Concord Grapes from my home… ready to be made into jam!
Here is what we are reading today:
““Our study has found compelling evidence that smoking has a long-lasting impact on our molecular machinery, an impact that can last more than 30 years,” said Roby Joehanes Ph.D. of Hebrew SeniorLife, first author and an instructor at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts. “The encouraging news is that once you stop smoking, the majority of DNA methylation signals return to never smoker levels after five years, which means your body is trying to heal itself of the harmful impacts of tobacco smoking.””
“Birth weight of babies is influenced by genes that are also linked to the risk of developing a range of diseases later in life, including heart disease and type 2 diabetes, research has revealed.”
“What’s going on? For one thing, dog handlers know that performance in scent detection and odor discrimination is affected by factors like trainability, obedience, stamina, and motivation. Deborah Palman, a retired state game warden, explains in Cat Warren’s book, What the Dog Knows: The Science and Wonder of Working Dogs, “Dogs of any breed with the proper temperament that are trained the way top bloodhounds are can probably do as well as the best bloodhound.””
“So says a new study from Vladimir Dinets, a University of Tennessee, Knoxville, research assistant professor of psychology. Dinets used himself as a case study to demonstrate that at least some humans do have a hunting instinct—or, more precisely, an innate interest in finding and catching prey.
“To prove such a theory, you don’t need a large sample size; you need just one well-documented case,” he said of the unconventional method.”
““The brain is stunning in its complexity and I feel like, in a way, we’ve been able to describe some of its beauty in this story,” said study lead author Mac Shine, a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Russell Poldrack, a professor of psychology “We’ve been able to say, ‘Here’s this underlying structure that you would never have guessed was there, that might help us explain the mystery of why the brain is organized in the way that it is.’””
“A study published on Thursday (Sept. 29) in Scientific Reports suggests that dogs and humans share some of the genes associated with social behavior. Scientists think that this discovery could help them gain a better understanding of certain social disorders in humans by studying canine models.”
17 Comments
savannahlestes · October 12, 2016 at 3:23 pm
This is very interesting that what we do can have a lasting effect on our genetics. I have learned in biology classes that Lamarckism (or Lamarckian inheritance) is the idea that an organism can pass on characteristics that it has acquired during its lifetime to its offspring. This was considered wrong for a long time, and that genetics were passed down without changes. Now that epigenetic research is improving, it seems that he wasn’t quite as wrong as everyone thought. It is crazy to think that smoking, diet, and other choices we make can effect generations to come.
linnearamirez · October 24, 2016 at 11:25 am
The article discussing dog DNA was an interesting example of using a domesticated animal model to understand behavior in humans. The study suggests that we share genes with dogs because of the domestication process, where natural selection acted on the dog to select for the highest degree of sociality. The two genetic markers found were in close proximity to genes associated with disorders in humans. This study could benefit by explaining what this means for similarities in genetic basis between dogs and humans. I was also interested in how consistent the genes for behavior interact across dog breeds. This article seems like a very preliminary study and while interesting, it would benefit from more data to provide better conclusions for behavior in dogs and humans alike.
linnearamirez · October 24, 2016 at 11:38 am
The study about smoking suggests that smoking effects DNA methylation and can result in smoking related diseases. This article was of interest to me because I recently learned about DNA methylation in a genetics class. This concept was new to me and made me realize how easily DNA can be manipulated and cause long term negative effects. This is a voluntary activity that is known to alter DNA and cause negative effects yet continues to be the leading preventable cause of death worldwide. I feel strongly that the historical lack of education about the correlation between smoking and DNA methylation is to blame for this unfortunate statistic.
mictom16 · October 25, 2016 at 4:38 pm
The article “birth weight , genes and risk of disease” was very interesting. I would have assumed that babies with higher birth weights would be more likely to develop hypertension and type 2 diabetes. Instead it was the opposite in where babies with lower birth weights were more likely to develop these diseases later on in life. I later on read an article that explained some possible reasons why. It could be due to insulin resistance, problems with blood vessel linings, and having a high systolic blood pressure as a baby with lower birth weight.
mictom16 · October 29, 2016 at 11:10 am
The article “From Pokemon Go to Birdwatching: How We Express Our Inner Hunter” was somewhat interesting. However, I thought that the author made broad claims with a lack of evidence. Dinets, the main contributor to the research article also used himself as a case study which shows inevitable bias. Writing about his own childhood experience and tying that to a generalization about all humans and their Pokemon Go hunting instincts seems too far-fetched. It was an interesting article but I need more evidence to believe it.
