Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with genetics

Research supporting that homosexuals are born homosexuals

Prunedish — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 03:35:35 -0800

What exact research has been done to support the notion that homosexuals are born gay? I’m a person who believes that homosexuals are not born gay. I believe that it’s a choice they make. This often brings me into heated arguments with some of my friends who do believe gay people are born gay. During our arguments they often say that there is research out there to back this up, but they’ve never actually presented me with any of it. This leads to my question. I would like to see what research there exists, both for and against the notion that homosexuality is something you’re born into, preferably showing the methodology that was used, results concluded and researcher/s involved. I’d like to see this research not only to be better prepared for future debates, but to actually understand this topic. Is anybody here aware of anything I should be reading, preferably online but offline is fine also? My own Google searches have turned up the usual for/against arguments, but nothing with the more rigorous approach I’m looking for.

gender and genetics

effluvia — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 11:18:11 -0800

Please recommend reading that will help me understand the role gender and gender hormones play in determining which parental gene set dominates in an individual.

Laboratory of iPhonology

roofus — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:10:37 -0800

Any recommendations for iPhone apps or Web apps that will be useful in a basic science lab. I would like suggestions for handy apps for:

- running multiple timers
- anything that will expand my understanding of modern molecular biology
- literature searching (particularly genetics)
- general productivity

I am already au fait with Things, Evernote, Papers, and iTunes U

Me and My Clone

orrnyereg — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:53:20 -0800

If you (a human) were cloned, would your clone look exactly like you? A kid at the library today had a patch on his bookbag saying 'My Clone Did It.' But would your clone necessarily look identically like you, or sufficiently like you to fool the authorities? As I understand it, twins have identical DNA but they don't always look like one another.

Is my clone always my identical twin?

Would I make a neurotic frankenkid?

Anonymous — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 06:55:25 -0800

Should I try to breed out the parts of me I don't like? Or is it ok to make super neurotic kids? I'll make the question as simple as I can. Let's say I've been a bit tortured in my life by some issue, for instance: OCD or generally being a neurotic, anxious worrier. Now in meeting women, I may meet someone who is totally different from me in those regards, and that might be nice in that we can compliment each other, and she might have her own set of issues that I won't have.

But I also might meet a woman who has a similar set of issues, and that might be really nice because I won't necessarily have to explain myself, and we might be more compatible because we might feel less weird about ourselves in relation to each other.

My question is: does this vague similar/different scenario have much of an impact on our kid's DNA? Is being a neurotic person a dominant gene? Any chance we'll end up with a varsity football player, or are we definitely going to end up with a shy kid who is scared to come out from under the couch?

Please, I'm not looking for 'get a therapist, you are a crazy person'. This is actually on my mind, and I'm interested in the answer. If it matters, I'm just your garden variety obsessive worrier, not so clinical.

Personal anecdotes would be totally welcome.

I lost a link to a really interesting article I wanted to read... can YOU help me find it?

mr. remy — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 19:11:28 -0800

I lost a link to a really interesting article I wanted to read... can YOU help me find it? The article was probably on a science blog. It was, more or less, a debunking of arguments in favor of behavioral heritability and the genetic predisposition for certain horrible actions. If not a blog, perhaps it was in a weekly sitting in my therapist's office? The article went to great lengths to debunk, by way of example, the myth that step-parents are more likely to abuse their children than non-step/non-adoptive parents.

There were extended critiques of the statistical methods used to arrive at the myth, and the nearly-invisible (but significantly flawed) logical leaps taken to arrive there.

There were also quotes by EO Wilson, whose work spoke out fairly strongly against what, I think, was referred to as biological determinism.

There may have been a bit about the currency the 'autism by vaccine' canard carries, but I may also be conflating that from another article.

What are the chances my baby will have red hair?

Anonymous — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 11:48:33 -0800

What are the chances my baby will have red hair? My husband is a blue-eyed redhead of Irish descent. I have brown hair and green eyes and am of mixed Eastern European descent, although I do have a grandfather from Scotland. There aren't any other redheads in his immediate family that I know of, and none in mine, either, though a couple of great-aunts on both sides of my family were redheads, as well as a couple of second cousins. Possibly my great-grandfather on one side and great-grandmother on another side.

