Year: 2013

Schizophrenia and lower cognitive ability genetically linked

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Researchers at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research of Northshore LIJ recently discovered evidence of a genetic overlap between schizophrenia and general cognitive ability.

Based on available data from the World Health Organization, approximately 2.2 million people in the US–and up to 24 million persons worldwide–are living with schizophrenia, a chronic, severe and disabling brain disorder. People with schizophrenia have a marked decrease in overall cognitive abilities, and as a result have difficulty with keeping jobs, finishing school, and moving forward in life.

“This research leads us to a deeper understanding of how schizophrenia affects the brain at the molecular level,” said Dr. Lencz. “Our studies are designed to provide clues to the development of new treatments to improve the lives of our patients.”

Read the full, original story: Genetic Overlap Found Between Schizophrenia And Cognitive Ability

Bioethical questions arise from advances in neuroscience

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Last week, the U.S. Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues met to discuss the moral implications of brain science. The meeting was at the request of President Barack Obama, who earlier this year called for the start of a $100 million federal Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative.

The panel was charged with coming up with potential moral and ethical dilemmas that might arise from recent advances in our understanding of the brain and the potential ability to peer into the workings of the human mind promised by his brain-mapping proposal.

As these ethical issues continue to garner media attention, National Geographic asked Hank Greely, a bioethics and genetics expert at Stanford University’s Law School, what he sees as being the five big questions in neuroscience. Greely suggests that using neuroscience to predict peoples’ fate or actions, as a lie detector and in medical care challenges how we view ourselves and will raise many ethical questions.

Read the full, original story: Q&A: The 5 Big Questions in Brain Science

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Video: GMOs safe to eat says Tamar Haspel, WaPo foodie columnist

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Tamar Haspel, food columnist at The Washington Post, argues in the attached video that consumers should not be overly concerned about eating GMOs, saying “the consensus” in the scientific community is that they are safe to eat.

“There’s now a list of hundreds or even — depending on how you count — thousands of studies testing safety, and scientific organizations here, and around the world, have concluded that the genetically modified foods currently being grown are safe to eat.” Studies such as the frightening conclusion by French scientists in 2012, have been flawed or discredited.

The GMO labeling controversy will continue in the new year. Labeling advocates say they are targeting Oregon next November to pass a labeling law. Haspel thinks eventually there will be a federal solution “because fighting it out state by state is just not working.”

Read the full, original story: Yes, GMO foods are safe to eat: WaPo food writer

Simple genetic modification could restore American chestnut to dominance

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The American chestnut—once a dominant species in the eastern US, now almost completely wiped out by a poisonous fungus—could have another chance at flourishing. Scientists have come up with a simple genetic modification to create a fungus-resistant chestnut, but the question remains—should it be planted in natural forests?

Bernd Heinrich, emeritus professor of biology at the University of Vermont, writes in a New York Times op-ed that he is concerned about the impact of the GM chestnuts on natural forests. Heinrich grows his own American chestnuts in a forest of over 600 acres—and his have a natural resistance to the blight, which could mean they were selected for those traits. But the GM “freaks,” Heinrich writes, could be dangerous, as “genetic engineering can be unpredictable–genes behave and are expressed in complex ways.”

Dr. Barry Starr, geneticist-in-residence at the Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose, CA, writes that it is “very hard to find a plausible way” that the GM chestnut could have a hazardous effect on the environment. They were not modified to be resistant to a pest or an herbicide, they are simply engineered to fight off a fungus by neutralizing an acid.

The fungus, Cryphonectria parasitica, kills the chestnut tree by poisoning it with oxalic acid. When investigating a way to combat the fungus, scientists at SUNY’s College of Environmental Science and Forestry realized that all they needed to do was find a way to make the tree neutralize the acid. They found a gene in wheat that gives rise to the oxalate oxidase enzyme—which breaks down oxalic acid—and inserted it into the genome of the chestnut.

Strains of the GM tree that make more oxalate oxidase are more resistant to the fungus. When the gene is in the right place in the chestnut’s DNA, it makes a lot of the enzyme to fight off the blight. Scientists have created a GM chestnut that could restore the forests back to what they were a century ago, Starr writes, and field studies look promising. Researchers are hoping to get approval soon for widespread planting of the GM chestnut.

Read the full, original story: Revitalizing Our Forests

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Evidence to support Don Huber’s claim of hidden glyphosate-GMO dangers still missing

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It’s been almost three years since retired Purdue University Professor Don Huber sent an alarming letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack warning about the possible dangers of genetically modified crops. But scientists and people in the agricultural community are questioning why he still hasn’t released evidence to support the claim so that it can be peer-reviewed.

Paul Vincelli, a plant pathologist at the University of Kentucky, says it’s unusual for a scientist to go that long without releasing evidence to support such extraordinary claims.

