Currently viewing the tag: "Genetics"
Good ol’ foresters have engineered a new form of genetic engineering that allows for gene exchanges within a single species:
“Until now, most applications of biotechnology have been done with transgenics, in which you take genetic traits from one plant or animal and transfer them into an unrelated species,” said Steven Strauss, a distinguished [...]
Don’t you love it when something you’ve been harping on is supported by hard evidence? Biologists are discovering that culture is affecting evolution at the genetic level:
The best evidence available to Dr. Boyd and Dr. Richerson for culture being a selective force was the lactose tolerance found in many northern Europeans. Most people [...]
The more you study biology and child development, the more this makes sense:
Early childhood is a”crucial time for establishing the brain architecture that shape’s children’s future cognitive, social and emotional well-being,” the study says.
“Children growing up in a disadvantaged setting show disproportionate levels of reactivity to stress, and it shows at the [...]
Not so, says Alexandre Erler at Practical Ethics, one of my new favorite blogs, on a post about Britain allowing reprogenetics:
To come now to the worry about “back door eugenics”, it is unfortunate that the term “eugenics” has become a dirty word due to its association with some of the darkest pages of [...]
Which makes sense, of course, given the enormous amount of influence our gestational environment can have on our genetic expression. 80 beats has the story:
Says lead researcher Carmen Sapienza said “By and large these children are just fine, it’s not like they have extra arms or extra heads, but they have a small [...]
Apparently gene therapy is working well enough to warrant some athletes using it, despite being largely un-tested on humans:
Indeed, some therapies that are being developed to help people with degenerative diseases and genetic defects live longer and more high-functioning lives might also be used to boost healthy bodies. These include “treatments that regenerate [...]
About
Pop Bioethics, written by Kyle Munkittrick, is an effort to study the ethics of the continuing evolution of the human species via the lens of pop culture and be somewhat entertaining in the process.
Kyle's writing can also be found at Discover's The Crux, Slate's Future Tense, and at the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies. For questions or comments: comments [at] popbioethics [dot] com
All opinions, ideas, and words either explicit or implicit found within this website are my own and represent no other person, organization, or group.Categories