Anyway, everyone's on my case about having a redheaded baby (because I clearly have control over that), so I'm trying to find statistical info on it. Thanks!

Are my brothers adopted?

scottreynen — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 18:11:47 -0800

Both of my parents have brown hair, brown eyes. I also have brown hair, brown eyes. My two older brothers have blond hair, blue eyes. Is that strange? A reason to think they may be adopted? We've joked before about them being adopted, but a recent This American Life episode made me think it could actually be true and I'd have no idea. I did a little research and found something about baby hair color from parents.com: "your baby's hair can turn out to be a beautiful range of shades between your hair color and that of your partner." That suggests it's odd to have a baby with a different color hair than both parents. Off the top of my head, I can't think of anyone I know with two parents having the same hair color and the child with a different hair color. On the other hand, I've never really paid attention to hair color.

Other than the hair and eye color thing, I have no reason to believe my brothers aren't biologically related to me. Is that odd enough to be worth bringing up to my parents or brothers?

Considering studying genetics

roxie5 — Thu, 21 May 2009 10:27:04 -0800

My best friend is considering a career in genetics and would welcome guidance, advice and anecdotes on schools/ jobs. My friend is finishing up her senior year as a Chemistry major and is very interested in genetics. She's considering a career in this field, but doesn't have any contacts currently in it and would like some advice.

Schools- Can anyone recommend or not recommend any graduate/ doctorate programs. My friend lives in Kentucky but may be willing to move for the right program. Also, is it much better to have a PhD in the field or is a master's just as good when it comes to getting jobs?

Job Prospects- Is anyone working in this field? What are job prospects like (normally and during recession times)? How competitive is it and and how fast is this field growing?

Satisfaction- If anyone is working in genetics now (doing anything), I know my friend would be really interested in your experiences. Do you like your job? What's a typical day like? What's the best/ worst part? What traits does someone in this field need to have to be successful?

If you can provide any insight into these topics, I would appreciate it. Thanks very much in advance.

How far can corn pollen drift in the wind?

tnygard — Mon, 18 May 2009 09:28:27 -0800

How far can corn pollen drift in the wind? 1 mile? 10 miles? Hi all, I am doing some writing about the history and current practice of breeding corn and have a question about pollen drift. When the 19th century breeder James Reid developed Yellow Dent Corn, which is the norm today, he gave seed to his neighbors so as to prevent pollen contamination of his field. Today when farmers seed Genetically Modified Organisms, one of the main concerns environmentally is that the pollen from these will drift into the fields of neighbors. So my question is how far can corn pollen drift in the wind? 1 mile? 10 miles? More? Any thoughts would be most appreciated.

Fields most affected by genomics?

greatgefilte — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 09:36:57 -0800

What field(s) of medicine is/are most likely to benefit from new genetic technology? What with the decreasing price of genome/transcriptome sequencing and microarrays, it seems pretty likely that genomic medicine will be a big part of the future. But I assume that some specialties are more likely to utilize new technology and findings than others. Any thoughts as to who's more likely to integrate new stuff into their practice?

Is it possible to remove the DNA from an unfertilized female egg and replace it with the DNA from a sperm cell carrying the X-chromosome?

Houyhnhnm — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 16:47:49 -0800

Regarding humans, is it possible to remove the DNA from an unfertilized female egg and replace it with the DNA from a sperm cell carrying the X-chromosome (perhaps using a process similar to nuclear transfer)? After doing this, could the egg be fertilized by the sperm of a different male and implanted into a surrogate mother, thus creating a child that is the biological child of two males? Could a similar process be used to create a child from two females? (Obviously their child would be female because there would be no Y-chromosome involved.)

Is it probable that this will be possible/common/affordable once science progresses?
If all of this is indeed possible, why are these processes not commonly utilized by gay couples?