Huber, a plant pathologist, claims a previously unknown organism linked to glyphosate, a broad spectrum weed killer that is the active ingredient in the herbicide Roundup, is causing an increase in plant diseases and spontaneous abortions and infertility in livestock.

Huber has declined to name the scientists working on the research project with him because he fears they will face political pressure, harassment and possible loss of funding.

“I’ve stopped listening (to his claims),” Vincelli says. “I’m waiting for the paper.”

Read the full, original story: Evidence to back GMO claims still missing

What is heritability anyhow?

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Schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder and autism have all had recent attention for being “genetically caused.” In scientific research, being genetically caused usually corresponds to having a high estimated heritability.

But what exactly is heritability? What does it mean when researchers and journalists label traits like these as genetic?

The nature-nurture debate historically referred to the disagreement between whether traits are caused by ones biology (nature) or the environment (nurture).

These days, disagreements centre on how much nature or nurture contributes. Nature – now usually referring to genes – may be more of a cause of schizophrenia, even though both genes and environment contribute.

Read the full, original story: Explainer: what is heritability?

Human family dynamics explained through the lens of bird evolution

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Humans often rear their children with help from family and friends. But why would such a strategy evolve? What could we possibly get out of rearing somebody else’s child? Now, scientists believe that they’ve unraveled this mystery — at least when it comes to birds.

Though cooperative breeding is a seemingly odd behavior, studies suggest that it occurs in approximately 9 percent of bird species. In this type of child rearing, three or more birds will contribute to caring for the young in a nest, providing both food and protection.

When a bird decides to become a helper, it loses out on reproducing during that season. But it’s not the case that they’re purposefully giving up reproduction to help — they usually wind up helping because there are no breeding territories left for them.

Read the full, original story: Birds offer insight into the evolution of extended families

DNA techniques show how HIV takes down the immune system

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HIV leads to AIDS primarily because the virus destroys essential immune cells called CD4 T cells, but precisely how these cells are killed has not been clear. Two papers published simultaneously December 19 in Nature and Science reveal the molecular mechanisms that cause the death of most CD4 T cells in lymphoid tissues, the main reservoir for such cells, during infection.

Two research teams led by Warner Greene at the Gladstone Institutes in San Francisco have demonstrated that the vast majority of CD4 T cells in lymphoid tissues, despite their ability to resist full infection by HIV, respond to the presence of viral DNA by sacrificing themselves via pyroptosis—a highly inflammatory form of cell death that lures more CD4 T cells to the area, thereby creating a vicious cycle that ultimately wreaks havoc on the immune system.

Read the full, original story: How HIV Destroys Immune Cells

Why Whole Foods dropped Chobani yogurt? It’s about corporate profits, not GMOs

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Why did the grocery giant Whole Foods drop Chobani Greek-style yogurt?

The reason suggested by the Wall Street Journal: Whole Foods wants to move towards disclosure of all genetically modified ingredients. Chobani uses milk from cows that eat genetically modified corn and soybeans, which Chobani says is the only way it can produce enough yogurt to supply the burgeoning market.

But the New York Times in its analysis makes it clear that the corporate bottom line, not sustainability concerns, is driving this decision. Whole Foods acknowledges it wants to phase out the popular Chobani brand and replace it with a house brand, which would have a far higher profit margin. In other words, it was a hard-edged business decision, not about any concern over GMOs or its customer base.

But the best way for Whole Foods to cash in on that fashionable, high-margin product? Make the stuff itself. That way, it can offer all the custom new options it wants, without sharing profits with a global brand. It’s also easier to control pricing on private label stuff, which Whole Foods is finding increasingly important as it enters more urban areas, and is more profitable to begin with.

Read the full, original story: Why did Whole Foods drop Chobani?

Banana apocalypse? GM one of few options to save threatened cavendish

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Scientists are experimenting with genetic modifications to protect Cavendish bananas from a variant of the banana wilt fungus. If the fungus jumps the Atlantic, it could devastate supplies pretty quickly, researchers say.

“Progress in creating bananas fully resistant to [the fungus], either by classical breeding or genetic engineering, has so far been limited. The wild Asian banana Musa acuminata malaccensis seems to be resistant, and researchers are experimenting with putting its resistance genes into the Cavendish,” according to a report in Nature.  The disease costs farmers in Africa’s Great Lakes region an estimated half a billion dollars every year.

The fungus has been found in plantations in Mozambique and Jordan, raising fears that it could spread to major producers and decimate supplies.The fungus has now been found in Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, China, and Australia, and it seems likely that it will soon spread to Latin America, producer of 80 percent of the world’s bananas.

