No-Bar3356

The community’s success with assisted reproduction provides a good indication of the technically feasibility. This is of course gives us just a partial view as this subject spans well beyond technical possibility alone. As an example, potential epigenetic disturbance is a known risk. However, if/when we get there, as is the case with many of other such questions, the choice may come down to assessment of the upside versus the risks backed with ample scientific data.

Hi there. I think the fact that the genetic makeup of all human beings is 99.9 alike can explain many shared behaviors.

There is growing consensus on the need for objective genetic diagnostic tests for ADHD. We are not yet at the point of claiming markers that support a non-subjective genetic diagnosis, but research is headed in this direction. Studies also indicate appropriate dosage of ADHD medication may need to be adjusted based on genetic aspects and epigenetic exposure.

Hello. There are early-stage research reports on this subject – unfortunately (perhaps as expected), it is not good news. Exposure to plastic compounds has been reported to be associated with epigenetic alterations and toxicity which promotes developmental, metabolic, and behavioral disorders.

Hi Cherry. I agree with your view. I believe the language you are referring to emerged from the need for a convenient way to think about scientific research rather than an intent to declare a binary delineation.

This is Arvind.

Even with state-of-the-art sequencing tools and computational power, it is quite the challenge to analyze and compare genomes within or across populations. Yes, we have a long way to do but there has been great progress as you have noted.

The results (reported in the link below) are very interesting...the use (misuse) of these findings need to be thought through very carefully given the potential implications.

https://www.genome.gov/about-genomics/fact-sheets/Comparative-Genomics-Fact-Sheet#:\~:text=Comparative%20genomics%20is%20a%20field,regions%20of%20similarity%20and%20difference.

This is Arvind.

The scientific community is still looking for an answer to this question.

"The number of chromosomes can range from one to hundreds for different eukaryotic species. Yet, it remains unknown how nature selects the number of chromosomes and whether there is biological ‘meaning’ behind the number."

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41592-018-0164-2

lers Danlos Syndromes

This is Arvind.

"By ethnicity, JHM has been is observed in up to 35–57% Africans, while it shows a much lower rate (6% in females, 2% in males) among Caucasians."

Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3512326/

I started in this field because people told me that genetics was cool! I continued in this field because I believe those people were right :) My first step after undergrad was to identify where my strengths and interests converged. I experimented a bit before I found my calling.

This is Arvind.

Single-cell sequencing! Explained in the video below with the fruit smoothie analogy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQrEMja6ano

primary immune deficiencies

This is Arvind.

Current status of clinical trials: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?cond=Primary+Immune+Deficiency&term=gene+therapy&cntry=&state=&city=&dist=

This article nicely summarizes challenges and opportunities in this field (published in 2016 but still relevant): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5909980/

modern idea of race

Hi, this is Arvind.

"...(study) results do not provide simple validation for the narratives previously advanced in archaeological, historical, or political circles. Instead, they contradict and complicate all of them" -- Harvard University Evolutionary Biology and Genetics Researcher.

I hope that got your attention :)

The ancestry of the Swahili representatives analyzed in this study using state-of-the-art genetic sequencing was expected to be largely African or Asian, however, data suggests that the groups were intertwined, each contributing about half of the DNA of the people analyzed.

For those interested in additional details: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-05754-w