Did Henry VIII have a genetic/medical condition that prevented him from having healthy male children?

mygothlaundry — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 08:33:03 -0800

Why couldn't Henry VIII have living male children (except Edward) and then, why did Edward die so young? Medical explanations? I went on an extended Philippa Gregory kick over the holidays and now I'm curious about Henry VIII and his inability to sire an heir. So I did a whole bunch of googling last night and discovered that the syphilis theory, which I vaguely remembered from years ago, has been thrown out. (scroll down; the text was actually taken from some other site I visited that I can't find now.) Apparently there was some talk that he and Katherine of Aragon were Rh incompatible, but then how did Mary make it to term? One site I found suggested that it was diabetes (warning, geocities link, really horrible yellow background!) and pointed to the early deaths of Henry's male relatives (brother Arthur, Edward and Henry Fitzroy, Henry's illegitimate son with Bessie Blount) as proof. Can diabetes do that? Is it sex linked like that? Another website (warning, guy may be a nut. Hard to say.) put forward a lot of the questions I'm curious about. Any takers for this old mystery? Any medical explanations? Is there a disease that is so sex linked it attacks males in utero and yet lets girls live? Although, of course, there weren't even as many girls as one might think, given Henry's number of women and assumed, um, predilections.

Shared human/lettuce DNA

kestralwing — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 07:36:36 -0800

"The DNA of humans and chimps is 98.4% identical." I've read that several places. I've also read "The DNA of all living things is 90% identical" and "The DNA of humans and lettuce is 16% identical." How could I find out which of those last two statements is correct? Or is the problem that I don't understand which part of the DNA is being referred to? (Frankly, I'm not that clear on DNA in the first place - I'd just like the right number.)

Is it the hot toddy on my breath?

zoomorphic — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 08:15:14 -0800

This has been bugging me for a while: is there much difference in appearances between people of various European backgrounds? Acquaintances and strangers can always "tell" I'm genetically Scottish, or at least some strain of Brit. This would seem ludicrous if they weren't totally right. Do Europeans and Americans look that different, beyond mannerism/lifestyle/fashion variations? It seems like an absurd question to ask, except that I am consistently stopped by random strangers, sometimes Americans, sometimes Brits, who want to know if I'm British or Scottish. When this happened twice this past month, I felt like it wasn't just that I'm magnet for lunatics and lonely people. And I've got two Scottish grandparents from Durness and two Welsh grandparents from Gwynedd. But I do not have carrot red hair, nor do I wear obscene amounts of plaid. My teeth are straight, my accent is American. I was raised in the US by American-born parents. What gives?

I'm wondering if any folks who've spent time on both sides of the pond can notice such details, because "looking [X European background]" would seem like jingoistic folklore to me, circa Europa, but I grew up in an enormous, culturally ubiquitous, genetically muddled nation. I understand that the UK more isolated than the US, but it's no Iceland.

Also, do identifiable characteristics abound in less genetically isolated European countries (Mediterranean nations are another story). Can natives pick out Frenchness or Russianness in the faces of fellow countrymen when they're abroad?

Help me, in the naaaaame of love!

GrooveStix — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 21:40:19 -0800

Help me find a video/article about a race experiment. I swear I watched this video on Youtube, but for the life of me I can't find it. It was about students in a racially diverse classroom that were encouraged to pick classmates that were presumably their most similar match - genetically. Then they (possibly) did a DNA analysis and it turned out that they were all wrong, because all kids chose their similar classmate on a basis on their skin color.

Does anyone know about this, or am I hallucinating about me watching it?

Where does my baby get her red hair?

vermontlife — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 20:08:03 -0800

Where does my baby get her red hair? To the recollection of all living relatives, only one person in her line of ancestors has red hair... and that's her father's great grandfather. I'm blonde and hubby has brown hair. This is copper red hair we're talking about, not some strawberry blonde or auburn flim flam. Just trying to give some kind of answer to the oft asked question, "Where does the red hair come from?"

I'm wondering how the red hair gene works... is it recessive and require two chromosomes to appear? I understand that we each donate one chromosome to make a baby. Do they both have to be red? Does blonde hair trump red hair?

I'll be checking in to provide more info if needed.

Is it safe for me to breed?