RachelSemple · November 2, 2016 at 6:44 pm
The article about smoking’s effect on one’s DNA stood out to me because while I was aware of the health consequences that are correlated with smoking, I never knew that smoking can manipulate people’s DNA as well. The most interesting part of the article was the claim that the majority of DNA changes due to smoking can be reversed with time (roughly five years after eliminating smoking). I found this claim to be very hopeful, and believe that it can be used as motivation to people who are trying to quit smoking. These findings should be made more available to the general public, because the idea that an individual has the opportunity to “undo” some of the damage that smoking has done is very powerful. Second chances are appealing to many, and quitting smoking for five+ years will give people a “second chance” in a sense at restoring their DNA/ body.
cathyvu · November 5, 2016 at 7:26 pm
The article “Smoking Leaves a Historical Footprint in DNA” grabbed my attention because I’ve always been interested in the effects of smoking. I’m aware of the effects towards one’s specific organs and overall health; however, the new perspective presented in the article in which smoking affected the composition of DNA was surprising. I believe this study can provide a type of motivation for smokers to stop because after 5 years, the smoking associated DNA methylation sites were reported to return to normal levels. I think this connection between smoking and the myelination sites in DNA can improve the knowledge of one’s smoking history and certain diseases, which can be beneficial in diagnosing and further understanding patients in the future.
cathyvu · November 5, 2016 at 7:50 pm
Initially, the study regarding how the levels of birth weight is linked to disease risk was not as surprising to me since I’ve always believed that it wasn’t healthy for a baby to be born with a low or high birth weight. The finding that stood out the most to me was that a low birth weight had negative results of certain diseases, while a higher birth weight didn’t have much effect on the health of the baby. A low birth weight is reportedly linked to diseases such as high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes, which seems like it would make more sense for the baby with the higher weight to have.
LaurenTaylor · November 7, 2016 at 2:59 pm
The article “How a Fluctuating Brain Network May Make Us Better Thinkers” was very interesting. It stated that when approached with a complex task, our brain increases communication. This makes sense due to the fact that our brain needs to work hard in order to confront more difficult tasks, rather than more simple tasks. This might also seem to lead to the idea that we slack of on easier tasks because maybe our brain doesn’t have to work as hard. From my own experience, it does seem that my brain works a lot harder when it especially needs to, which in turn causes me to feel more competent about the task.
RachelSemple · December 5, 2016 at 9:07 pm
I read the article about how birdwatching and Pokémon go are modern ways in which humans carry out their innate instincts as hunter gatherers, more specifically, the hunter part. This makes sense on a number of Darwinian principals, for the majority of human existence, we have survived off of hunting. Those who did not know how to catch prey and fpcus on nature did not stick around for very long. Through hundreds of thousands of years, hunting has been so strongly selected for that it would not make sense that this instinct would just disappear as soon as stable housing and slaughter houses were astablished. Humans often forget that we too a a part of the animal kingdom and are victum to biological impulses and interests.
ChrisKwasnyPSY340 · December 6, 2016 at 2:40 pm
The article titled, “Birth weight influenced by genes linked to disease risk, study reveals” discusses how a person’s birth weight could be liked to diseases and health complications in the future. Not only this, but the cause for birth weight can be influenced by not only environmental factors, but by genetics as well. Last year in my general psychology class, we learned about the psychology of health and one’s weight and I find that very relevant to this topic. We learned that each individual is born with a unique number of fat cells which is a result of both environmental and genetic factors. An individual can gain more fat cells as their life goes on, but can never eliminate fat cells. For this reason, it is much easier for one with more fat cells to gain weight and harder for them to lose it. This ties in with the article because if a baby is born with a high amount of fat cells because of the environment the parents put them in during pregnancy or just because of genetics from the parents, the child may be at risk for heart diseases, type 2 diabetes, and many other health risks later in life.
