background preloader

The Illustrated Guide to Epigenetics

The Illustrated Guide to Epigenetics
Illustrations by Joe Kloc This month marks the ten-year anniversary of the sequencing of the human genome, that noble achievement underpinning the less noble sales of 23andMe's direct-to-consumer genetic tests. To commemorate the scientific occasion, we've created an illustrated introduction to one subfield of genetics likely to produce even more dubious novelty science projects someday: epigenetics. What is epigenetics? Human life begins as a single cell equipped with all of the genetic information—known as the genome—it will need to develop into a full-grown adult. FIGURE 1: Through a process called mitosis, a single cell (A) splits into two cells (B) with identical genetic information. FIGURE 2: DNA coils around proteins called histones, forming a nucleosome. How does the epigenome work? Molecular "caps" called methyl groups can be attached to genes in order to effectively block them from giving instructions to the cell (FIGURE 3). Where do the different epigenomes come from?

Mitochondria Research The Ductile Helix: "Jumping Genes" May Influence Brain Activity Mobile DNA molecules that jump from one location in the genome to another may contribute to neurological diseases and could have subtle influences on normal brain function and behavior, according to a study published October 30 in Nature. (Scientific American is part of Nature Publishing Group.) Retrotransposons are mobile genetic elements that use a copy-and-paste mechanism to insert extra copies of themselves throughout the genome. Researchers from the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh, Scotland, have now comprehensively mapped retrotransposon insertion sites in the genomes of normal human brain cells for the first time. They used state-of-the-art DNA sequencing technology to screen for retrotransposons in tissue samples taken postmortem from three individuals who were healthy when alive and had no neurological disease or signs of abnormality in their brain tissue. "Each sample had its own set of unique retrotransposition events," senior author Geoffrey Faulkner says.

Life Life is a characteristic distinguishing objects having signaling and self-sustaining processes from those that do not,[1][2] either because such functions have ceased (death), or because they lack such functions and are classified as inanimate.[3][4] Biology is science concerned with the study of life. Though life is confirmed only on the Earth, many think that extraterrestrial life is not only plausible, but probable or inevitable.[15][16] Other planets and moons in the Solar System have been examined for evidence of having once supported simple life, and projects such as SETI have attempted to detect radio transmissions from possible alien civilizations. According to the panspermia hypothesis, microscopic life exists throughout the Universe, and is distributed by meteoroids, asteroids and planetoids.[17] Early theories Materialism Herds of zebra and impala gathering on the Maasai Mara plain Democritus (460 BC) thought that the essential characteristic of life is having a soul (psyche).

The PCR Method - a DNA Copying Machine Lists of Nobel Prizes and Laureates The PCR Method - a DNA Copying Machine Play the Eye of the Donkey Game About the game PCR is a method by which a few fragments of DNA can be duplicated into millions in a couple of hours. The Nobel Prize The 1993 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded for the invention of PCR, a method that made it possible to copy a large numbers of DNA fragments in only a few hours. Share this: Share on facebook Share on google_plusone_share Share on twitter More Sharing Services Share on email To cite this pageMLA style: "The PCR Method - a DNA Copying Machine". Recommended: The Legacy of Alfred Nobel On 27 November 1895 Alfred Nobel signed his last will in Paris. Play the Blood Typing Game Try to save some patients and learn about human blood types! Unlocking the Secrets of Our Cells Discover the 2012 awarded research on stem cells and cell signalling. Contact E-mail us Press Sitemap A-Z Index Frequently Asked Questions Terms Follow Contact | Press | Sitemap | FAQ | Terms Follow us:

People A people is a plurality of persons considered as a whole, as in an ethnic group or nation. Collectively, for example, Jews are known as "the Jewish people", European Gypsies comprise the bulk of "the Romani people", and Palestinian Arabs are called "the Palestinian people". In politics Various republics govern, or claim to govern, in the name of the people. A People's Republic is typically a Marxist or socialist one-party state that claims to govern on behalf of the people. Chapter One, Article One of the Charter of the United Nations states that peoples have the right to self-determination.[1] In law In criminal law, in certain jurisdictions, criminal prosecutions are brought in the name of the People. The Right to Bear Arms The Second Amendment of the United States Constitution has been interpreted differently over time, with the word 'people' playing an important role. See also

Epigenetics Epigenetics PBS air date: July 24, 2007 CHEERFUL NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON: Did you ever notice that if you get to know two identical twins, they might look alike, but they're always subtly different? CANTANKEROUS NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON: Yep, whatever. CHEERFUL NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON: As they get older, those differences can get more pronounced. Two people start out the same but their appearance and their health can diverge. CANTANKEROUS NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON: No. CHEERFUL NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON: Yeah. CANTANKEROUS NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON: And don't our genes make us who we are? CHEERFUL NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON: Well they do, yes, but they're not the whole story. CANTANKEROUS NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON: Yeah, you're heavier, and I'm better looking. CHEERFUL NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON: Yeah, whatever. NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON: Imagine coming into the world with a person so like yourself, that for a time you don't understand mirrors. CONCEPCIÓN: As a child, when I looked in the mirror I'd say, "That's my sister." RANDY JIRTLE: Sure.

