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Category: genetics – Page 223

2-Minute Neuroscience: Autism

Autism is characterized by impairments in social communication and interaction and restricted and repetitive behaviors. In this video, I discuss the neuroscience of autism along with potential factors and mechanisms involved in the development of autism.

TRANSCRIPT:

Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder, is characterized by symptoms that include impairments in social communication and interaction and restricted and repetitive behaviors. Although the neuroscience of autism is still poorly understood, autism is considered to be a complex developmental disorder that involves atypical brain organization starting early in development.

Individuals with autism often experience a period of unusually rapid brain growth in infancy and early childhood. This accelerated brain growth is linked to an atypical pattern of connectivity between brain regions. A number of studies report that alterations in brain circuitry involved with social interaction and attention can be detected well before the symptoms of autism begin to appear. At this point, however, it’s unclear how brain overgrowth and atypical connectivity might be linked to the occurrence of autism symptoms.

Research suggests that the risk of autism is strongly influenced by genetics, yet studies consistently report that environmental factors also play a large role. Although a number of potential environmental factors have been identified, the risk factors for autism are far from definitive, and it remains unclear which factors are responsible for causing an increase in autism risk, and which are associated in a non-causal way. The risk factors that are most strongly linked to autism are associated with the prenatal or perinatal period. Thus, it’s possible they might be responsible for disruptions to typical neural development, leading to symptoms of autism months or years later. How these risk factors might interfere with neural development is still uncertain, but hypotheses have suggested potential mechanisms such as epigenetic effects, inflammation, oxidative stress, or damage caused by oxygen deficiency. More work needs to be done, however, to fully elucidate the genetic and environmental risk factors for autism, as well as the mechanisms for the development of autism symptoms.

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TRNA ‘Wobble’ Helps Cells Boost Antibody Production

The various identities of cells, whether they are in the brain, heart, kidney, or any other tissue, are defined by the genes they expressed. In basic terms, the genes that are active in a cell are transcribed into RNA molecules that are then translated into proteins using tRNA molecules. In the genetic code, three base pair sequences of DNA, or codons, represent amino acids. These amino acids are moved into place by tRNA molecules, which have matching anticodons, to make proteins. There is redundancy in the genetic code as well, in which one amino acid can often be encoded by a few different codons.

Protein production varies considerably in different cells, and this is especially notable in cells that generate antibodies. These cells often have to spring into action and shift into high gear to generate many infection-fighting antibodies quickly. These antibody producers are B cells, and they often make significant metabolic adaptations when they’re needed.

The Forces That Drive Evolution May Not Be as Random as We Thought

The random nature of genetic mutation implies evolution is largely unpredictable. But recent research suggests this may not be entirely so, with interactions between genes playing a bigger role than expected in determining how a genome changes.

It’s known that some areas of the genome are more likely to be mutable than others, but a new study now suggests a species’ evolutionary history may play a role in making mutations more predictable too.

“The implications of this research are nothing short of revolutionary,” says University of Nottingham evolutionary biologist James McInerney.

Supercomputer uses machine learning to set new speed record

Give people a barrier, and at some point they are bound to smash through. Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier in 1947. Yuri Gagarin burst into orbit for the first manned spaceflight in 1961. The Human Genome Project finished cracking the genetic code in 2003. And we can add one more barrier to humanity’s trophy case: the exascale barrier.

The exascale barrier represents the challenge of achieving exascale-level computing, which has long been considered the benchmark for high performance. To reach that level, however, a computer needs to perform a quintillion calculations per second. You can think of a quintillion as a million trillion, a billion billion, or a million million millions. Whichever you choose, it’s an incomprehensibly large number of calculations.

On May 27, 2022, Frontier, a supercomputer built by the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, managed the feat. It performed 1.1 quintillion calculations per second to become the fastest computer in the world.

Using A.I. & Blockchain to Target Aging: Kennedy Schaal at EARD 2023

A.I. for longevity and long lived flies.

Kennedy Schaal presents “Using Advanced A.I. and Blockchain Technology to Targey Aging” at the Longevity+DeSci Summit NYC (EARD 2023) hosted by Lifespan.io. Summary ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Kennedy Schaal is the founder and CEO of Rejuve Biotech, an AI-driven therapeutics discovery company solving the problems for longevity and age-associated diseases. By using advanced Artificial Intelligence to combine data from the Methuselah Flies with data from people, Rejuve. Bio can shorten the drug discovery pipeline and rapidly develop novel therapeutics to help people live longer. They have two high-impact and novel data sources, as well as unique artificial intelligence technology. First and foremost, they are the sole owner of data from the Methuselah Flies (fruit flies) that have been bred for longevity. Second, because flies have a shorter life cycle, they can be tested for longevity much faster than other animal models. Rejuve Biotech has the unique ability to test multiple interventions and treatment combinations over the course of a fruit fly’s life and in various aspects of its life (e.g., mating, disease resistance). In addition, they also have quick access to Crowdsourced Human Data collected by a partner company, Rejuve Network. Kennedy Schaal is an accomplished biotechnology executive with a strong leadership track record in applied genomic research and Artificial Intelligence at the frontier of longevity science. She is also a multi-published author on the science of longevity and applied genomics trials. Kennedy is also a world-leading expert on genomic selection and breeding for innovative Drosophila Methuselah Flies, which together with applied Artificial Intelligence solve many of today’s pain points in longevity research, with the potential for massive impact on the health and lifespan of people across the planet. Experienced Laboratory Director and Chief Biologist with a demonstrated history of working in the biotechnology industry. Strong research professional skilled in evolutionary biology, genetics, and the study of aging-related diseases.

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