to 2.1 percent of the DNA of modern non-African humans is derived from Neanderthals."

Oh Dear

It's getting harder and harder for "the creator put us here" crowd to stand their ground. Not only that, but they're related to the evil Whiteman:

Surprise’ DNA profile linking 24,000-year-old Siberian skeleton to modern Native Americans could rewrite First Nations’ story, experts say

"The surprise discovery of traces of European ancestry in the 24,000-year-old bones of a boy unearthed in the heart of Siberia has caught the attention of Canadian experts, who say the find could rewrite the story of the people who first populated ancient Canada and the rest of the Americas."

[---]

"The ancient boy’s DNA profile may help explain why a “European” strain of genetic material can be found among today’s New World indigenous communities, a mystery that many scientists had assumed was the result of contact in recent centuries with successive waves of colonizers from Europe."

Very Interesting

Genetic Strategies to Detect Genes Involved in Alcoholism and Alcohol–Related Traits

"Alcoholism is one of the most common and costly health problems in the United States. Substantial evidence from family, twin, and adoption studies suggests that genetic factors play a role both in normal patterns of alcohol use and in alcohol use disorders (i.e., alcohol abuse and dependence). It is estimated that approximately 50 to 60 percent of the variance in alcohol dependence can be attributed to genetic factors (McGue 1999). Researchers are currently attempting to identify the specific genes involved in patterns of alcohol use and alcohol dependence. These efforts are complicated by the complex nature of alcoholism and its development. Thus, although studies have convincingly demonstrated that genes play a role in the development of alcoholism, the same studies have also provided strong evidence for the importance of environmental factors."

Is alcoholism in our DNA? Researchers link gene mutation to excessive drinking

"A single mutation in the gene can scramble the chemical messages that inhibit drinking, compromising the body’s ability to consume alcohol in moderation, researchers found.

Experiments on mice found that those with mutant copies of the Gabrb1 gene preferred drinking diluted alcohol over water, in contrast to those with normal genes."

[---]

"Although some humans drink excessively for a variety of reasons, the findings suggest that a few may be more genetically at risk of alcoholism, researchers said."

Alcohol-Dependence Gene Identified

"The gene is related to a receptor that allows for the movement of Gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) between nerve cells. GABA is the major inhibitory chemical in the central nervous system.

"There were lines of evidence from other studies -- animal studies, in vitro studies -- that suggested GABA receptors are involved in the behavioral effects of alcohol," says lead author Danielle M. Dick, Ph.D., research assistant professor of psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. "Because GABA receptor genes were likely candidates and previous studies had linked this area on chromosome 15 to alcoholism, we zeroed in on three GABA receptor genes but only found significant association with one of them.""

[---]

"Dick says it is important to point out that genetic make-up does not necessarily mean a person is doomed to become an alcoholic.

"One reason it is so difficult to find genes involved in psychiatric disorders is that there is an interplay between genetic and environmental factors," she says. "A person can carry all kinds of genes that predispose them to alcohol dependence, but if they never take a drink, they won't become an alcoholic."

I remember years and years ago this theory got some coverage in the news. The then head of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indians called it racist, of course. I wonder if we'll get a similar outcry concerning this research. Can't take the blame entirely off the evil "White Man", now can we. After all, he should have known this, three or four hundred years ago.

Ha! Ha!

And y'all thought it was your good looks and charm. Well, I got news for you:

Men on the mind: Study finds male DNA in women's brains

And it's from carrying male foetuses.

Should "spawn" a lotta good jokes.

I Once Knew A Guy...

...who claimed to be 256th (or something) in line to the Danish throne. I wonder what chance these people have of claiming the British throne:

Canadian's DNA key to confirming whether new-found corpse is Richard III

Actually,...

...I think blond bimbos with phony boobs should be ended:

Pamela Anderson urges Alberta premier to end chuckwagon races at Calgary Stampede

I wonder if blond hair, big boobs and cluelessness all come together in the same gene? Mind you, I think the boobs had a little help (augmentation) courtesy of some surgeon. But, except in extreme cases, I think having breast augmentation surgery is, in itself, a sign of cluelessness.

(Read the comments under the article.)

Human History...

...that the Indian Industry will be sure to find fault with:

Old American theory is 'speared'

We're talking here of dating techniques that are accurate to within 40 to 50 years. We're also talking about the rapid disappearance of large North American animals, such as the mastodons and mammoths, at the hands of human predators.

"The timing of humanity's presence in North America is important because it plays into the debate over why so many great beasts from the end of the last Ice Age in that quarter of the globe went extinct.

Not just mastodons, but woolly mammoths, sabre-toothed cats, giant sloths, camels, and teratorns (predatory birds with a nearly four-metre wingspan) - all disappeared in short order a little over 12,700 years ago.

A rapidly changing climate in North America is assumed to have played a key role - as is the sophisticated stone-tool weaponry used by the Clovis hunters. But the fact that there are also humans with effective bone and antler killing technologies present in North America deeper in time suggests the hunting pressure on these animals may have been even greater than previously thought.

"Humans clearly had a role in these extinctions and by the time the Clovis technology turns up at 13,000 years ago - that's the end. They finished them off," said Prof Waters."

Some people are not gonna be happy. Hell. They haven't even accepted the Clovis model. The "creator" put them here, you know. And what's this about "rapidly changing climate"?

