tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812431336777691886.post1879315612227602704..comments2024-02-29T03:57:00.088-05:00Comments on The Mermaid's Tale: First we were snapped, now we're SNP'dAnne Buchananhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09212151396672651221noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812431336777691886.post-54079341439587566842012-02-20T09:43:21.362-05:002012-02-20T09:43:21.362-05:00Thanks Jeffrey!Thanks Jeffrey!Holly Dunsworthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05260104967932801186noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812431336777691886.post-64630308801408137902012-02-19T21:09:02.971-05:002012-02-19T21:09:02.971-05:00I took this class, I think, over 20 years ago as a...I took this class, I think, over 20 years ago as an Anthropology minor at Penn State. We didn't do anything nearly as cool as this, but I really enjoyed the class and learned a great deal that I've retained to this day. I am very happy to see you bringing such exciting and fun projects into the curriculum. Good for you and keep it up. I wish I could come back.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18365051376050818271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812431336777691886.post-48651822629793944712012-02-17T10:51:53.944-05:002012-02-17T10:51:53.944-05:00Great project, Holly! There's a paper in toda...Great project, Holly! There's a <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/content/335/6070/823.full" rel="nofollow">paper</a> in today's Science, which makes all of this even more complicated, perhaps. "A Systematic Survey of Loss-of-Function Variants in Human Protein-Coding Genes", MacArthur et al., looks at sequences from the 1000 Genome Project and finds that "human genomes typically contain ~100 genuine LoF variants with ~20 genes completely inactivated. We identify rare and likely deleterious LoF [loss of function] alleles, including 26 known and 21 predicted severe disease–causing variants, as well as common LoF variants in nonessential genes." Most people are heterozygous for such variants, but not for all of them. <br /><br />So, deleted or mutant genes need not have any effect at all. It may be that mutant genes, by still working, have effect more often than simply dead genes, but the fact that the latter can be routinely survivable raises (yet another) flag about how our genome sequences should be interpreted.Anne Buchananhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09212151396672651221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812431336777691886.post-69873594927997254382012-02-17T08:30:28.426-05:002012-02-17T08:30:28.426-05:00Ditto on the well put, Ken. Thanks for your most h...Ditto on the well put, Ken. Thanks for your most helpful comment.Holly Dunsworthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05260104967932801186noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812431336777691886.post-77547538513093814822012-02-17T08:26:13.452-05:002012-02-17T08:26:13.452-05:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Ken Weisshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02049713123559138421noreply@blogger.com