Anonymous — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 07:28:06 -0800

Genetic damage caused by hallucinogens? This question has two parts of necessary prologue. Background relevant to this query spans roughly thirty years, and there are three periods of distinct interest.

During my undergraduate days in the late 70's I attended a university where soft drugs were a large part of our hippy influenced lifestyle. Some of us got into acid which we really enjoyed.

I had some solid connections at the time, capable of delivering volume and wishing to expand their business. So one June, just as exams ended and summer began, I got my hands on 250 hits of this wonderful blue micro dot (100 mikes, and very standardised product).

My intention was to sell 200 hits and finance 50 free trips for myself. But, of course, before I could move a dose I had to test the product. I ended up selling perhaps thirty of the hits, taking the great bulk of the remaining acid myself. Needless to say, I now recall that summer as a blur of images and starting classes the following autumn I was more than a little fuzzy.

Roughly ten years later, I moved to New York. Had a "normal" career, but in my free time I owned two art galleries and published a series of underground magazines. I rode motorcycles, ran with a gang and we'd go on these bacchanalian binges, which sometimes stretched into days. One of our crowd was into acid and 'shrooms and my interest in tripping was rekindled. I did mostly 'shrooms but perhaps a dozen hits of acid as well over a six month period before the the combination of tripping and biker lifestyle started interfering with my day job.

As I love to ride motorcycles I quit all drugs, pot, acid, anything else, cold turkey in 1990.

Even though I can't ride motorcycles any longer (dumped on a 'S' curve, twisted my arm so bad I needed extensive reconstructive surgery but on the bright side I was left with these awesome scars), I still enjoy wine and champagne but nothing more.

I moved to Europe a little over a decade ago. Got married about seven months ago and now we're talking family. I'm in excellent health, very fit and energetic for my age with a youthful and highly optimistic outlook. I've spent a lot of time on the ground in Africa and The Middle East, have had almost every jab necessary for working remotely for long periods of time solo in those areas and, unlike some, Ive never had a problem at all with the inoculations. Used Malarone as a malarial prophylaxis, but was never in infectious zones for longer than two months.

Clearly I can't change the past, but I'd hate to bring an unhealthy baby into this world. Discussing options in the broadest possible terms, the wife is open to adoption.

I haven't been too revealing with her about my past as while she's great, the best thing that ever happened to me, she's sorta straight. She does, however, know some aspects of my background - she met several friends from the biker days in New York recently, clearly knows about my tattoos, lives in our flat that's heavily decorated with art from the old days, has seen lots of scars from fights, motorcycle accidents and nasty problems in Africa - but I haven't volunteered too much information nor details; what she knows, she's largely learned on her own.

So, this former wild child, ex New York biker now turned London banker, married and just starting out on the happily ever after part in Europe, has a very specific question that I'd like to extend a little later - is there any truth to genetic damage on males from drugs, specifically acid?

Or is this just propaganda? I don't have any of the other attributes of those stories - no flashbacks, no desire to kill kill kill and I certainly don't hallucinate (although during boring business meetings I will SERIOUSLY daydream).

Has anyone had any direct and personal experience with breeding after LSD? Specifically after a relatively large number of trips? And to extend, does the Malarone or any of the other innoculations necessary to spend large amounts of time working in African border regions increase risk of a problem?

Many thanks for your help!

Biochemistry & Gene Therapy Filter

stuboo — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 07:41:50 -0800

What's new and exciting in the fields of molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics? I'm looking for an exciting/interesting journal article to present to my classmates along the lines of heterologous eukaryotic expression of a gene or gene therapy utilizing knockouts as a technique or with an emphasis on transgenic organisms. I could, of course, slog through the journals on my own and guess at what might be exciting in the field, but I thought I would ask the hive first. Any biochemists or molecular biologists out there want to give this a go? Citations would be incredibly helpful.

What can "Das war ja toll!" mean?

kisch mokusch — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 20:58:14 -0800

Scientific History Filter / Native German Speaker Filter. What did Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard's 1985 exclamation, "Das war ja toll!" mean? Toll was the name given to one of the genes in Drosophila identified by Kathryn Anderson and (Nobel Laureate) Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard in the mid 1980s. According to this review (discovered through wikipedia, of all places), she saw a weird-looking fly larva, and her spontaneous comment was "Das war ja toll!" meaning "That was weird!"

