Monthly Archives: February 2009

Study on voluntary vaccination reveals interesting complexities

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ResearchBlogging.orgWhen word of this study gets around, you may start to hear that voluntary vaccination “works.” This would not be an accurate statement. There is a new study just now out in PLoS Computational Biology that reveals that under certain conditions, which may actually be quite rare, voluntary vaccinations might lead to the eradication of a disease (contrary to ‘popular wisdom’). However, you must realize that the study has some important limitations and the results do not suggest that most (if any) current vaccination issues be voluntary rather than mandatory.

Continue reading Study on voluntary vaccination reveals interesting complexities →

Mutation Patterns in the Human Genome are More Variable Than Expected

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I want to bring your attention to a somewhat dense and possibly inconclusive (but important) paper accompanied by a very informative overview in PLoS Biology, concerning mutations in the human genome.

ResearchBlogging.orgMutation rates and patterns of mutation are important for a number of reasons. For one thing, the genome itself is a data set that is both broad and deep. There is a lot of information in a given individual genome (a haploid set of genes from a person, for instance) but there is a wide range of variation in that information. So, inferences or assertions regarding the nature and distribution of genes or their variants cannot really refer to a single version of the genome, but must also take into account the variation in DNA sequences.

A very obvious area where variation is important is in reconstructing phylogenies. “Family trees” of populations or species can be reconstructed by estimating the genetic difference between pairs of samples, and from this, estimating the amount of time that has passed between a Last Common Ancestor and each of two later populations. These dyads (or triads, depending on how you count them) can then be pieced together to get a phylogeny … a graph representing the historical divergence of populations or species … that tells us a particular version of history. Obviously, the rate of mutation must be known or assumed to make this work. Variation in mutation across the genome, or across a population, or across the structure of the family tree itself will cause incorrect inferences.

The research paper is “Cryptic Variation in the Human Mutation Rate” by Hodgkinson et al. Here’s the key finding:

Continue reading Mutation Patterns in the Human Genome are More Variable Than Expected →

Link Between Vitamin D Deficiency and MS

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ResearchBlogging.orgMultiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common serious neurological disease that affects young adults, wiht about 2.5 million victims worldwide. The disease involves a loss of myelin in brain and spinal cord neural tissues. Myelin is the protective and insulating layer that covers most axons in the mammalian nervous system.

can be caused in part by a particular set of genetic variations in the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC), which in turn cause significant neurological effects. There is compelling epidemiological information to suggest that there is also an important environmental factor. The present study makes the argument that vitamin D deficiency, especially during pregnancy and early development, is one such important environmental factor.

Continue reading Link Between Vitamin D Deficiency and MS →

A most diabolical plot

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This is why all religion should simply not be allowed. Even if the basic tenets of a religion are not too objectionable, its pieces … which consist of brainwashed people and the powerful ideas making up the framework of a culture … can be knitted together like household items into a pipe bomb or personal greed and gullibility into a felonious scam.

Samira Jassam of Iraq arranged for the rape of about 80 different women. She then convinced these women that, since they were raped, the best life they could hope for would involve strapping a bomb onto themselves, making themselves into human weapons.

Details here.

Hat tip Pharyngula.

The Voyage of the Beagle

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Of his time on the Beagle (1832 – 1836), Darwin wrote, “The voyage of the Beagle has been by far the most important event in my life and has determined my whole career.” Of the manuscript describing that voyage, he wrote, “The success of this my first literary child always tickles my vanity more than that of any of my other books.”

Taking a cue from these reflections, I’d like to spend some time with this book, in celebration of Darwin’s 200th birthday, coming up in just a few days.
Continue reading The Voyage of the Beagle →

Ben Stein Shunned by Academy

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And by “academy” I mean THE academy.

Comedian, economist, speechwriter and game show host Ben Stein withdrew as speaker at the University of Vermont’s spring commencement ceremonies Monday after concerns arose about his opinions on evolutionary theory, intelligent design and the role of science in the Holocaust.

UVM President Dan Fogel said people on and off campus were unhappy with the university giving Stein an honorary degree and when Fogel expressed those concerns to Stein, he immediately declined the invitation to speak.

source

The most important part of this story is the following: It turns out that Stein’s speaking fee was to be $7,500. That makes him pretty small time for a guy who’s been in so many films. He’d already lost his grip. Now, he’s losing his status.

Good bye, ben:

Neanderthal Genome Will Be Released

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The complete genome of a Neanderthal dating to about 38,000 years ago has been sequenced by the team lead by Svante Paabo. The genome will be announced on Darwin’s Birthay, Feb 12.

“We are working like crazy at the moment,” says Pääbo, adding that his Max Planck colleague, computational biologist Richard Green, is coordinating the analysis of the genome’s 3 billion base pairs.

Comparisons with the human genome may uncover evidence of interbreeding between Neanderthals and humans, the genomes of which overlap by more than 99%. They certainly had enough time for fraternization — Homo sapiens emerged as a separate species by about 400,000 years ago, and Neanderthals became extinct just 30,000 years ago. Their last common ancestor lived about 660,000 years ago, give or take 140,000 years.

Nature

Despite the remarks made in the Nature coverage about interbreeding, Svante has indicated in previous discussions about this genome that there is nothing to indicate this in the present analysis.

School Prayer Case Being Heard in Federal Court

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A Texas Law makes it easy for religious teachers and school administers to force kids to pray in public schools. Although this is said to be a “moment of silence” it is known that some school employees are explicit about this event being for prayer. One child was told to be quite and pray a couple years back, and this case was taken into the courts, where last year a federal district judge upheld the law.

That ruling is now being appealed, and yesterday a panel of judges from the fifth Circuit (New Orleans) heard arguments regarding the case. There has as yet not been a ruling.

Details here.

US News and World Reports Screws The Pooch

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With an absurd opinion piece by Henry Morris III.

You can’t comment on the piece, so I’ll just tel lyou that it is in the current web edition of the paper and you can go dig it up if you want. (Blog policy: No logic, no links. Unless I feel like it.)

Henry Morris is the guy from the Institute for Creation Research (ICR). The publication of this opinion piece by USNWR is roughly like, say, the New York Times Science Section publishing a piece on Large Mammal Conservation by those guys who sold the frozen bigfoot last year. Utterly stupid and irresponsible editorial policy on the part of USNWR.

Who’s editors can be contacted here.