Hard-Wired For Chocolate And Hybrid Cars?

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Hard-Wired For Chocolate And Hybrid Cars?

You now know that genetics plays a role in many aspects of your life. We’ve focused on disease as well as epigenetics. What if genes can decide your likes and dislikes? Do you still have the free will to make choices or do all our consumer choices come down to our genes?

Do any of the consumer styles seem to fit your style? And what can this information be used for?

As always, remember to think critically. This is from a journal article that is to be published. What are your thoughts on what the authors are trying to portray versus the data they actually present?

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/201904.php

*Itamar Simonson and Aner Sela. "On the Heritability of Consumer Decision Making: An Exploratory Approach for Studying Genetic Effects on Judgment and Choice." Journal of Consumer Research: April 2011. A preprint of this article (to be officially published online soon) can be found at http://journals.uchicago.edu/jcr.

Genetically Modified Chickens: Don’t Pass on the Flu!

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Genetically Modified Chickens: Don’t Pass on the Flu!

“The secret of flu-proofing chicken flocks is an artificial gene that contains a snippet of genetic material from the H5N1 flu virus. This bit of RNA codes for polymerase, an enzyme flu viruses need to make more of themselves… better than a vaccine”

What are the potential hazards of this new method? (Scientist’s still don’t even know!) What could this mean for the future food industry? What other protocol, labeling, and requirements will need to follow such changes!?

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/01/19/133027476/genetically-modified-chickens-dont-pass-on-the-flu

Rewriting Ourselves: Genomics Will Change Everything

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Rewriting Ourselves: Genomics Will Change Everything

Like designing your model child, this video expresses that science has improved enough to actually create a bug from nothing! From a scientific standpoint this could mean great things (farming, randomized trials, etc). However, where should the line be drawn? Is it ok to genetically create plants, what about animals, what about human kind?

More importantly, this TED talk goes into many aspects covered in class. From the start of the “new” genome to pharmacogenomics to the future of DNA sequencing ($5000 and in an hour or even 30 minutes). What are your thoughts on the video? What do you think about the rapid development in genomics and the repercussions society will face positively or negatively? 

http://www.futureofgadgets.com/futureblogger/show/1629

Are Your Genetics Making Starbucks Rich?

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Are Your Genetics Making Starbucks Rich?

Similar to the “Cheating Gene” article discussed in class is the following article “New Caffeine, Gene Link: Are Your Genetics Making Starbucks Rich?” which uses limited data to attract media attention.

 “Caffeine is highly addictive. Reported to be the most commonly consumed psychoactive substance on earth, 90% of Americans report using caffeine on a daily basis. Now in a new study, it seems that two genes have been potentially identified to contribute to Starbucks' profitability so to speak.”

Critically reviewing this article or researching this new gene, what is the media’s view versus what science has really shown about this gene? How much proof does this article actually provide? Do you believe what is has to say?

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/221704.php