Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with genetic

Genetic distance - Why angle rather than magnitude of difference?

PuGZ — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 21:18:57 -0800

Why is it that the genetic "distance" between two populations would be determined by the angle between their position vectors rather than the magnitude of their respective displacements? That must have been a mighty confusing question. Essentially, I've got a problem very similar to the one represented here and I'm wondering why is it that the angle has been chosen rather than the magnitude of the difference between the vectors?

This has been bugging me for ages and settling it in my mind will help me continue with this assignment. Thanks, mefi :-)

Testing for alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency?

Anonymous — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 20:36:17 -0800

Where can I get anonymous testing for an easily-checked but unusual genetic disorder in area codes 415, 650, or 408? A blood relative of mine has been diagnosed with alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency. She has emphysema from this. I would like to get checked for it but would prefer not to have the record enshrined in my medical history, nor would I like to travel to South Carolina for the ACT test.

The NIH says the blood test is both easily done and underutilized, so the procedure itself isn't too obscure.

Finding A Genetic Algorithm Fish Video

unreason — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 14:57:53 -0800

Help me find an old clip on genetic programming AI. A few years ago I saw a fascinating video on genetic programming. Some researchers had created a computer program that acted as a kind of virtual fish tank, and using genetic algorithms evolved creatures that swam in it out of block-like parts. The video was of the various blocky "creatures" swiming, wriggling, and flopping around the virtual world. Does anyone have any information on this video, and a way of getting a copy, if possible? It might have been a SIGGRAPH presentation, but I'm not really sure.

Who owns my mutation?

Sara Anne — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 15:00:01 -0800

Help me track down and understand the owner of mutation's patent. I carry a genetic mutation, BRCA1, and am trying to research it for a story I'm writing. I've found lots of stuff through Google about disputes over the ownership of the patent in the US and Europe, but want to know more about how the mutation was isolated, who patented it. The patent is owned by Myriad Genetics, but I'd like to know more about the people behind the company.

Genetic Testing Pregnancy Issues

Mid — Wed, 12 Apr 2006 06:06:30 -0800

Pregnancy filter: did you do 1st trimester genetic testing? Did you do an amnio or CVS as a result? Did you completely freak out over tiny risks? How did you cope? We just had our 1st trimester "triple test," where they do an ultrasound and bloodwork for PAPP A and HCG. The ultrasound looked pretty good -- a nucheal translucency on the high side of normal, but nothing to worry about too much. The bloodwork looked fine on the HCG side, but PAPPA A was pretty low (10th percentile, but not 5th percentile). So, the computer tells us that the risk of Down's has gone from like 1/800 to something like 1/280. There are also various other bad things associated iwth low PAPP A, but the percentages are like 1-3% for people in the 5th percentile of measurement, which we're not even in. Also, Down's babies usually have high HCG (not us) and also an absent nasal bone at 12 weeks (not us).

We're now faced with: (a) a complete freakout over what still look to be pretty tiny risks; (b) the question of whether we should do more testing -- even invasive testing like an amnio -- to get a more precise result. If it matters, we're both not really math/statistics people, so we have no way to really get our heads around how worried we should be.

Did you go through something similar? Did everything turn out ok? How did you deal with this constant uncertainty? The terrible part is that I'm sure that even once we get past this latest piece of information, we're going to get some other test result that tells us we have a 1/1000 chance of having an alien baby, a 1/250 chance of getting hit by a bus, a 1/232 chance of having a serial killer, etc. Nothing is certain! (This gives you a flavor of the freakout.)

Seeking Bizarro Genetic Crapshoot Panel

vanoakenfold — Sat, 18 Feb 2006 05:04:16 -0800

ComicStripFilter: Looking for a specific Bizarro comic panel... Can you find me the single-panel Bizarro comic strip of a man speaking to a lady at a booth in a restaurant about not wanting to have kids because of the "genetic crapshoot" aspect? I've been looking for it for over a month.

Any other Bizarro toons of similar subject matter also welcome, like this.

Introduction to genetic algorithms? And texts on using genetic algorithms for automatic music composition?

Krrrlson — Thu, 29 Apr 2004 21:16:23 -0800

I've been playing around with the idea of using a genetic algorithm for automatic music composition, but I can't seem to find a decent introduction/reference on the subject -- the best I've seen is a few relatively high-level academic papers. Could anyone direct me to a good source, or even give a brief overview? Thanks! Note: I'm looking for something really basic to start with, perhaps with a limited range of notes and low requirements for processing power (think microcontrollers).