But I can't find a further reference for this, and I thought the translation would be "that was amazing!" (unless spoken sarcastically, which I think can be ruled out) or "that was crazy!" Furthermore, the review says that she saw the fly in 1985, when the mutation was in fact published in 1984 (Nature. 311(5983):223-7), which makes me think the information is poorly sourced.

Does anybody know where this anecdote comes from? I've searched through the web (although not exhaustively), but to no avail :-(

Alternatively, does the "weird" translation for "toll" as quoted fit to any native speakers? Leo says no, but leo doesn't know everything.

Dad, may I have your DNA?

Anonymous — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 22:45:04 -0800

Would it be worthwhile to preserve a sample of my parents' DNA, with their permission, in case I ever need it for genetic testing of myself or my family? My father may pass soon due to lung cancer. He smoked for many years before quitting 10 years ago. In anticipation of his passing, I'm thinking about all that stuff you would want to do with someone before they go.

I know that for certain kinds of genetic tests, it can be useful to compare someone's DNA against one or both of their parents to determine the heritance of some trait. As I understand it, this can be good to know both for my own health, and for that of any children I may have. I don't know much about exactly when this would be useful, and how often those situations would arise; that's part if what I'm out to find out here, from people who know more about genetic testing than I do.

Is this something that could be useful enough to justify the awkward conversation and the hassle involved? Do these situations arise often? Am I a monster for even thinking about this? Are there places that provide this service?

Derive time of conception or birth from DNA analysis?

christopherious — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 11:15:05 -0800

Are there any studies, past or present, devoted to the idea of deriving precise time of either conception or birth from DNA analysis? For conception, I can imagine a science fiction author describing a rhythmic pattern or pulse emitted by something in the DNA whose beats are somehow recorded somewhere, like the veritable second hand of a clock. For birth time I'm a little fuzzier on the possibilities, but one idea that occurred to me was the studying the effects of direct light (sun or artificial) on a baby's chromosomes when exposed for the first time (not counting any rays that might penetrate the womb through the mother). There is also the telomere clock to consider, about which I know very little.

Could your body be a data storage device?

mkultra — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 08:39:42 -0800

Could you hide a number in someone? Assuming the trajectory of research into genetic manipulation, will it eventually (within the next few centuries)* be possible to "encode" an arbitrarily long string of data into someone's genetic code, effectively turning them into a genetic storage device? I'm not talking about implanting memory, but a permanent, from-birth alteration that would have no physical effects. How much information could you store this way? Bonus: Could this information be "hidden" so that someone couldn't find it unless they were specifically looking for it?

Ideas for a gag gift for important genetics fellow?

greatgefilte — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 14:18:12 -0800

Gag gift for the head of a major genetics department, any ideas? Traditionally, our lab creates some sort of gag present for our dear leader -- in past years it was a 'Monoploidy' board game, a 'Flat Stanley' parody, a football jacket with a chromosome on the back, etc. -- with which to present him at the annual Christmas party. We need some new ideas!

"By medicine life may be prolong'd, yet death will seize the doctor too."

melissa may — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 12:41:06 -0800

Medical professionals: how do you intellectually and emotionally cope with disease and death? I'm working on a large project involving researching medical and psychological disorders across a wide spectrum. I don't have any medical training, just a decent life sciences background. Prior to this I worked with a handful of specialty groups; this is the first time I've ever done such broad research. As the project progresses I am overwhelmed by the variety of diseases afflicting humanity, particularly the genetic disorders. It's made me wonder how physicians and other medical professionals 1). organize such a huge amount of material in their heads coherently enough to make intelligent decisions and diagnoses and 2). emotionally (philosophically? spiritually?) cope with their deep knowledge of the sheer amount of stuff that can kill or deform people. As in, drive despite knowing what a closed head injury looks like. As in, have babies despite knowing what can go awry merely with their fingers. Thanks for any books or articles on the subject that you can suggest or general insight you can offer.