Genetics Immortality By: Nim Mur … Continue reading →

Plant Genetics for Teachers Teachers covering agriculture can learn a lot from UNL's courses, including practical examples of how plant genetics feeds the world. By: Plant Genetics University of Nebraska-Lincoln … Continue reading →

Award recognizes outstanding contributions to the community of genetics researchers BETHESDA, MD - The Genetics Society of America (GSA) is pleased to announce that John H. Postlethwait, PhD (University of Oregon) has been selected to receive the Society's George W. Beadle Award for outstanding contributions to the community of genetics researchers. The award, whose namesake was a Nobel laureate and geneticist, recognizes Dr. Postlethwait's seminal contributions to the zebrafish community. Dr. Postlethwait will receive the honor next week at GSA's 6th Strategic Conference of Zebrafish Investigators, January 17-21, in Pacific Grove, CA. "Dr. Postlethwait's work began the molecular genetic era of zebrafish research and has helped to demystify the evolution of genes and genomes," said Alex Schier, PhD, Leo Erikson Life Sciences Professor and Chair of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Harvard University, and an organizer of next week's conference. "He has also strengthened the zebrafish community through his generous data sharing, collaborative spirit, and help for dozens of labs in mutation and gene mapping." One of Dr. Postlethwait's most valuable contributions to the zebrafish community was his groundbreaking research that established this organism as a model system for vertebrate genetics. He built the first genetic map for zebrafish, which … Continue reading →

Published January 16, 2015 How your immune system does its job seems to depend more on your environment and the germs you encounter than on your genes, says new research that put twins to the test to find out. After all, the immune system adapts throughout life to fight disease, said Stanford University immunologist Mark Davis, who led the work. And while young children's immunity may be more influenced by what they inherit from mom and dad, Thursday's study showed genetic influences waned in adulthood. "Experience counts more and more as you get older," said Davis, director of Stanford's Institute for Immunity, Transplantation and Infection. Scientists know there is tremendous variation in how the immune systems of healthy people function. Davis asked if that's more a matter of nature or nurture, by comparing 78 pairs of twins with identical genetic makeups to 27 pairs of fraternal twins, who are no more alike genetically than any other siblings. Traits shared by the identical twins are more likely to be hereditary. His team used blood samples from the twin pairs, who ranged in age from 8 to 82, to track more than 200 activities and components of the immune system. In three-quarters … Continue reading →

How your immune system does its job seems to depend more on your environment and the germs you encounter than on your genes, says new research that put twins to the test to find out. After all, the immune system adapts throughout life to fight disease, said Stanford University immunologist Mark Davis, who led the work. And while young children's immunity may be more influenced by what they inherit from mom and dad, Thursday's study showed genetic influences waned in adulthood. "Experience counts more and more as you get older," said Davis, director of Stanford's Institute for Immunity, Transplantation and Infection. Scientists know there is tremendous variation in how the immune systems of healthy people function. Davis asked if that's more a matter of nature or nurture, by comparing 78 pairs of twins with identical genetic makeups to 27 pairs of fraternal twins, who are no more alike genetically than any other siblings. Traits shared by the identical twins are more likely to be hereditary. His team used blood samples from the twin pairs, who ranged in age from 8 to 82, to track more than 200 activities and components of the immune system. In three-quarters of the measurements, differences … Continue reading →