The Scientist

76 Pages·2019·17.979 MB·English

SEPTEMBER 2019 | WWW.THE-SCIENTIST.COM
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SEPTEMBER 2019
Contents
THE SCIENTIST THE-SCIENTIST.COM VOLUME 33 NUMBER 09
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S Athletes have devised ways to outsmart From skin color to immunity, human Despite a solid understanding of the
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R; tests for performance-boosting drugs, but biology appears to be linked to our biological basis of fragile X syndrome,
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ON scientists are working hard to get ahead. archaic ancestry. researchers have struggled to develop
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SI BY ANNA AZVOLINSKY BYJEF AKST effective treatments. But recent trials
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09.2019 | THE SCIENTIST 3

SEPTEMBER 2019
Department Contents
16 13 FROM THE EDITOR 59 LAB TOOLS
We’re Different, We’re the Same Genetics’ Next Top Models
Diversity is a strength. And so is a You’re well-acquainted with
full appreciation of our similarities. Drosophila, C. elegans, and the
BY BOB GRANT humble lab mouse, but lesser-known
model systems are poised to make
16 NOTEBOOK their mark.
Impervious; Stellar Influence?; BY AMBER DANCE
Help for Hellbenders; Complex
Inheritance 63 CAREERS
Fixing Animal Research
28 CRITIC AT LARGE Many in vivo preclinical studies are
Diversify Our Human Genomic Data poorly designed and generate
To better understand the biology irreproducible data, but efforts to
of our species and to make address the problem are on the rise.
individualized medicine accessible BY DIANA KWON
to all, we need to consider the
52
HY comprehensive genetic makeup of a 67 READING FRAMES
P
RA wider swath of humanity. Meeting Our Maker
G
O BY CHARLES LEE Humans are the first species to
T
HO decipher the genetic code that
P
N 28 MODUS OPERANDI underlies our biology, but does it
O
DS Optogenetics Sans Genetics hold all the answers?
R
HA DNA-coated gold nanorods enable BY BILL SULLIVAN
C
RI cells to be activated by light without
N
KE genetic manipulation. 72 FOUNDATIONS
L; © BY RUTH WILLIAMS Modern Synthesis, 1937
WE BY CHIA-YI HOU
AL 52 THE LITERATURE
R
M, A synthetic ion channel makes plants IN EVERY ISSUE
O
O.C grow faster; a new family of viruses; 10 CONTRIBUTORS
OT potential biomarkers of suicidal 15 SPEAKING OF SCIENCE
H
KP thoughts in PTSD patients 71 THE GUIDE
C 57
O
T
© IS 54PROFILE ANSWEPRU ZZLE ON PAGE 15
RIA; Defining Rare Disorders
TO Judith Hall was instrumental in L U N A MO T H R A S H
E
PR incorporating genetics into medical I I I O N O
F M A N I C U R E R A I N
O practice, describing previously
Y E E R R J T E
T unknown disorders.
RSI T O X I C O L O G Y
E BY ANNA AZVOLINSKY
V C W F D S M B
NI
U A N I M A L S H R I K E
NS, 57 SCIENTIST TO WATCH T N U S U C E
A
H Cigall Kadoch: Unraveling Cancer A L G O N Q U I A N
N
EY BY CHIA-YI HOU R S A N T C T
L
D K A L P S S T A R G A Z E
AL C A A E V N
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DE T U N A I N H E R E N T
09.2019 | THE SCIENTIST 5
SEPTEMBER 2019
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THIS MONTH AT THE-SCIENTIST.COM:
VIDEO VIDEO VIDEO
Fragile Xpert Genomic Medicine’s Future Neanderthals in Our Family Tree
The MIND Institute’s Randi Hagerman Charles Lee, scientific director of Vanderbilt University’s Tony Capra, who
discusses symptoms and treatment in the Jackson Laboratory for Genomic is quoted in this month’s feature article on
children with fragile X. Medicine, talks about his vision for Neanderthal DNA in modern genomes,
how genomic discovery will fuel discusses the effects of interbreeding
individualized medicine. between ancient hominin groups.
AS ALWAYS, FIND BREAKING NEWS EVERY DAY ON OUR WEBSITE.
Coming in October
HERE’S WHAT YOU’LL FIND IN NEXT MONTH’S ISSUE
• How air pollution could be affecting the human brain
• Scientists’ emerging understanding of neutrophil
extracellular traps
В
О
АТ
Л
• A new view of Parkinson’s disease ФИ
Й
Е
С
К
• How could the Trump administration’s suggested ban on ЛЕ
А
fetal tissues in research hurt vaccine development? M,
O
C
K.
C
O
AND MUCH MORE T
S
© I
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