Danielle+S.

__ CRISPR Cas9 / Jacked up muscled Gene-Edited Dogs __ Danielle Steeves Post #1 October 23rd,2015

To the average person, these look like completely normal dogs. However, they have actually been genetically modified to have increased muscles compared to the rest of the puppies in their litters. These two puppies are the first ever genetical modified dogs,and it all happened because of CRISPR. Scientists in China claim that they've doubled the dogs muscle mass by deleting the gene called "Myostatin". A researcher involved by the name of Liangxue Lai wrote in an email: “The goal of the research is to explore an approach to the generation of new disease dog models for biomedical research,” says Lai. “Dogs are very close to humans in terms of metabolic, physiological, and anatomical characteristics.” Lai also stated that because of these enhancements, the dogs are expected to have a stronger running ability and would be great for things like hunting, however they were meant for the purpose of science, it was not their intention to sell them as pets.

So what is CRISPR? It's a natural occurring defence mechanism found in bacteria, that's also a very cheap and powerful tool for gene editing. What makes it interesting is the fact that this method is extremely efficient, and extremely precise. Cas9 in an enzyme that snips DNA, and CRISPR is a collection of DNA sequences that tells Cas9 where to snip. Cas9 can unwind the DNA and make it so one could possibly change the sequence.

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This is the first time CRISPR has successfully modified a dog. However, there have been multiple other studies where CRISPR has been put to the test on animals. Some experiments include double-muscled and micro pigs, monkeys with targeted mutations, fish that glow, and others involving goats and rabbits.



With all of these new possibilities opening up in this field, scientists are optimistic they are getting closer and closer to developing a way to make "The ideal baby". A baby the can genetically enhance to make it less likely for them to develop things like diseases and mutations. And while that's still a long ways down the road, the future looks bright indeed.

Sources Cited: http://gizmodo.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-crispr-the-new-tool-1702114381 http://www.technologyreview.com/news/542616/first-gene-edited-dogs-reported-in-china/ http://gizmodo.com/gene-edited-dogs-with-jacked-up-muscles-are-a-worlds-fi-1737545538 http://www.technologyreview.com/news/542616/first-gene-edited-dogs-reported-in-china/

Pictures: http://gizmodo.com/gene-edited-dogs-with-jacked-up-muscles-are-a-worlds-fi-1737545538 http://www.blueheronbio.com/Services/CRISPR-Cas9.aspx https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_organism http://gizmodo.com/mutated-micropigs-will-soon-be-sold-as-pets-1734018359

Other pages about this topic: http://jmcb.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2015/10/12/jmcb.mjv061.extract http://www.technologyreview.com/news/542616/first-gene-edited-dogs-reported-in-china/ https://www.neb.com/tools-and-resources/feature-articles/crispr-cas9-and-targeted-genome-editing-a-new-era-in-molecular-biology http://www.blueheronbio.com/Services/CRISPR-Cas9.aspx

Heterochromia Iridum Danielle Steeves Post #2 November 20th,2015

Blue, brown, hazel and green. Those are the four main eye colours we see on a daily basis. However they aren't the only ones out there. Everyone is unique and our eyes are no exception, especially when we not only have one unique eye colour, but two.



Melanin is the pigment that determines what colour our eyes are. Lots of pigment means brown eyes, and little pigment means blue eyes. The reason for the pigment getting to the eye is called melanocytes. Those are special cells that pump out melanin. What happens it those melanocytes are told to travel to the eye from many different sources, making it possible to not make it to the eye. If the melanocytes from one eye doesn't get told to travel, the end result will be one darker pigmented eye and one lightly pigmented.

So What Is Heterochromia, Anyway?

Heterochromia Iridum is a condition characterized by abnormalities of the iris, (Where an individual has eyes of two different colours). A condition that approximately six out of a 1,000 people have. There is complete Heterochromia, where someone has two different colour eyes, and theres a partial heterochromia know as sectoral heterochromia. Where there are different colour blotches in the iris. It can be inherited, or it can develop overtime. Most of the time it's strictly inherited from the parents, but rarely it has been connected with illnesses such as Waardenburg syndrome, Sturge-Weber syndrome, Parry-Romberg syndrome, or Horner's sydrome. Some people have developed the condition from injuries. For example, David Bowie, a famous musician, now has a permanently dilated iris caused by a past eye injury.

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Whether it's genetics, developed over time, linked with a disorder or simply a unique look, Heterochromia Iridum is an extraordinary and fascinating mutation.

