Blight-Resistant Potato: an “Acceptable” GMO?
Last week, I wrote about a pathogenic nematode that infects the roots of soybean plants and the identification of a mutation responsible for nematode resistance in the Forrest soybean cultivar. […]
Category Archives: This is Science!
An “Acceptable” GMO?
What if an already existing gene variant with a desired trait from one organism is genetically engineered into another organism of the same species?
Battle of the Sperms
Inside every Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly) female is a sperm battleground where sperm from two different males jockey with each other for the honor of fertilizing her eggs. By sequentially mating females with males […]
Drug Resistance in MRSA is Finely-tuned
Cross-posted at PLOS Public Health Perspectives. In hindsight, shoving my hand into a narrow drinking glass wasn’t such a good idea. I learned this the hard way a few years […]
Glaucoma Is not an Equal Opportunity Thief
Ethnicity and the Genetics of Glaucoma
Sabotaging the “Warning Beacons” to Prevent Immune Cells from Attacking the Body
Scientists are figuring out how to control the behavior of immune cells by exploiting the proteins that bacteria use to slip past our defenses.
Dengue Fever, GMOsquitos, and a “Wolbachian” Invasion
More details on the genetics behind dengue-fighting GMosquitos and how Wolbachia bacteria are particularly good at “invading” insect populations.
Rhino horns: From traditional medicine to recreational drug
While science hasn’t stopped the use of rhino horns in traditional medicine, the recent surge in rhino horn demand may have more to do with its use as a recreational drug and status symbol.
David Byrne explains the neuroscience of music and mirror neurons but skips the skepticism.
In an excerpt from his new book, How Music Works, David Byrne explains how mirror neurons in our brains process music. But he forgot one thing: skeptcism. Here are some of the issues with mirror neurons…
Advice for Graduate Students of all Scientific Stripes and Stages
For this week’s Worldwide Wednesday post, here are some links with helpful advice for graduate students of all scientific stripes and stages.
