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Two-sided genetic coin at The Thinking Meat Project
A new article in The Atlantic has rocked my world in a way that articles anywhere seldom do. David Dobbs explains a new hypothesis regarding genes, environment, and behavior, which he dubs the orchid hypothesis. I’ve written before about genes that appear to make a person vulnerable to things like depression or anxiety, but the vulnerability may be only half of the story. A growing amount of evidence indicates that those carrying such genes may not only be at risk of a particular disorder if they are raised in an unfavorable environment, but may also function at an above-average level if raised in a favorable environment. This could explain a lot about how supposedly detrimental genetic variants could have survived in the population.
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A new article in The Atlantic has rocked my world in a way that articles anywhere seldom do. David Dobbs explains a new hypothesis regarding genes, environment, and behavior, which he dubs the orchid hypothesis. I’ve written before about genes that appear to make a person vulnerable to things like depression or anxiety, but the vulnerability may be only half of the story. A growing amount of evidence indicates that those carrying such genes may not only be at risk of a particular disorder if they are raised in an unfavorable environment, but may also function at an above-average level if raised in a favorable environment. This could explain a lot about how supposedly detrimental genetic variants could have survived in the population.
Dandelions and orchids « Joanne Jacobs
Some good comments here from parents, some of whom feel they've raised orchids, some v difficult, but that turned out well. One esp, Rebeccat, which see.
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Rather, I am of a mind that our current societal setup is such that we lose a lot more orchids than necessary by raising them under stressed conditions, and we do so because our society is set up to maximize other things: generally the conservative vision of economic competition and the liberal vision of individual choice. At least, that is where my mind goes, as I look at families where I taught the parents and now teach their children, and good brains frequently go to waste in a mush of poor attendance, emotional problems, substance abuse, etc.
Although the article waxes the most enthusiastic about the genetic theorizing, I suspect the most useful observations involve the intervention program detailed in paragraphs 3-5 of the linked article. Society has many deep seated reasons not to change, but mothers of young children may present a more willing audience. It am struck by the following: -
recognized my kids in this article. My oldest, in particular, was difficult practically from birth. I think I spent the fist 6 years of his life fending off suggestions from a wide variety of people that there was something wrong with him. “Stubborn is just the other side of determined and overly emotional is just an undisciplined way of being passionate,” I used to say. My philosophy was that my job is to help my kids be who they are (highly emotional, active, stubborn, neurotic, etc) in a way which will work for them in this world we’re living in. My two boys are now 14 and 10 and are actually doing quite well. My 14 year old in particular is shockingly mature for a boy his age. He’s still working some things out, but I do believe that in a few years when it’s time for him to really go out into the world, he’s going to be an amazing person. I also believe that he would have been completely destroyed in an environment with parents who were less able to really work intensively with him to turn his less desirable traits into positives. But, I have to say that raising orchids is HARD work. I wouldn’t really want to go back and start over for much of anything.
ScienceDirect - Biological Psychiatry : The Role of COMT Val158Met in Cognition
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Does the meta-analysis of Barnett et al. (1), “Meta-Analysis of the Cognitive Effects of the Catechol-O-Methyltransferase Gene Val158/108Met Polymorphism,” justify their conclusion that “Despite initial promising results, the COMT Val158/108Met polymorphism appears to have little if any association with cognitive function”? We submit that this statement illustrates the potential shortcomings of a purely statistical evaluation of a domain of inquiry that has penetrated to the deeper level of biological mechanisms
untitled
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An Italian court has cut the sentence given to a convicted murderer by a year because he has genes linked to violent behaviour — the first time that behavioural genetics has affected a sentence passed by a European court. But researchers contacted by Nature have questioned whether the decision was based on sound science.
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During the trial, Bayout's lawyer, Tania Cattarossi, asked the court to take into account that her client may have been mentally ill at the time of the murder. After considering three psychiatric reports, the judge, Paolo Alessio Vernì, partially agreed that Bayout's psychiatric illness was a mitigating factor and sentenced him to 9 years and 2 months in prison — around three years less than Bayout would have received had he been deemed to be of sound mind
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Does the Vaccine Matter? - The Atlantic (November 2009)
Whether this season’s swine flu turns out to be deadly or mild, most experts agree that it’s only a matter of time before we’re hit by a truly devastating flu pandemic—one that might kill more people worldwide than have died of the plague and aids combined. In the U.S., the main lines of defense are pharmaceutical—vaccines and antiviral drugs to limit the spread of flu and prevent people from dying from it. Yet now some flu experts are challenging the medical orthodoxy and arguing that for those most in need of protection, flu shots and antiviral drugs may provide little to none. So where does that leave us if a bad pandemic strikes?
