Nerdy Science Blog

Scientists from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health studied the genetics of common city rodents, namely Wild Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus), also known as wharf rats, sewer rats or brown rats, to understand the population structure of this species.  Wild Norway rats usually weight about two pounds.  A variety of diseases can be transmitted to humans through these rats.

Although city rats are spotted around the city, its population does not spread widely.  Scientists have studied nearly 300 rats from 11 locations within Baltimore, Maryland.  The genetic of the rats were studied to understand the gene flow of the rats between areas within the city.  The rats are found to be homely rats, as they do not travel more than a city block and are close to home.  They only travel to other areas unless threaten by any dangers, and these rodents will travel as far as 7 miles for repopulation.

The paper is published in recent issue of Molecular Ecology.  Such studies help to understand the population structure of rodents and may provide a better pest species control solution.

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PHYSORG:

The Scripps Research scientists found the mutation on a single genetic locus-the position of a gene on a chromosome-called Lmb3 that plays a major role in modulating autoimmunity in transgenic mice. The cloned version of the Lmb3 mutation resulted in developmental and functional alterations in T cells, including reduced migration, survival, and activation. The study also showed that the Lmb3 autoimmune-suppressing phenotype could be transmitted only through Coro1aLmb3 T cells.

Lupus is in my family gene, just like diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol, etc. It’s just the matter of time. A curse huh? At least we die slowly.

After reading “Should Children Be Permitted To Get Genetic Testing For BRCA 1/2 Mutations?” from ScienceDaily yesterday, my answer would be a “YES”. In my opinion, prevention is always better than curing. If I have children, I would give them a genetic testing just for their sake.

Korean scientist had cloned cats which glowed red in dark.

The researchers at Gyeongsang National University, headed by Kong Il-keun, produced several of the kittens early this year, modifying a gene to change their skin color, government news media reported.

Since the case of Hwang Woo-Suk, people are being more skeptical to Korean researches. Many people are amazed by how the glowing cats, but not the contribution of the glowing cats give. Some may say that these cats are just to for Korean public relation.
These cats are cloned from modified gene from mother cat. The fluorescent gene was inserted into the gene before transplanting into the egg. As cats have similar gene as human, this indicates that such method can be used to cure genetic disorders in human.

It’s kind of scaring to have a glowing cat at home. Cats are not the only animals that are modified to glow, other animals such as fish, rabbit and pig also glowed before.
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Just read this news:

By tweaking genes to disable certain functions of the olfactory bulb — the area of the brain that receives information about smells directly from olfactory receptors in the nose — the researchers were able to create a “fearless” mouse that does not try to flee when it smells cats, foxes and other predators.

Maybe cats can also be modified not to ‘hate’ mouse too. I always think that if science and technology is not used for the right purpose, it can bring disastrous results to earthlings. Maybe this finding of ‘fearless’ gene will be used to create fearless spies and armies.

Note: the gene is just making the mouse not to fear of the scent of cats, we don’t fear things by the scent TV programmes give out.

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Our food preferences are likely to be programmed from the moment we’re fertilized.

For the first time, scientists have linked the all-too-human preference for a food — chocolate — to a specific, chemical signature that may be programmed into the metabolic system and is detectable by laboratory tests. The signature reads ‘chocolate lover’ in some people and indifference to the popular sweet in others, the researchers say.

—— ScienceDaily: People Are Programmed To Love Chocolate, Study Finds

Some people might envy those who can eat a lot (such as me) and will never get fat. Researchers suggested that this might be because of the link between metabolic system and food we like, such as chocolate, carbs, steaks, etc.

So stop using “fattening” restraining yourself from eating chocolate, you’re just not talented. So do durianphobic losers.

Does your kid have asthma? Perhaps it’s a gene-linked disease.

In a genetic study of more than 2,000 children, scientists established that genetic markers on chromosome 17 had a striking effect on the risk of asthma in children. They also found that these markers altered the levels of a new gene called ORMDL3, which was at a higher level in the blood cells of children with asthma than in those without.

—— ScienceDaily: Gene Linked With Childhood Asthma Is Identified, Giving Hope For New Therapies

Both my brother and I had asthma when we were young, it was such an irritating thing. We did not have the freedom to drink cold drinks (coke used to be luxury to us) and can’t run around like other kids.

Asthma is a chronic disease of the respiration system. People having asthma often facing breathing difficulties when they encounter certain factors, such as allergens (animals, dust), irritants (air, odours), emotional factors and also illness.

Long-acting bronchodilator is a piece of equipment that asthma patient should carry around. One of the most common long-acting bronchodilator is Serevent (salmeterol), I used to carry this inhaler around with me when i was still an asthma patient.

(Picture Source)

Last month I wrote an article about Wnt signaling system help in limb regeneration.

They know that as a human embryo matures, loads of cells await the command that directs each to become a certain type of cell with a particular function such as a heart-muscle cell. Once tissue formation begins, a red-light signal puts the brakes on cell growth before it gets out of control.

Dubbed Wnt/Beta-catenin signaling, cell-to-cell conversations control the fate of these as-yet undeveloped cells in the embryo.

—— LiveScience.com: How a Zebrafish Regrows a Fin

There are more researches show that the Wnt signaling system promote tissue regeneration.

Actually this fin-regrow-research do help in saving sharks. You can keep a shark in your aquarium and repeatedly cutting of its fins, the fins will regrow! Is it better to torture one or kills lots of them?
(Picture Source)

There are people who were born without the sense of pain. Apart from not feeling any pain, they look like just every other normal people.

The initial case study was a ten-year-old Pakistani street performer with the ability to put a knive through his arms and walk on burning coal without feeling pain.

Together with this young street performer, researchers were able to identify six other people who also have same ability from three families in the same region.

These people were able to sense the sensation of hot, cold and pressure. Also, they are able to differentiate between sharp or blunt objects by touching.

All without pain.

Researcher have now revealed that the ‘superpower’ is actually a kind of rare gene disorder, caused by a very rare genetic mutation, and had decoded the genetic information successfully.

By studying these individuals, the scientists were able to determine that a mutation in the gene SCN9A causes a loss of function in the voltage-gated sodium channel it encodes (subunit Nav1.7). Sodium channels are proteins which excite neurons, and though the precise function of Nav1.7 is unclear, as part of a sodium channel it would play a role in exciting sensory neurons.
– Science Daily

Through better understanding of how pain works, researchers are now hoping to develop new pain killer with fewer side effects.

Source: Gene Mutation Which Prevents Carriers From Feeling Pain Discovered — Science Daily.

Salk Institute for Biological Studies:

— La Jolla, CA —Chop off a salamander’s leg and a brand new one will sprout in no time. But most animals have lost the ability to replace missing limbs. Now, a research team at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies has been able to regenerate a wing in a chick embryo – a species not known to be able to regrow limbs – suggesting that the potential for such regeneration exists innately in all vertebrates, including humans.

The researchers discovered that the Wnt signaling system is responsible for the body regeneration. If human’s Wnt signaling is activated, here are three consequences:

1. You can sell your limbs or organs (perhaps some people do not have this Wnt signaling activated)
2. Every soldiers in US army will activate their Wnt signaling.
3. Human species will long live like cockroach.

Perhaps you would like to watch a video of a frog regrow its fully limb within three weeks.