your genetic code

PBS "Cracking Your Genetic Code"

 The program aired March 28, and the video is now online:
http://video.pbs.org/video/2215641935

interesting... very interesting

Nelda

http://www.geneticsand.us

 

 

 

openSNP - free genotypings

Remember the offer for free genotypings? Well I got an email from them that I thought I'd share with you.

Name of company:  openSNP
Description: crowdsourcing genome wide association studies


The free genotypings
This night the deadline for free genotypings passed, and we are overwhelmed by the amount of responses. In less than 24 hours after the first blog post over 200 people sent us their applications, and in total over 450 people applied. For us the real work now begins, and we will do our best to go through all the applications, select the most interesting, and then contact every applicant.

Entering Phenotypes
We also used the past weeks to implement some more features into openSNP. This time we focused on end-users entering their data into openSNP, especially on entering phenotypic variations.
you can read the rest at:
http://opensnp.wordpress.com/2012/03/26/update-on-the-free-genotypings-and-new-features-on-opensnp/

Wow, Boy do I hope they pick me too... Not that my history is so interesting.... but one can always hope!

Have a great Day

Nelda

Autosomal - who is related?

I recently received an email that got me wondering if you might not understand the relationships that testing for Autosomal chromosomes can develop for you and how to understand them.

In this graft you see that your Great grandparents are a solid color - right? in reality the are mixed colors too, but solid is needed for the explanation. As you see, the colors mix as they get closer to you; that is basically what happens to your Autosomal chromosomes as the combine and recombine at each generation. Of course this is only a graft of ONE chromosome, you have 22 pairs that do this recombination dance. Now your chromosomes are pairs to make up the pair, you get one of the set from Dad and one from Mom, They don't recombine with each other they do the dance with themselves. So you have a clear line from Dad and a clear line from Mom, but with out some work you don't know which parent gave you what set.

The email asked " On my actual Family Finder DNA test results I have 4 matches on Chromosome
> 7, called A, B, C, and D.
>
> A is from 82.2m to 94.9m - 10.08cM and 3100 SNP.
>
> B is from 86.1m to 96.3m - 10.45cM and 2700 SNP.
>
> C is from 90.7m to 102.7m - 9.24cM and 2800 SNP.
>
> D is from 97.1m to 106.2m - 9.98cM and 2200 SNP.
>
> Does this mean A, B, and C are all related to each other and to me? And D
> is related to C (and me) but D is not related to A and B?
>
> Is it correct that while the results do not indicate that D is related to A
> and B, it does not rule out the possibility that D could be related to
> either A or B or both?

My response was:

No it means they are all related to you.
First you need to understand that all chromosomes are PAIRS one chromosome from Dad One chromosome from Mom.they are numbered the same so unless you do some detective work you will not know which parent your cousins descend from.

Now if you had known cousins or half siblings from either parent tested and they matched you on specific sets of segment numbers then, if one or more of these unknown cousins matched them then you would know up what one of your  parents line they descend from.

but see if they match each other then if the three of you figure out what parent's line converges. you will know what parent the match comes from.

Just incase you do not know this...a negitive match DOES NOT MEAN your not related, it just means a measurable segment did not survive the combination recombination to either of the two persons comparing.

Read down the page it helps explain the different types of testing....

A good explanation is here:     http://www.geneticsand.us/

Hope this helps : Nelda

5,300 year old Ice man found - 1991

Iceman’s Genome Furnishes Clues to His Ailments and Ancestry

Ever since two hikers happened upon the mummified body of Ötzi the Iceman on a high mountain pass in the Ötzal Alps in 1991, scientists have been working to figure out who he was and where he came from… for the article:
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2012/02/28/icemans-genome-furnishes-clues-to-his-ailments-and-ancestry/?print=true

 Who's ancestor is he??


Ötzi the Iceman and the Sardinians

Well, the paper is finally out, New insights into the Tyrolean Iceman’s origin and phenotype as inferred by whole-genome sequencing. In case you don’t know, Ötzi the Iceman died 5,300 years ago in the alpine region bordering Austria and Italy… 
Even more on this subject:
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/gnxp/2012/02/otzi-the-iceman-and-the-sardinians/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GeneExpressionBlog+%28Gene+Expression%29

Genetics and Genealogy:

Should a company be able to patent your genes?

 

SMARTPLANET

Should a company be able to patent your genes?

By Charlie Osborne | February 22, 2012, 10:56 AM PST

42Comments

more +

Reports from Australia have indicated that lawyers representing a U.S. biotechnology company have defended the grant of a controversial patent over a common genetic mutation linked to breast cancer.

Rejecting the idea that patenting a genetic variety within the human body is the first step to privatizing individuals, the court case involving the U.S. company, Myriad Genetics, is being anxiously followed by patient groups, legal teams, healthcare professionals and public figures.

Myriad Genetics aquired a patent for the BRCA1 breast cancer genetic mutation in 1994, based on the terms that could be considered an ‘invention’:

    “Removing it from the body changed it chemically, structurally and functionally.”

Myriad Genetics reportedly tested ‘thousands and thousands’ of people in order to identify the mutation within a cell genome, and the case hinged on the key point that once the isolated nucleic acid is removed from a body, then its chemical construction is different. Therefore, once removed, it can be considered an invention rather than a natural body chemical.

Not everyone agrees.

READ MORE: 

http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/smart-takes/should-a-company-be-able-to-patent-your-genes/23286?tag=search-river

Nelda

US Supreme Court decides on Genes

TheScientist 

Opinion: On the Gene Patent Debate 

Two key patent cases that no doubt will impact the future of personalized medicine are pending review by the US Supreme Court. What will the Court decide?  

By Courtenay C. Brinckerhoff | March 7, 2012

Here is a small part - then go read!

"The debate over the patenting of technologies related to diagnostic and personalized medicine continues to swell with no resolution in sight. The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Mayo Collaborative Services v. Prometheus Laboratories, Inc. last December, but has not yet issued a decision.  Just last month, the US Patent and Trademark Office held public hearings to gather information for the “study on genetic testing” that it will use to prepare a report for Congress on this issue. "

http://the-scientist.com/2012/03/07/opinion-on-the-gene-patent-debate/