I’ve never been fond of the human Y chromosome. Yes, the all-important SRY gene sets the early embryo on a path towards…
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post Y Chromosome Loss Linked to Hiked Heart Disease Risk: The Human Y Isn’t Useless After AllRead more
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post Repealing Roe: A View from a Long-time Biology Textbook AuthorRead more
The Supreme Court justices who dismantled Roe v Wade in Dobbs v Jackson Woman’s Health Organization should have taken a refresher course…
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post Jurassic World: Dominion Bashes BiotechRead more
If a new Planet of the Apes or Jurassic Park film comes out, I’m going to go see it. The latest, Jurassic…
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post Why a Sperm Donor isn’t a FatherRead more
As Father’s Day approaches, ads from the consumer DNA testing companies ramp up. But they don’t warn that in a few weeks…
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post Time Travel, Sea of Tranquility, and the History of GeneticsRead more
Tales of time travel have intrigued me since The Time Machine film scared the crap out of me at my cousin Ron’s…
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post Can Chewing Gum Protect Against COVID?Read more
When I was growing up in the 1960s, chewing gum was a big deal. TV ads showcased the doublemint twins and their…
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post A New View of Flu Thanks to Preserved Lungs in a German MuseumRead more
I’ve long been fascinated with the 1918 influenza pandemic because my grandfather Sam survived it. He married his nurse, lived 103 years…
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post 17 Timepoints When a Human Life Might Begin, 2022 VersionRead more
I originally published When Does a Human Life Begin? 17 Timepoints here at DNA Science in 2013. My intent was to inform…
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post The Utter Oddness of COVID AnosmiaRead more
The sudden inability to smell and taste that comes with COVID is startling and difficult to describe. I was lucky to experience…
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post Probing the Genomes of the Roma, the Forgotten EuropeansRead more
The Roma people have long held a special fascination for population geneticists who study the frequencies of genetic diseases. The largest minority…
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post A Glimpse at a Future Heart Disease Drug Thanks to Gene SilencingRead more
I often marvel at the disconnect between media coverage of “breakthrough” treatments and the decades of research that lie behind them. A…
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post How to Make an Allergen-Free Cat, Using CRISPR Gene EditingRead more
I pity the 15 percent of the human population that cannot live with a cat, due to allergy. I’ve seen it happen…