Abby+M.

//Wikipost #1// //October 23st 2015//

__ The Links Between Mental Illness and Genetics __
While obviously some mental illness can stem from extreme, traumatic events or even just a poor childhood, it seems that it might not always be the case. Often it is seen that through a family tree, the same mental disorder will carry through the lineage. This fairly new field of biology, started in the late 1980's, is called biological psychiatry (less commonly known as physiological psychology or psychiatric genetics) and is only now becoming more important in the world of science.

__What disorders are genetic? How is this proven?__
The five disorders that have been proven to link to genetics.

According to the largest genome-wide study, there are 5 major mental illness that have been proven to be passed through genetics. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder and autism can all be linked to "genetic glitches" that in time will cause mental illness. All 5 of these common illnesses can relate back to the same inherited genetic variations.

While this topic's surface has hardly been scratched, the results have been fairly clear with answers. Environments are always a massive factor when it comes to the wellness of one's brain but studies show when a fraternal twin has schizophrenia, there is only a 15-17% chance the other twin will have the disorder as well. When it comes to identical twins, this statistic drastically changes. If one identical twin has schizophrenia, the likelihood of the other twin having the disorder bumps up to a 48-50% chance. Why is this? // Because they share the //// exact same DNA. // The only reason there isn't a 100% chance the other identical twin will share the disorder is because there are external triggers that activate schizophrenic symptoms. Because this is such a new field, these triggers aren't completely known yet. When it comes to the mood disorders of the 5, depression and bipolar disorder, variations on Chromosome 3 often connected back to these illnesses. This just goes to show, while the studies might not be all completed, there is a lot to discover about the connections between genes and mental illness.

A chart depicting the susceptibility of having schizophrenia in relation to genetics.

media type="youtube" key="kGGw0eSzMJQ" width="560" height="315" This video explains how the research on the links between mental illness and genetics began.

__Further Reading__
__[|Explaining the links between genetics and mental illness]__ __[|A man's anecdote of having mental illness genetically passed down in his family]__ __[|The overlap of mental disorders within genes]__ __[|Understanding the connections]__

__Works Cited__
[] [] [] []

= = //Wikipost #2// //November 20th, 2015// =__ The Evolution of Pugs: Why Selective Breeding Is Harmful __=

Purebred dogs are widely sought after. For centuries, people have bred dogs to fit their needs and lifestyle. For example, Siberian Huskies are bred for transportation in Arctic regions of the world and Border Collies are bred to herd livestock. While this concept of "purebreds" maintains the physical appearance of the dogs very well, it often leads to inbreeding. There is only so much genetic diversity that a single breed can allow, thus health conditions become increasingly prevalent. When a person decides to breed for a certain trait that doesn't come naturally to the dogs, it can rapidly speed up the evolution of the breed and lead to malformations. When you look back in history, this malformation is very evident in pugs.



__History of Pugs__
Pugs originated in China and were bred to be the pets of royalty. They were highly looked upon and were seen as a luxury for only the high class. The breed eventually spread all around Asia being kept as pets in Buddhist monasteries. With this, they began to spread to Europe and continued to be owned by the u pper classes. The military used them in searches for animals as well as people. In the nineteenth century, Queen Victoria aided in the popularity of pugs. She owned five during her life span and her love for them was passed down to her grandson, King George V, and his son, King Edward VIII. During this time, the pug arrived in the United States and were soon recognized as a breed by The American Kennel Club.



__Health Issues__
Due to selective breeding for a smaller, squished face, pugs in the modern day are considered a Brachycephalic breed. This means their skull has become so short and broad that it causes major health concerns. In result of this malformed skull, 2 major syndromes widely occur. Brachycephalic Airway Obstruction Syndrome or BAOS is when the soft tissue of the mouth isn't reduced but the size of the mouth is, resulting in extra tissue being squeezed when they originally wouldn't have been. This extra tissue obstructs the airway of the pug and can cause suffocation. Brachycephalic Ocular Syndrome is caused by the same malformation as BAOS but has to do with the eyes. With a smaller head comes less room for the eyes which haven't changed size over evolution. The orbit has shrunk to the point where pugs eyes don't fit anymore and the bulging eyes have unfortunately become a desired trait to dog owners. This syndrome refers to when the eyeballs are so prominent that the dog cannot fully close its eyes, leading to dry eye, ulcers and possible blindness. If the eye comes under any sort of pressure, like a collar around the pugs neck, the eye could actually pop out of the socket completely.



While these two health problems are a few of the most prominent, pugs unfortunately face many more beyond them. Pug Dog Encephalitis (a disease in which the brain is affected, causing seizures, pacing, aggression and sometimes sudden death), hemi-vertebrae (an abnormality in the backbone, causing pain, weakness in limbs and possible paralysis) and Otitis Externa (inflammation and infection of the ear canal) are all common maladies within the breed.



__Conclusion__
The unfortunate truth of purebreds is that they will continue to exist unhealthily. This could be reversed slowly if the selective breeding ceased to exist but humans tend to go for aesthetics mindlessly. The lack of education on purebred dogs is obvious and it doesn't seem to be changing anytime soon as they are still held to a higher (and far more expensive) standard. The instance from humans that dogs live up to the arbitrary standards we hold and ultimately have the power to control has proven to be extremely harmful to the species. In reality, breeds aren't even a real thing. All dogs come from wolves and have evolved for their environment and jobs from humans within the past few hundred years. Mutts, despite the name, are a much healthier way to go. The genetic diverisity and probable health of your dog is more important than their trival appearance.

media type="youtube" key="bycy2-srBk0" width="560" height="315"

__Further Reading__
__[|The main diseases pugs face]__ __[|A list of less common health problems]__ __[|A typical pug owner information article, failing to highlight many of the problems]__ __[|An opinion article on the ignorance of purebreds, pugs especially]__

__Sources Cited__
http://dogtime.com/dog-breeds/pug http://www.rspca.org.au/campaigns/pedigree-dogs/the-pug http://www.pugvillage.com/pug-health/hemivertebrae-pugs http://www.pugvillage.com/pug-health/pde-just-facts http://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/respiratory/c_multi_brachycephalic_airway_syndrome