by Melissa Lau | Oct 6, 2014 | BioGPS, GeneOfTheWeek
Slightly unsavory (and certainly salacious), the subject of semen is seldom suitable for social settings. But why are we so shy about semen? Scientifically speaking—it’s a pretty spectacular substance. Besides containing sperm, semen is also comprised of various...
by Kerin Higa | Sep 29, 2014 | BioGPS, cancer, GeneOfTheWeek
1989 was an important year. In May of 1989, Yonehara et al. published a report that treatment with an anti-FAS antibody leads to the death of cells expressing our ominously-named gene-of-the-week, “Fas cell surface death receptor” (FAS).1 In July of 1989, Bernhard...
by Melissa Lau | Sep 22, 2014 | BioGPS, GeneOfTheWeek
In Tanzania, 1 in 1,400 people are targeted for death. That’s the country’s estimated prevalence of albinism,1 a disorder that elsewhere, is far less common and far less dangerous. Since 2006, seventy-one people with albinism have been killed—and that’s just the...
by Kerin Higa | Sep 15, 2014 | BioGPS, GeneOfTheWeek
Happy Monday, friends! Once a week since April, Melissa and I have blogged about popular genes that users have searched for using BioGPS. Based on user data, we have been led to explore a wide variety of genes in our Gene-of-the-Week series. This has...
by Melissa Lau | Sep 8, 2014 | BioGPS, GeneOfTheWeek
For most expectant parents, part of the fun is wondering which traits will get passed down to your children. Will they have their father’s nose? Their mother’s eyes? For one Iowa family, there’s a different trait to worry about. Sixty-one members of Jerry Jackson’s...
by Kerin Higa | Sep 1, 2014 | BioGPS, GeneOfTheWeek
CBGB & OMFUG opened in 1973 as a venue for “Country, Bluegrass, and Blues & Other Music for Uplifting Gormandizers.” Despite its namesake aspirations, CBGB quickly became important for the creation, cultivation, and release of punk rock artists, like Patti...
