Aug 15 2008
What we know today about the correlation between genetic variation and observable effects on people’s health, physical appearance and other traits is just the tip of the iceberg, according to a paper published Friday in PLoS Genetics.
The paper analyzes Craig Venter’s exons — the parts of the genome that encode proteins. Venter, who is director [...]
Jul 10 2008
You’ve always known that you have your dad’s curly hair, your mother’s eyes, and your grandmother’s coloring. But now that you’ve got your data back from 23andMe, you find yourself wondering whose side of the family the wet ear wax comes from (everyone denies having it), as well as whom to thank for the malarial [...]
Jun 24 2008
SNPwatch gives you the latest news about research linking various traits and conditions to individual genetic variations. These studies are exciting because they offer a glimpse into how genetics may affect our bodies and health; but in most cases, more work is needed before this research can provide information of value to individuals. For that [...]
Apr 07 2008
DNA Day is less that three weeks away. Here are a few activities you can do with kids (and adults!) of all ages to celebrate on April 25. If you have some other ideas, please let us know!
(Note: These links will take you to websites outside the domain of The Spittoon. 23andMe is not [...]
Feb 21 2008
DNA Day — April 25th — is only 65 days away! To help celebrate the occasion, the American Society of Human Genetics, Applied Biosystems, and the Hudson Alpha Institute for Biotechnology are sponsoring an essay contest for middle school and high school students.
First place winners in each category will win $350, second place winners [...]
Feb 12 2008
We don’t necessarily condone this kind of behavior, but 23andMe customer Andrew Meyer has challenged the world to a spitting contest.
In this video on his blog, BUZZYEAH, Andrew produces the 2.5 milliliter (about a half-teaspoon) saliva sample required by 23andMe in 146 seconds. He claims this is a world record feat, and challenges salivators everywhere [...]
