Why is Iceland considered the ”perfect genetic laboratory”?
Using an entire country — Iceland — as a genetics laboratory, scientists there say they've identified previously unknown gene mutations that could be involved in a range of ailments, from heart disease to Alzheimer's.
The researchers undertook a massive gene-sequencing program involving 2,636Icelanders, and because of something known as the founder effect — most of the country's inhabitants can trace their lineage back to a small group of founding fathers who came to Iceland from Europe around 1,100 years ago — they found they could infer the distribution of the genetic variants likely in the remaining 325,000Icelanders.
That allowed them to identify genetic mutations linked to Alzheimer's, atrial fibrillation, liver disease, thyroid disorders and other conditions, says study leader Kari Stefansson, CEO of deCODEGenetics/Amgen.
In addition to genetic mutations, the researchers focused on people who lack a working copy of any particular gene, a condition geneticists call knockouts and consider valuable in understanding the pathways to disease.
"Basically, what we have is a fairly detailed insight into the DNA sequences of an entire nation ... We now have an insight into our fellow countrymen who have had a gene knocked out," Stefansson says.
There are a lot of them, the researchers say, noting that almost 8 percent of Icelanders lack a working copy of some gene.
The researchers identified 1,171 genes that were found to not be working in Icelanders with knockouts.
The fact that people with missing genes aren't necessarily prone to disease suggests some level of built-in redundancy in the human genome that allows particular genes to lose their function without any immediately obvious impact on a person's overall health, Stefanssonsays. Finding the redundancy might also help understand why certain people get sicker with a disease while others remain relatively unaffected.
Many previous studies have mined large databases of genetic information to find genetic culprits behind diseases like cancer and Alzheimer's, but the study of a genetically-unique population such as that found in Iceland is a golden opportunity to identify even more genetic changes that could also be important contributors to disease, the researchers say.
It could yield a more complete understanding of the genetic roots of health problems and could lead to new drugs and treatments for them, Stefanss says.
"I'm willing to go so far as to say that there is nothing in human nature that may not have a reflection in the genome, or have something in the genome that associates with it," he says. "We are made from the basis of the information coded in the genome."
Suppose the small open economy Iceland has perfect financial capital mobility and no risk premium. Some of their information is: C = 150 + 0.60(Y – T) – 25r I = 200 – 75r d) Draw two diagrams depicting long-run equilibrium, one for the domestic loanable funds market in Iceland and one for the foreign exchange market. In each diagram clearly label the initial long-run equilibrium from part A/B & the both new long-run equilibria from part C. Has the...
1. What two molecules were being seriously considered as an organism's genetic material? • Why? • Why was one considered more appealing, despite being ultimately incorrect? • How did Frederick Griffith discover his transforming principle? • How did Avery's lab continue Griffith's work to support DNA as the genetic material? • How did Hershey and Chase ultimately demonstrate DNA as the genetic material? • What role did Chargaff play in discovering DNA as the genetic material and molecular structure? •...
Question 1 Why are firms that operate under the “perfect competition market structure” considered to be price takers? Question 2 Is it ever possible for a firm to have a negative accounting profit at the same time it is experiencing a positive economic profit? Explain. Question 3 What is the connection between implicit costs and opportunity costs? Question 4 When business firms are able to control their basic costs, is success assured? Why or why not? Question 5 Why...
Do you feel that these concepts, the Down's Syndrome rate of Iceland and the concept of eugenics are similar or dissimilar? Why or why not? https://www.cbsnews.com/news/down-syndrome-iceland/ https://www.history.com/topics/germany/eugenics
Providing transport related examples, analyse and compare the two extremes market structures and explain why perfect competition is considered to be the most desirable market structure (250 words)
The genetic sequence is considered which level of structure in the DNA hierarchy? primary secondary tertiary quaternary
Describe three genetic tests available to parents. Why would parents choose to complete these genetic tests? What ethical dilemmas might arise in association with genetic testing? Consider the three genetic tests that you discussed in question 1. Would they all have the same ethical implications? Why or why not? Discuss how your religious worldview might influence your reproductive choices and/or a decision to conduct genetic testing during pregnancy.
1. Laboratory techniques allow, without any background, to confirm the disease in a person. In other words, if a laboratory receives a blood sample and there is no enzyme activity or a pathogenic mutation (variant) in any gene of interest, then it concludes that the patient is ill. True or False 2. The results in a laboratory technique are interpreted from a reference. True or False 3. The analysis of the enzymatic activity is considered a genetic test. True or...
Perfect competition is considered to be the most efficient market structure. In a short essay (3 paragraphs), using a graph or two, explain this concept fully. How do Imperfect markets cost society? What is lost? Be specific, define your terms, and give examples.
Cancer is considered by many a primarily genetic disease. However,what role does a lifestyle choice, such as smoking or a high cholesterol diet, play in the development of cancer? (CLO 4)