In a paper over at BMC Biology, the authors give us some evidence that parasitic worms may have been a factor in human evolution. In fact they go so far as to call it a “major selective factor in humans.” … Continue reading
Tom and I have gone all fancy and started working with a producer for our math/comedy program “Math for Primates”. We enlisted the help of Keith Schreiner of Auditory Sculpture. The format is more fun, there are musical interludes etc. … Continue reading
Great news from the NYtimes: A federal judge on Monday struck down patents on two genes linked to breast and ovarian cancer. The decision, if upheld, could throw into doubt the patents covering thousands of human genes and reshape the … Continue reading
Micheal White sets the record straight about what the platypus genome is and what it isn’t. Is the platypus part bird, part reptile part mammal, an amalgam of very different groups of animals? Is it a primitive mammal that resembles … Continue reading
Whenever one discusses the underlying genetic influences on human behavior, one is opening themselves up to being labelled a determinist. Part of the reason for that is a total missunderstanding of what the word “gene” actually means (not to mention … Continue reading
Want a good Paleoanthropology site, but don’t know where to look? Never fear, Afarensis has recomended two: The first is called The Sunghir Archaeological Site. It is divided into the following sections: Anthropological findings (provides a basic overview of the … Continue reading
The central dogma of Molecular Genetics is that information flow is unidirectional: DNA to RNA to PROTEIN. That is, DNA holds the blueprints, RNA is the messenger, and Proteins are the constructed functional units of life. This dogma seems to … Continue reading
Scientists have injected Tasmanian Tiger (extinct) DNA into a mouse embryo to see what happens. It’s alive!
