Good morning all,

Our lab topics remain at the forefront of science news: this week, Japanese scientists announced a new stem cell therapy for treatment of spinal cord injuries.  In lab this past week, we considered both stem cells as well as genes related to the spinal column - together, these are evidence that very basic studies of individual genes can often lead to useful results!  And, we will talk more about this specific kind of stem cells (induced pluripotent stem cells) in an upcoming lab...

https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/japan-approves-ips-cell-therapy-trial-for-spinal-cord-injury-65484

Have a great weekend -
Dr. Nealen

Good morning, to all of you early birds -

We all probably have trouble fitting everything into our busy schedules, and sometimes our sleep is shortchanged.  Do you get enough sleep?  Is one long bout of sleep better than two shorter bouts?  Why do we need to sleep, anyway?

These are just a few of the many interesting questions about sleep, and scientists are tackling them, one small step at a time.  One recent study (link below) suggests that, if you can't get a full 9 hrs of overnight sleep, having an early nap followed by a relatively short overnight sleep may, in fact, not be so bad.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/02/190222101312.htm

Have a great weekend -
Dr. Nealen

Good morning all,

In our last lecture, we discussed the characteristics of neurons, and how they use electricity (specifically, changes in membrane potential) to send information to their targets.  Many of our BIOL 240 lab sections this week explored this concept via EEGs (electroencephalograms), which are recordings of skin potentials that occur due to changes in brain electrical activity.

I also mentioned in lecture that many of our pharmaceuticals are designed to chemically influence neural function.  You may also know that electrical manipulation of the bran is not far behind.  Scientists have known about the electrical properties of nervous tissue for many decades, and in recent years, we have been able to apply this knowledge to stimulate the brain. 

Rather than using electrodes to measure the electricity coming from the brain, what if we use them to apply electricity to it?  As you would expect, we can cause neurons to become activated by passing electrical current over them.

There are many different forms of neural stimulation possible, from very local applications to nearly whole-brain methods.  Increasingly, we are getting better at using small-scale, focal stimulation to apply electricity at select locations, in order to change the function of circuits in that area.  Below is a link to a recent report of one such use of this method.

Think about all of the different aspects of our behavior, emotions, and performance that are controlled neurally.  What if we could adjust them, with a battery?

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/brain-electric-implants-treat-depression-closer-reality

Have a great weekend -
Dr. Nealen

Good morning all,

In our labs these past two weeks, we have explored the shuffling of chromosomes that occurs during meiosis, and how the alleles of the genes on the chromosomes get sorted into gametes, which then combine to give offspring unique genotypes (sets of chromosomes and alleles) and phenotypes (physical features).  Some of our examples this week included our 'sex chromosomes', the X and the Y, which combine to give us female (XX) or male (XY) characteristics.

When we discussed the phenomenon of nondisjunction, we noted that sometimes things don't quite work according to plan, and that unusual chromosome numbers occur.  How about when unusual chromosome combinations occur? 

You may have seen a news story recently abut an unusual bird (spotted in Erie, PA) that appeared to be male on one side of its body and female on the other.  This is likely to be a gynandromorph, an individual that has male chromosomes (genotype) and characteristics (phenotype) on one side, and female genotype and phenotype on the other side.

A few examples of gynandromorphy have been reported in animals over the years.  They appear relatively normal (as male and female organs are generally the same), but their ability to mate and breed is likely very low (as male and female mating behaviors and reproductive structures are very different, of course).

This individual was spotted because, in this species (the Northern cardinal), male and female phenotypes are very obviously different in color (dimorphic).  In most bird species, you can't tell females and males apart, as they look the same (monomorphic).  It makes me wonder: how many gynandromorphs are out there, and we just don't know about them?  And, does this occur in humans?

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2019/01/half-male-half-female-cardinal-pennsylvania/

Have a great weekend -
Dr. Nealen

Good morning,

When we met for our first class, I ave you a survey asking about some of the science topics that you find interesting, and the idea of 'personalized genetics' came up in a number of your responses.  We'll tackle aspects of this issue several times this semester.

Today, I am passing along a link to a news article about the use of unexpected sharing of personalized genetic databases with law enforcement agencies.  While there is the potential for much good to come from this sort of exchange, it also raises some concerns, especially as it does not align with the reason that most people seek out their genetic background.  This problem will be good fodder for our discussions...

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/family-tree-dna-sharing-genetic-data-police-privacy

Have a great weekend -
Dr. Nealen

Good morning everyone,

I'm sending along two links to one of the more-interesting pieces of science news this week: a medical device that diabetic patients could swallow and which would provide their injections of insulin internally.  While not yet ready for human use, a device of this type could be a great aid to people who tire of, or are fearful of, giving themselves injections:

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/pills-needles-injection-medication

http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/02/pills-armed-tiny-needles-could-inject-insulin-other-important-meds-directly-stomach


Have a good weekend -
Dr. Nealen