ChrisKwasnyPSY340 · December 6, 2016 at 2:48 pm
The article, “Birth weight influenced by genes linked to disease risk, study reveals” discusses how a person’s birth weight could be liked to diseases and health complications in the future. Not only this, but the cause for birth weight can be influenced by not only environmental factors, but by genetics as well. Last year in my general psychology class, we learned about the psychology of health and one’s weight and I find that very relevant to this topic. We learned that each individual is born with a unique number of fat cells which is a result of both environmental and genetic factors. An individual can gain more fat cells as their life goes on, but can never eliminate fat cells. For this reason, it is much easier for one with more fat cells to gain weight and harder for them to lose it. This ties in with the article because if a baby is born with a high amount of fat cells because of the environment the parents put them in during pregnancy or just because of genetics from the parents, the child may be at risk for heart diseases, type 2 diabetes, and many other health risks later in life.
kmmenden · January 29, 2017 at 2:32 pm
I read the article about Pokemon Go and our inner hunter. It was an interesting article in a few ways. First, since we do come from ancestors who had to hunt daily in order to survive, it would make perfect sense if we still had some of that innate hunter instinct in us, even if we don’t need to use that instinct in the modern world. I would not be at all surprised if it were ever proved that we do indeed carry this hunter instinct with us. Second, the fact that the Dinets did this study on himself only makes me believe that we need much more research on the topic. He claims a wider subject range is not needed and that one well-documented case is sufficient, but it would be incredible to see if many humans have this instinct or just ones who grew up around animals.
rachelcarlson · January 29, 2017 at 10:12 pm
RE: birthweight and trained dogs. On somewhat of a segway/piggyback, I was discussing support dogs for diabetes patients with a friend of mine who’s 25 year old brother was diagnosed with Type I Diabetes just one year ago at age 24. Although the article above only cites Type II Diabetes as related to birthweight, I wonder if there could be a connection there, especially since Type I Diabetes is a genetic disorder. I have never heard of such a late diagnosis! Additionally, like a dogs nose, its other senses are extremely acute. My friend was telling me about an information session she attended with her brother about the benefits/cost/etc of having a working dog for a diabetes patient, and she shared with me the dogs ability to sense an urgent case of high or low blood sugar and respond in a way that could save his owner’s life. How does the dog do this? Can all dogs be trained for this, or is there a limited range of breeds, unlike the sense of smell?
kylie.wong18 · January 30, 2017 at 8:19 am
I read the article “A Simple Test Unlocks the Dog’s Nose,” and found it interesting because it is important to remember the relationship between nature and nurture. Overall, the scent groups had higher marks, but there were individuals in the non-scent group that tested better than individuals in the scent group. Genes can only go so far in determining behavior because the environment also plays a role. While genetics can provide a general prediction and trend of behavior, it is important to not conclude that all individual members of a certain group are the same, and this is important in daily life, too. Expectations are set for different groups of people, and sometimes those are completely unfit for certain individuals It is is important though to not shame or avoid people because of their differences because they stick out and to accept that you have your differences, too.
Venus · January 31, 2017 at 11:03 pm
I read the article about Pokemon Go and how playing the game may express our inner hunter. I have never played Pokemon Go before, but I always saw people on campus and all around SLO playing this game. I found it interesting that the psychologist conducting this study used himself as a case study. I think that he should have used more subjects in the study. His findings were believable because our ancestors had to hunt in order to survive and it makes sense that these habits are still apart of our behavior today.
madisonklein118 · March 15, 2018 at 9:33 am
I read the article about the long term effects of smoking on the DNA. It talks about DNA methylation and how methyl groups are essentially added to your DNA without changing the sequence. I learned this in one of my bio classes by what I did not know is that it can methylate 1/3 of all the known human genes! That is a lot! I believe this article was intended to provide hope regarding diagnosis and treatment however it definitely scared me. My dad has been a life long smoker who has struggled to quit numerous times. I have watched him many times throughout my life go through withdrawals and start smoking again. It makes it hard, as a college student, to see lots of other students vaping or using Juuls with a lot of nicotine. Hopefully this time he will stick with it and never go back to cigarettes and his DNA will “heal” itself!