Pictures: http://darthviral.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/10268736_370932803111404_1375532382_n.jpg http://cuteanimals.me/-img/52b1c5b31605fb5dd5000258.jpg?w=800&h=600 https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/63/Autosomal_Dominant_Pedigree_Chart.svg/600px-Autosomal_Dominant_Pedigree_Chart.svg.png https://p.gr-assets.com/540x540/fit/hostedimages/1429405587/14583670.gif

Sources Cited: http://io9.com/5952073/heterochromia-is-very-groovy-mutation---maybe http://www.medicinenet.com/heterochromia_iridis/page2.htm https://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/gard/8590/heterochromia-iridis/resources/1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heterochromia_iridum

More about this topic: http://www.ranker.com/list/celebrities-with-heterochromia/celebrity-lists?utm_expid=16418821-169.cy7ItobhRmC61Q5VlyGNgw.0&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.ca%2F http://www.medicinenet.com/heterochromia_iridis/article.htm https://www.citelighter.com/science/health/knowledgecards/heterochromia-iridum http://www.xovain.com/how-to/7-beautiful-mutations-which-ones-do-you-have

__ The Science Behind Road Rage __

Danielle Steeves Post #3 January 16th, 2016

Road Rage is described as "committing moving traffic offenses so as to endanger other persons or property; an assault with a motor vehicle or other dangerous weapon by the operator or passenger of one motor vehicle on the operator or passengers of another motor vehicle". Here in Fredericton, we pride ourselves on being the birth place of the absolute worst drivers imaginable. From not using our signal lights to zooming past those silly, unnecessary stop signs. With all of these bad drivers around, sometimes (most of the time) it takes everything you have not to scream at the top of your lungs when someone cuts you off or feels the need to be centimeters away from your bumper. However science has shown that even the nicest of human beings are victims to road rage every once in a while. Why? Well studies have shown that maybe road rage is a lot harder to control than you think. Our Brains and Road Rage When someone either cuts you off, or puts you in a situation where you could potentially crash, you go into defence mode, and this is where fight or flight kicks in, some things happening in your body are: With even more listed in the picture below.
 * Your heart beats faster, pumping oxygen, adrenaline and sugar into your bloodstream.
 * Your breathing quickens.
 * Your blood pressure rises.
 * Your muscles tense.
 * Testosterone levels increase.
 * The left part of the brain is stimulated.



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What Do The Experts Think?

Julia Galef, the president and co-founder of the Center for Applied Rationality, spoke about "higher thinking" and how it could be compromised when behind the wheel. “A big part of rational decision-making is the ability to perform an ‘executive override’—to check our initial gut reaction, and say to ourselves, ‘Wait a minute, is this right?’” she said. “That override function is performed by our prefrontal cortex and is sometimes called ‘System 2' thinking, in contrast to our gut ‘System 1' thinking.” Scientist talk about System 1 thinking and how its used for general things like awareness, efficiency, and controllability. System 2, however, is when we are in a more rational state of thinking as well as tapping into the logical parts of the brain. While System 2 is best for problem solving, it is also more complex which, unfortunately, is more cognitively demanding. Therefore, when we get into there stressful situations, it's easier to go back to our original "Fight or Flight" way of thinking, instead of overriding it and going to the so-called "higher thinking".



Now i'm the first to admit that road rage and I have crossed paths more than once. However research has shown that since 1990, road rage related incidents have increased by 51% and a major chunk of accidents are caused by aggressive driving. So next time you're driving around Fredericton and some old lady doesn't bother to look before pulling out onto the road, just remember to use that higher thinking, take deep breaths, and just get over it.

Sources Cited: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/accidental-injury.htm http://www.livescience.com/3696-road-rage-lose.html http://www.bestcounselingdegrees.net/road-rage/ http://www.safemotorist.com/articles/road_rage.aspx

Pictures: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/30/f9/8f/30f98f4a90aad16d0dcabcb5edcaf07d.jpg https://cubbakid.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/road-rage.jpg http://images-2.drive.com.au/2013/03/19/4123934/art-353-tandberg-300x0.jpg http://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2013/09/01/Development-Transportation/Graphics/w-RoadRage.jpg

Other pages about this topic: http://www.nhtsa.gov/Aggressive http://www.livescience.com/3696-road-rage-lose.html http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/254899.php https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/02/18/road-rage-is-getting-uglier-angrier-and-a-lot-more-deadly/