Online Books : "Golden Guide Hallucinogenic Plants" - pg 51-60 - StumbleUpon Golden Guide: Hallucinogenic Plants pages 51 to 60 .Contents...1-10...11-20...21-30...31-40...41-50...51-60...61-70...71-80...81-9091-100...101-110...111-120...121-130...131-140...141-150...151-156...Index Mandrake, with the Propane alkaloids hyoscyamine, scopolamine, and others, was an active hallucinogenic ingredient of many of the witches' brews of Europe. In fact, it was undoubtedly one of the most potent ingredients in those complex preparations. Mandrake and five other species of Mandragora belong to the nightshade family, Solanaceae, and are native to the area between the Mediterranean and the Himalayas. DHATURA and DUTRA (Datura metel) are the common names in India for an important Old World species of Datura. IBOGA (Tabernanthe iboga), native to Gabon and the Congo, is the only member of the dogbane fancily, Apocynaceae, known to be used as an hallucinogen. The use of hallucinogenic mushrooms, which dates back several thousand years, centers in the mountains of southern Mexico.

Sleep: Genes Cause People to React Differently to Lack of Sleep, Says Study <br/><a href=" US News</a> | <a href=" Business News</a> Copy No matter how little they sleep, some people can keep a skip in their step while others will yawn and struggle through the day. A new study from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine found that the reason could be in our genes. Researchers found that healthy people with one particular genetic variant were generally sleepier than those without the gene. About 25 percent of the general public has the genetic variant, called DQB1 *0602, but only a small percentage of them actually suffer from sleep problems. One person who has been told by his doctor that he may have this genetic variation is Robert Gibson, a 43-year-old machine shop supervisor in Milan, Illinois. "It feels like I am drugged down, like there's a heavy weight on me the whole next day," said Gibson. Genes and Heavy-Eyes

The Biology Place NOTE: The Shockwave files (.dcr extension) located on this site will not run on iPads or in 64-bit Chrome v. 39 or higher. Please use Internet Explorer or FireFox. BioCoach BioCoach activities allow students to visualize and apply their understanding of biological concepts. LabBench LabBench provides students with pre- and post-lab reviews. Glossary The Glossary is a comprehensive, online, easily accessible listing of definitions of the key biological concepts and terms introductory students are likely to encounter. AP® is a trademark registered and/or owned by the College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse, this site.

Cracking the Code of Life Cracking the Code of Life PBS Airdate: April 17, 2001 ROBERT KRULWICH: When I look at this—and these are the three billion chemical letters, instructions for a human being—my eyes glaze over. But when scientist Eric Lander looks at this he sees stories. ERIC LANDER (Whitehead Institute/MIT): The genome is a storybook that's been edited for a couple billion years. ROBERT KRULWICH: This is the story of one of the greatest scientific adventures ever, and at the heart of it is a small, very powerful molecule, DNA. For the past ten years, scientists all over the world have been painstakingly trying to read the tiny instructions buried inside our DNA. J. FRANCIS COLLINS (National Human Genome Research Institute): This is the ultimate imaginable thing that one could do scientifically...is to go and look at our own instruction book and then try to figure out what it's telling us. ROBERT KRULWICH: And what it's telling us is so surprising and so strange and so unexpected. I'm Robert Krulwich. DR.

23andMe presents top 10 most interesting genetic findings of 2010 Public release date: 12-Jan-2011 [ Print | E-mail Share ] [ Close Window ] Contact: Jane E. MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA – January 11, 2011 – 23andMe has released its first annual list of what it felt to be the 10 most interesting and significant genetic findings in 2010, as part of an ongoing journey to understand the role of genetics in personal health and human development. "Our understanding of the human genome is accelerating at a phenomenal rate," stated Anne Wojcicki, co-founder and CEO of 23andMe. Customers of 23andMe have the opportunity to learn about how their genetics can influence their individual health traits, risk for developing certain diseases and conditions, reactions to a variety of medications, and ancestry. 1. If you've been looking at an apple or pear body shape in the mirror, take a closer look at your genetic variants. "SNPwatch: Apple or Pear? 2. The two studies' findings could lead eventually to the development of new types of treatments for childhood asthma. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Related: