Genetics (Audio)

Jonathan Sebat, PhD shares current research on how combinations of rare gene mutations and complex common variant risk factors contribute to autism. Series: "Autism Awareness Programs" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Show ID: 37658]

To Sheng-Ying Pao, the power of reframing CRISPR lies in what is absolutely ordinary: paper. In CRISPaper, Pao revisited a cultural past in the ancient art of papermaking. In ancient China, wild rice was used to make paper. Pao took rice stalks from plants edited with CRISPR and ground the fibers into pulp. She then poured the pulp over a mesh screen. Every time she dipped the screen into water, the plant fibers would lift and resettle on top of the mesh, eventually making paper. Through the genome-edited rice plant, an ancient practice was juxtaposed with cutting-edge technology. Series: "UC Berkeley News" [Science] [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 37388]

UC Consortium launches first clinical trial using CRISPR to correct the gene defect that causes Sickle Cell Disease. Dr. Mark Walters of UCSF talks about a new CRISPR gene therapy developed by scientists and physicians at UC Berkeley, UCSF and UCLA. The trial aims to directly correct the sickle mutation in blood stem cells that causes them to create deformed red blood cells, leading to the debilitating and painful disease. It will be the first time clinical researchers attempt to correct the faulty beta-globin gene in a patient's own cells with non-virally delivered CRISPR gene correction tools. Series: "UC Berkeley News" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 37368]

Human physical activities differ significantly from other species. How, when and why did these capabilities evolve? What adaptations underlie them? And how did the evolution of human physical activity affect other key human characteristics that have advanced our species? Herman Pontzer explores the evolution of metabolism, Grazyna Jasienska discusses different effects of activity on women's reproductive health and Ellen Breen explores an evolutionary pathway for high endurance activity. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 37187]

Human physical activities differ significantly from other species. How, when and why did these capabilities evolve? What adaptations underlie them? And how did the evolution of human physical activity affect other key human characteristics that have advanced our species? Jandy Hanna explores climbing in human evolution.

Most primates live and move in the trees, but humans have evolved to move bipedally on the ground. Primates’ arboreal life-style has long been thought to have allowed the evolution of human beings’ unusual form of movement. We know much about how horizontal movement on branches differs in primates relative to most other mammals. But only recently have we begun to learn about how climbing is accomplished by non-human primates, and how such movement may have permitted early human ancestors to move upright. Key findings regarding the biomechanics of climbing, and what these data may mean for understanding human movement and exercise, are discussed. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 36948]

Human physical activities differ significantly from other species. How, when and why did these capabilities evolve? What adaptations underlie them? And how did the evolution of human physical activity affect other key human characteristics that have advanced our species? Herman Pontzer explores the evolution of human metabolism and its role in our evolution and health. From an evolutionary perspective, life is a game of turning energy into offspring. The strategies that species use to acquire energy, in the form of food, and allocate energy to the essential tasks of growth, maintenance, movement, and reproduction, are incredibly diverse and reflect the ecological pressures and opportunities encountered. There is a deep evolutionary history of the human metabolic strategy and our divergence from other apes. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 36951]

Human physical activities differ significantly from other species. How, when and why did these capabilities evolve? What adaptations underlie them? And how did the evolution of human physical activity affect other key human characteristics that have advanced our species? Ellen Breen explores an evolutionary pathway for high endurance activity. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 36945]

Explores cellular anthropology to understand how variation in human regulatory elements can mediate morphological evolution and individual variation of the craniofacial form. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 32973]

Human physical activities differ significantly from other species. How, when and why did these capabilities evolve? What adaptations underlie them? And how did the evolution of human physical activity affect other key human characteristics that have advanced our species? Yana Kamberov explores how sweating evolved and what it means for Homo sapiens. Humans use sweating as the primary mechanism to dump body heat. Humans’ ability to effectively harness sweating as a thermoregulatory mechanism is a product of the evolution of a massively increased sweat gland density and a drastic reduction in the size of body hair. Advances have been made in identifying the genetic basis for how these unique and essential adaptations of human physiology evolved. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 36949]

Human physical activities differ significantly from other species. How, when and why did these capabilities evolve? What adaptations underlie them? And how did the evolution of human physical activity affect other key human characteristics that have advanced our species? Tatum Simonson explains adaptations to altitude and diving.

Humans have persisted for hundreds of generations under challenging environmental extremes. Adaptations to such environments have been essential for survival, enabling populations to trek successfully among high mountain tops or to dive deeply into vast seas. Unique genetic signatures, resulting from thousands of years of strong selective pressures in these environments, have been discovered within the DNA of present-day populations. These findings provide important clues into evolutionary processes in humans. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 36946]