The Elephant Shark Finally Has its Genome Sequenced
Scientists this month reported on the whole-genome sequencing of the cartilaginous fish, the elephant shark, the first complete analysis of any of the non-bony fish [1]. These fish are very […]
Author Archives: Emily Casanova
Review of the Recent Study, “Increased L1 Retrotransposition in the Neuronal Genome in Schizophrenia”
Now, for repeat readers, you probably know I have a professional interest in the topic of transposable elements. So it should come as no surprise that a recent article published […]
A Call for the Revival of the Art of Science
I’ll be frank: I’m fighting a battle with depression today. Even though I truly love what I do, the business and politics of academic life take their inevitable tolls. Given […]
A New Study Finds that the Jelly, Not the Sponge, May Lie at the Base of the Animal Evolutionary Tree
I’m afraid, my dear friends, I will have to bow out of writing an extensive blog for this week. Not only are my knees figuratively giving way under the weight […]
In Answer to David Dobbs’ Recent Question, “Why Bother Rewriting the Genome to Evolve?”
“This raises a question: if merely reading a genome differently can change organisms so wildly, why bother rewriting the genome to evolve? How vital, really, are actual changes in the […]
Thoughts on the Recent Parikshak et al. Study, “Integrative Functional Genomic Analyses Implicate Specific Molecular Pathways and Circuits in Autism”
“Synapse” is a ref-flag word nowadays in many sects of autism research. For Dan Geschwind of UCLA, a highly intelligent and very talented molecular biologist, this is definitely the term […]
SHANK3: Remembering the Synapse in Autism
I have to admit that, like most human beings, I can over-focus at times. On this blog, I’ve gone on and on about the embryonic origins of autism and how […]
The Symbiotic Gene
“I shall argue that a predominant quality to be expected in a successful gene is ruthless selfishness” (Dawkins, 1976). So wrote the evolutionary biologist, Richard Dawkins, in Chapter One of […]
Cancer: Fighting Fear with Knowledge
There are few other human diseases so common and yet so enigmatic as cancer. For many years it was the ailment that was whispered about behind closed doors or cupped […]
Being a Scientist with Learning Disabilities
It’s ironic to feel capable of such complex endeavors but to simultaneously find some of the simplest things– those things even first graders can do– challenging, if not downright impossible. […]
Science Over a Cuppa 
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