Lethal Genes-I don't wanna die!

     I need to admit that tragedies can often be very interesting. Lethal Genes, tragic as its name suggests, are genes whose phenotypes lead an organism to unconditional death. Death can sometimes not be immediate and take years or even decades. The notion that carriers of lethal genes cannot leave offspring is therefore false; for instance, the notorious Huntington's disease, inherited as an autosomal dominant condition, usually manifests itself when the patient ages over 40, enabling itself to clandestinely pass down to the patient's descents.
     Lethal genes were first discovered by Lucien Cuenot, a French biologist. Cuenot observed unusual genetic patterns while studying inheritnce of a coat color gene in mice. The offsprings of two yellow mice, quite surprisingly, always showed a 2:1 ratio instead of a conventional Mendelian 3:1. The mice happened to never produced a single homozygous yellow mouse. Five years later, W.E. Castle and C.C. Little confirmed the existence of lethal gene by showing that one-quarter of the offspring from crosses between heterozygotes die during embyonic development.

(Image Source: http://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/mendelian-ratios-and-lethal-genes-557)


     When an allele causes lethality, this is evidence that the gene must have a critical function in an organism. The discoveries of many lethal alleles have provided information on the functions of genes during development. Additionally, scientists can use conditional and synthetic lethal alleles to study the physiological functions and relationships of genes under specific conditions.

GMO- Blessing or Curse?

    

    

(Image source: http://cpronline.com/whats-really-hidden-inside-your-food-gmos/)

     The somewhat tedious pGlo lab, which I have to written a formal lab report about, actually sparked a somewhat unexpected interest in a rather peripheral subject: GMO. The pGLO plasmid, a product of genetic engineering, consists of several reporter genes including GFP and Ampicillin Resistance Gene that were transplanted into the plasmid after being extracted (isolated) from other organisms. The technology which made such process possible directly pertains to the production of GMO, undoubtedly a huge controversy today.
     The first commercially grown genetically engineered food to be granted a license for human consumption is the Flavr Savr, a tomato that doesn't become soft. Currently 68 varieties of GMO are being cultivated around the globe, many of which demonstrate very impressive characteristics including herbicide/insect resistance. The advocates of GMO are confident that GMO, by virtue of its remarkable toughness and high yield, can help alleviate severe food shortages in third world nations. The opponents, on the other hand, are extremely skeptical about the safety of GMO and warn the devastating impact GMO may cause on the environment.
    Regardless of the intense debate, it seems clear that the opponents of GMO still have lots to prove. Many international science body in the world including EU, WHO, and the Royal Society of London has reviewed multiple independent studies—in some cases numbering in the hundreds—to reach a somewhat unexpected conclusion that GMO crops are "as safe or safer than conventional or organic foods". Recently, a group of Italian scientists catalogued 1783 studies about the safety and environmental impacts of GMO foods. The researchers concluded that none of the 1783 studies showed any credible evidence that GMO foods actually pose harm to humans or animals. “The scientific research conducted so far has not detected any significant hazards directly connected with the use of genetically engineered crops,” the scientists concluded. (Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jonentine/2013/10/14/2000-reasons-why-gmos-are-safe-to-eat-and-environmentally-sustainable/) Well, seems I can feel safe and have my potato chips again.

The Selfish Gene- the purpose of our existence

    

     Man never passes on genes. The truth is that the gene uses man to pass itself on. Bitter as it sounds, an organism is no more than a transient medium whereby the gene is carried to future generations. This means that almost every aspect of animal behavior is elaborately coded so as to secure and consequently pass down the gene to the descents. Particularly interesting was the behavior of the Ground Squirrel. Living in groups, Ground Squirrels are renowned for making loud, characteristic alarm calls when they spot a predator. The individual organism that first spots the predator and makes the call is, of course, very likely to be killed by the predator. Underlying such seemingly altruistic behavior is an extremely calculative, even selfish motive. Keep in mind that the true beneficiary of the alarm call is neither the group nor the individual--it is the gene. By sacrificing the individual organism and instead saving many close relatives within the group possessing itself,  the gene has successfully done its purpose of  'self-reproduction.' The will of the individual is of no importance in this grand scheme. Even humans cannot be an exception. Maternal love, often considered noble and even divine, is no more than a small component of the gene's scheme to safely reproduce itself--remember that the child is the direct inheritor of his parents' genes. The conclusion is therefore very clear. Gene rules.
     However, this does not mean that man is not a noble creature. Richard Dawkins is in fact a great humanist despite all the malicious and undeserved rumors and blames targeted towards him by some exceptionally absurd group of people. Dawkins extends his unique argument about 'self-reproduction' to literally everything existing in the universe including ideologies, philosophies, culture, art, and anything created by human beings. These self-reproducing entities are called 'Memes.'  Unlike that between gene and man, the relationship between meme and man is an extremely productive and expansive one. The genes may be extremely transient (the combination of my genes would shrink into 1/8 only after three generations), but the memes, the most majestic and glorious products of human intelligence and creativity, transcend countless number of generations (#Socrates, Plato, Aristotle), greatly contributing to the breathtaking grandeur of mankind. As the Korean proverb "A tiger leaves a skin behind him; a man leaves his name" suggests, the true value of our existence comes from the achievements we make in our lives. The products of such achievements, transcending time and space to which we belong, shall not only illuminate the future but also leave our marks on the universe. The purpose of our existence is therefore clear. Once we are not given the choice to defy the scheme of our genes, the only way we can make ourselves meaningful is contributing to the future with the endless legacies of our achievements.