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Flu comes and goes with the seasons, and often it does not kill people directly, but rather contributes to death by making the body more susceptible to secondary infections like pneumonia or bronchitis. For this reason, researchers studying the impact of flu vaccination typically look at deaths from all causes during flu season, and compare the vaccinated and unvaccinated populations.
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Such comparisons have shown a dramatic difference in mortality between these two groups: study after study has found that people who get a flu shot in the fall are about half as likely to die that winter—from any cause—as people who do not. Get your flu shot each year, the literature suggests, and you will dramatically reduce your chance of dying during flu season
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The Atlantic article: sur rebuttal : Effect Measure
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they apparently can't separate their role as journalists from the role of Dr. Jefferson as the person we accused of methodolatry
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It attempted to persuade people there is a real question about the usefulness of influenza vaccine during a pandemic, a time when the public is trying to understand what to do. It confused pretty much everyone who read it on that scor
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Knight Science Journalism Tracker » Blog Archive » The Atlantic on flu vaccines: Responses.
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We’re simply saying that the nation’s seasonal flu strategy, which is to vaccinate the elderly and other vulnerable populations, may not be working as well as has been claimed. If we rely on vaccine during a major, deadly pandemic (which thus far this one does not appear to be, but things could change), the public may not be as well protected as we might hope or believe. We don’t say flu vaccine is worthless, we simply say nobody really knows how much protection it might offer. Better studies would help define what vaccine can and can’t do – and help us prepare for the really nasty pandemic that many experts believe is only a matter of time.
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Almost 15% of adults under 65 lack insurance, and many, many more are uninsured
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We may be rising in the national rankings. But we’re worse off now than we were 5 years ago.
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Goodbye HuffPost, Hello ScienceBlogs: Science as a Religion that Worships Truth as its God : Evolution for Everyone
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The second major issue that requires scientific reform is group selection, a theory that explains how groups can become well adapted to their environments in the same sense that individuals do. The theory of group selection began with Darwin and involves a simple set of issues that anyone can understand. Yet, it remains endlessly controversial. Next year marks the 35th anniversary of my first publication on group selection and I'm confident that the controversy will continue for decades more unless something is done. That "something" is a truth and reconciliation process, similar to the resolution of political conflicts that otherwise might continue forever. The idea that a scientific controversy might require a truth and reconciliation process similar to a political controversy speaks volumes about science as a fallible and culturally influenced process.
My
Technology Review: Flu Vaccines Hit a Wall
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Perhaps the most exciting but challenging prospect for a universal vaccine lies in DNA-based vaccines--sequences of DNA that, when taken up by cells and expressed as proteins, prompt an immune response. DNA vaccines can be made and modified quickly, are cheap to produce, and have a long shelf life
This Is Your Wake-up Call: 12 Steps to Better Book Publishing - 4/20/2009 - Publishers Weekly
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Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin's Three Cups of Tea, for example, has been sustained by a dynamic author and a multi-year speaking tour, and the hit Twilight series has greatly benefited from Stephenie Meyer's extensive online promotional efforts
Paying More, Getting Less | Dollars & Sense
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For insurance premiums: in 2007, the average annual premiums for health insurance policies offered through employers were $4,479 for individuals and $12,106 for families, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation’s annual survey of health benefits.
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Either way, however, the full premium cost represents a bite taken out of the worker’s total “wage packet”—the cost of wages plus benefits
Crucial role for the Nalp3 inflammasome in the immunostimulatory properties of aluminium adjuvants : Abstract : Nature
Another paper proposing a mechanismi for alum.
Kang 2009 (review): Influenza vaccines based on virus-like particles
Good review. says viable, some things to be worked out, esp trials in humans.
The Tyee — A Soldier Martyr, Faked and True. Review 'Where Men Find GLory"
Journalist Jon Krakauer is obsessed with people who make unfathomable choices, from a young man wandering in the wilderness in Into the Wild to climbers attempting Everest in Into Thin Air to polygamists hearing a call to violence in Under the Banner of Heaven. The subject of Krakauer's new book, Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman, is one of these. As we all know, Pat Tillman left the NFL in 2002 to enlist in the army, inspired to do his part in the service of a president he distrusted and later, a war he doubted. When Tillman was killed by friendly fire, the army and government engaged in a cover-up to turn him into a martyred hero. In this book, Krakauer exposes each step of the deception with persistent detail.
NCHC | Facts About Healthcare - Health Insurance Coverage
Good list of basic stats and facts (national) on healthcare coverage (and lack thereof)
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Studies estimate that the number of excess deaths among uninsured adults age 25-64 is in the range of 22,000 a year. This mortality figure is more than the number of deaths from diabetes (17,500) within the same age group.8
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