And then there's this:

Americas 'settled in three waves'

""The Asian lineage leading to First Americans is the most anciently diverged, whereas the Asian lineages that contributed some of the DNA to Eskimo-Aleut speakers and the Na-Dene-speaking Chipewyan from Canada are more closely related to present-day East Asian populations.""

That's very interesting. In a previous life, I lived and worked on three different Indian communities in Saskatchewan. Two of them were Cree and one was a mixture of Cree, Dene and Metis. The Metis, obviously, were relative newcomers. (I guess we could expand that a wee bit, and say four waves.) But the Dene people in that community had what I could only describe as a north-western orientation in their day-to-day outlook on things, whereas the Cree seemed to look south and east when talking about the past or about closely related people. With the Dene, they had relatives and economic connections with communities in Northern Alberta and the Northwest Territories. They knew very little about the south. The same was not true of either the Cree or the Metis. It used to be that academics thought people like the Dene had migrated from the south and settled in the north. Looks like that just ain't so. The modern day Dene could be part of the second wave.

Darwin Award Candidate...

...from right here in Saskatchewan:

Moose Jaw man hides from police, becomes trapped in furnace duct

"The man tried to evade police officers by crawling down the chimney from the roof of the four-storey building on High Street in Moose Jaw, said Const. Sheldon McNaughton of the Moose Jaw Police Service.

He was taken to hospital and treated for minor injuries and dehydration, McNaughton added.

The incident began around 10 a.m. on Saturday, when police arrived at the apartment building to check on the well-being of a man who was on the roof.

As police tried to reach the roof, the man started throwing cinder blocks at them, McNaughton said in an interview Sunday. They retreated and negotiators were called in to assist. In the meantime, the man crawled down the chimney and became lodged in a duct."

Darwin Awards are given out to people who do stupid things which result in their voluntarily removing themselves from the gene pool. Technically, I guess, this man cannot be a candidate, since he is still alive, and in fairness, he apparently is suffering from a mental illness. Real and qualified Darwin Award candidates don't have that alibi.

I Don't Know About You...

...but I'm glad he did:

How man 'lost his penile spines'

"Analysis of the genomes of humans, chimpanzees and macaques indicates that a DNA sequence thought to play a role in the production of these spines have been deleted in humans, but has been preserved in other primates.

It suggests another genetic deletion may have led to the expansion of specific regions of the human brain."

[---]

"Penile spines are barb-like structures found in many mammals. Their role remains under debate, and they may play different roles in different species.

They may increase stimulation for the male during mating. They might also play a part in inducing female ovulation in a small number of species, but there is evidence that they can cause damage to the female too."

[---]

"The researchers believe the loss of these spines in humans may be related to changes in human courtship.

The loss of spines, they say, would result in less sensitivity and longer copulation, and may be associated with stronger pair-bonding in humans and greater paternal care for human offspring."

Ahem.

Oetzi's Life After Death

Oetzi is still making news. I remember there was a feud between Italy and Austria about which country could claim him as their own, since his remains were found essentially on the border between the two countries. Seems maybe France can get a piece of him, too.

"New clues have emerged in what could be described as the world's oldest murder case: that of Oetzi the "Iceman", whose 5,300-year-old body was discovered frozen in the Italian Alps in 1991.

Oetzi's full genome has now been reported in Nature Communications.

It reveals that he had brown eyes, "O" blood type, was lactose intolerant, and was predisposed to heart disease.

They also show him to be the first documented case of infection by a Lyme disease bacterium.

Analysis of series of anomalies in the Iceman's DNA also revealed him to be more closely related to modern inhabitants of Corsica and Sardinia than to populations in the Alps, where he was unearthed."

Too bad, Austria.

I must say, though, I've seen some Saskatchewan farmers that bear a striking resemblance to him.

Seems he died of a wound sustained in a fight.

Poor old goat:

"Oetzi was about 159cm tall (5ft 2.5in), 46 years old, arthritic, and infested with whipworm."

That'd be enough to get him run outta town, I would think.

Seems it was the Italians who did him in, too.

His last supper was quite sumptuous. No pizza, though, or lasagne.

And it's amazing what they can figure out using modern science.

Could Be True...

...Maybe. Sorta.

I was subject to vicious migraine headaches when I was younger, although I don't get them any more, and my first kid was extremely colicky annnnnd he suffers from migraines, too.

Inneresting..

...A genetic disorder traced to an long-ago Frenchman who came to New France

"Ouellette's family roots trace back to Quebec where, in some areas, the rate of FH is more than six times higher than the worldwide average, says Quebec City physician Patrick Couture."

[---]

"Researchers like Couture believe FH, which is caused by a genetic mutation, was introduced to Quebec hundreds of years ago by an early settler from France.

Couture believes the disorder was common in isolated corners of the province because, historically, people had big families and travelled infrequently.

"You didn't find the girl that you married on the other side of the world, often you married the girl from the place next door," he said, adding the chances the gene was passed down were relatively high.

He noted that high rates of the disease are found in other pockets of the world, including northern Finland and parts of Tunisia and Lebanon, particularly among the Christian population."

I can't pronounce it, but here's how you spell it: "familial hypercholesterolemia"

This Explains A Lot Of Things About ...

... a lot of people I know:

Humans, Neanderthals got it on, study says

"A new study adds more evidence to the theory that humans and Neanderthals interbred thousands of years ago. The study found that many humans outside of Africa share DNA with the long-extinct species."

Exquisitely Incorrect

From the same guy that brought you this.

The connection between Muslim inbreeding and terrorism