The Developmental Gene Hypothesis: Genetics Behind Punctuated Equilibrium?
Most of you probably know that I blog primarily about autism and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS). But as the header on Science Over a Cuppa hints, I have a secret– shall […]
Tag Archives: transposons
Do Transposable Elements Predispose towards Genetic Copy Number Variations?
Certain regions of the human genome seem to be prone towards copy number variations (CNV), which are large rearrangements of DNA that often occur in the form of deletions and […]
Gene Evolution Is All about Regulation
Okay, so gene evolution isn’t entirely about regulation. But protein-coding sequences of genes have changed comparatively little over hundreds of millions of years. When you look at the proteins that […]
International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR) 2014
From left to right: Ami Klin, Laura Klinger, Francesca Happé, and Joe Piven. My fiancé, Manny Casanova, and I just finished attending this year’s International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR) […]
“Why Are Some Genomes So F***ing Big???”
Good question. And it’s been asked before. Usually this question arises within the context of “What use is a larger genome?” when we consider vast genomes such as the onion […]
Preliminary Data: Schizophrenia and Brain-related Genes May Have Higher Mobile Element Content Similar to that Seen in Autism
We recently wrote and submitted a Letter to the Editor of Neuron in response to the recent article by Bundo et al. (2014) reporting increased LINE1 retrotransposition in schizophrenia genomes. […]
The Evolution of Genetic Evolvability
“The hypothesis that evolvability – the capacity to evolve by natural selection – is itself the object of natural selection is highly intriguing but remains controversial due in large part […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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