Read the full, original story: World’s Top Banana Under Threat

GMOs will not affect Uganda’s ‘organic crops’

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GM cassava, matooke, and sweet potatoes being developed in Uganda are not organic export crops for Europe but locally consumed staples that are being improved by Ugandan scientists to make the crops resist various diseases that drastically lower their yields hence threatening national food security.

The term organic has been misused by those who barely understand the basics of crop agronomy. Organic farming is the growing of crops using organic manure and plant-based extracts as pests control methods. The biggest threat to the so called organic market in Europe is the use of inorganic pesticides in the control of pests not the planting of GM crops.

In Uganda, there was a drive to promote organic cotton growing among farmers but that led to farmers’ abandonment of cotton production due to the remarkable reduction in yields caused by the happy pests that were not sprayed. The promised premium price by those who want to wear “organic shirts and skirts” could not cover the quantity lost in not spraying.

The beneficiaries of the organic fantasy are European agencies who issue certificates for organic products. They have created a false picture in the minds of their consumers that eating anything organic is healthy despite the quantity consumed and the method of processing it.

Not every organic pesticide is healthy and effective in controlling pests. Tobacco that is used in post harvest handling is known for containing cancer causing compounds that when inhaled by the user becomes very dangerous. Neem-extracts kill all kinds of insects including those conservationists call non target ones. The ants, assumed to control aphids are actually the indicator of aphids’ presence because they feed on the sweet aphids’ excreta not on aphids.

As human beings can not live “organically” without inorganic medication so are crops that need protection from pests and diseases. It is extreme fantasy to think eating a product from a crop that has not been sprayed with inorganic pesticide or inorganic fertilizer is eating healthy. Sugar and fats which are 100% organic are the biggest cause of obesity and diabetes. The inorganic sodium chloride that we eat daily in our foods has a considerable level of toxicity and yet our body requires it.

Organic talk and movement is a cultic market and highly capitalistic, selective and based on the vulnerability of consumers’ search for health that make them cling to any promise real or not. The beneficiaries are capitalists who understand the fantasies of the rich and are afraid that the over hyped organic benefits will be diffused by GM adoption that would make them lose their organic market.

Coming back to the GM crops, every biotech crop being developed should be evaluated on its own merit just like any other conventional crop. Groundnuts have compounds that cause allergy to some people but that does not stop others from eating groundnuts or does not make all other conventionally bred crops allergenic. The same is with eggs and milk that some people are allergic too. You cannot stop others from eating eggs and drinking milk simply because they accumulate gas in their stomachs when they drink milk.

The science of applying emotions and psychology is very different from that which requires application of universal proven facts that can be replicated with consistent outcomes.

It is the mandate of the scientists to develop high yielding crop varieties which are resistant to prevailing diseases. The consumers have a choice to adopt or not to but the product must be available and ready for those who want to use it.

Isaac Ongu is an Agriculturist

Kampala, Uganda.

 

Americans mildly concerned about GM foods, but confused as to what they are

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Less than 10% of adults were “very” or “extremely” concerned about genetically modified ingredients when market research company NPD Group last measured consumer attitudes in 2002. But according to a new study, the concern level of adults is now more than 20%. Overall, more than half of consumers expressed concern about GM ingredients.

The study, titled “Gauging GMO awareness and impact,” asked consumers to explain what the term “genetically modified organism” means. Commonly used words included “genetically altered,” “not natural,” and many simply said they did not know.

The study comes at a time when interest in GM ingredients is high. Several states have placed labeling initiatives on ballots calling for the labeling of foods containing GM ingredients. The NPD Group said news about the efforts may be a factor in the levels of concern regarding genetic modification.

Read the full, original story: Confusion, concern reign when it comes to bioengineering

Grocery Manufacturer’s Association seeks ‘natural’ label for GMOs

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The trade organization representing the nation’s largest food and beverage companies wants permission to label as “natural” products that contain genetically engineered ingredients like corn, soy, canola and sugar, according to a letter sent to the Food and Drug Administration.

The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) says it plans to petition the agency to issue a regulation that would allow foods containing genetically modified ingredients to be labeled “natural.”

The association’s request was sent just weeks before the end of the year, when the FDA is expected to establish voluntary guidelines for the labeling of foods containing biotech-related ingredients, based on the priorities it has identified for itself.

Currently, legislatures in 26 states are pondering whether foods that contain genetically engineered ingredients should be labeled. “Consumers and the food industry would all benefit from uniform legal requirements and the consistent outcomes that result from federal regulations, rather than state-by-state dictates through court decisions or state or local legislation,” the GMA says in its letter.

Read the full, original story: Group Seeks Special Label for Food: ‘Natural’

Organic labeling: Is there a place for GM foods?

