Sunday, October 20, 2013

Genetics Post #3 Kat, Raisa, Anni


Katie, Raisa, Anni

Through research, we have found that it is in fact possible to use cross species genetics.  Not only is this possible, but it is also a very helpful field of science that can help cure diseases and figure out the evolution of traits among organisms.  This understanding also leads to the ability to alter genes, such as in the GMOs as discussed in post 2.  Genetically modified organisms can have very desired benefits, including resisting insects, viruses, and tolerate herbicides (GMO Facts).  Another important advancement is curing diseases.  Not only Parkinsons can be better understood, but so can many other issues, like bipolar disorder and Alzheimer's (Cell Press and Magnus)
The concept Dr. Connors and Peter Parker explore in The Amazing Spiderman reaches validity with the scientific research of the mouse and human homologous chromosomes.  Research has shown that the neurobehavioral traits of mice and humans are very similar, thus the genes can be overlapping with the same neurobiological mechanisms that deal with bipolar.  Rudolf Magnus, of the University of Medical Center Utretcht, Netherlands, explores how mouse chromosome 15 is homologous with the human gene region 8q24 and chromosome 19 with region 10q23-24 (Magnus).  With Alzheimer’s, scientists have found that the fruit fly and humans share a similarity.  Philip L. De Jager, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, says that this is an important pathway of the future (Cell Press).
This group project went without any major hassles. There was a collaborative group effort. I do think that there was a lack of communication among group members. In the end, the work was divided up equally.
 
Works Consulted
Cell Press. "Cross-species strategy might be a powerful tool for studying human disease."ScienceDaily,
 
Feb. 2011. Web. 20 Oct. 2013.

“GMO Facts.” Non GMO Project. N.p. Non-GMO Project. Web. 20 October 2013.   

Magnus, Rudolf. “Cross-species genetics converge to TLL2 for mouse avoidance behavior and human

bipolar disease.” US National Library of Medicine. 12 August 2013. National Center for

            Biotechnology Information. Web. 20 October 2013.

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