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For more than a decade, organic farmers, ranchers and food processors have been subject to rigorous annual inspections to ensure they are in compliance with national organic standards. The scrutiny is carried out by agents accredited by a division of the Department of Agriculture.

But responsibility for overseeing food labeling lies with another part of the USDA, along with the Food and Drug Administration, and they continue to reject petitions by organic food producers who want to label their products as “GMO-free” or “produced without use of GMOs.”

Resistance by the USDA seems especially inconsistent, given that one branch of the agency enforces the organic rule, including the GMO prohibition, while down the hall, another rejects labels submitted by organic companies.

An organic GMO-free label would also help consumers distinguish organic food from food labeled as “natural,” which the FDA does not clearly define. Allowing organic products to be labeled GMO-free would provide a clear distinction between the terms “organic” and “natural.”

Read the full, original story: What an ‘organic’ food label should mean

Aging might be reversible

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Imagine if we could turn back time. A team that has identified a new way in which cells age has also reversed the process in old mice whose bodies appear younger in several ways.

As we age, mitochondrial function declines, which can lead to conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes. To investigate why this decline occurs, Ana Gomes at Harvard Medical School and her colleagues compared the levels of messenger RNA (mRNA) for the cellular components needed for respiration in the skeletal muscle of 6 and 22-month-old mice.

They found that the level of the mRNA in the nucleus did not change much between the young and old mice, whereas those in the mitochondria appeared to decline with age.

Read the full, original story: Turning back time: ageing reversed in mice

 

Block party: Are activists thwarting GMO innovation?

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Is there evidence that groups fighting against genetically modified food have thwarted good technologies that would otherwise make agriculture more sustainable?

“I think genetic engineering is not as easy as the initial scientists envisioned it being,” said Greg Jaffe, director of biotechnology at the Center for Science in the Public Interest. But “the debate, the controversy, clearly does have an impact on this technology.”

But you can’t fully separate the technological delays from the regulatory delays, says Jose Falck-Zepeda, a researcher at the International Food Policy Research Institute. When the regulatory process is murky, as it is in some countries, public institutions are less likely to invest in the work to develop a plant that may never be approved.

So is the controversy over genetic engineering slowing innovation? Of course. But often the controversy is blamed for delays that have nothing to do with it. Often the setbacks are technical, not political.

Read the full, original story: Block party: Are activists thwarting GMO innovation?

Mapping genome of fertilized eggs could double IVF success rate

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Mapping the genetic code of fertilised eggs could double the success rate of IVF, researchers claim.

The new screening method to detect healthy embryos could raise the success of IVF to 60% or more, according to a Peking University and Harvard University team.

Trials of the procedure in China offer hope to older women, they say.
The research, in the journal Cell, should be viewed with caution, said a UK fertility expert.

The new method, studied in 70 fertilised eggs from volunteer egg donors, was based on removing left-over fragments of cells, known as polar bodies, from the early developing embryo and analysing their full genetic code.

Read the full, original story: IVF success rate ‘could be doubled’

Can HIV be removed with ‘molecular scissors’?

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German scientists have used a genetic modification technique to cut HIV out of infected cells in mice. Could this eventually lead to a cure for the deadly virus?

A team of researchers at the Dresden University of Technology say they managed to create an enzyme that can identify a sequence of the virus and remove it with 90 % accuracy, according to The Local. The enzyme, sometimes referred to as “molecular scissors,” inserts itself into the DNA double helix and then cuts it up and rearranges it in a new, HIV-free pattern.

“The amount of virus was clearly reduced, and even no longer to be found in the blood,” said Professor Joachim Hauber, of Heinrich Pette Institute in Hamburg. Hauber said it is the only method to actually remove an HIV infection.

“There are various methods and similar approaches, but removing the virus from infected cells is unique,” Hauber said.

Read the full, original story: HIV removed from mouse cells with enzyme: report

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Nobel Laureate Sir Paul Nurse calls campaign against GM crops ‘anti-science’ and ‘irresponsible’

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Nobel Laureate cell biologist Sir Paul Nurse has termed the campaign against GM foods “irresponsible,” calling the whole debate against genetically modified crops “anti-science.”

Nurse, who is president of the Royal Society, was in New Delhi to deliver the Blackett Memorial Lecture. He suggested that the application of science in farming is an effective tool to produce healthy and good food “that exploits marginal eco-system, food that is of high productivity which uses limited water resources.”

Indian Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar has argued that the introduction of GM crops would help address food security issues.

Opinion has been sharply divided in India on the  introduction of GM crops. A Technical Expert Committee set up by the Supreme Court of India following a public interest petition on the environmental release of GM organisms recommended against allowing GM crops in India.

Read the  full, original story: Political stand on GM crops irresponsible: Nobel Laureate Sir Paul Nurse

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