Objective: Eighteen extended multigenerational families were recruited from the genetically isolated Paisa community in Colombia to conduct genetic studies of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This report describes the inclusion strategy and clinical features of participants to facilitate comparisons with other data sets. Method:…

Most autism has a genetic cause although post-encephalitis cases are reported. In a case-series (N = 20) from Tanzania, 14 met research criteria for autism. Three (M:F = 1:2) had normal development to age 22, 35, and 42 months, with onset of autism upon recovery from severe malaria, attended by prolonged high fever, convulsions, and in one case…

In order to provide an alternative approach for understanding the biology and genetics of autism, we performed statistical analysis of gene expression profiles of lymphoblastoid cell lines derived from children with autism and their families. The goal was to assess the feasibility of using this model in identifying autism-associated genes.…

By the end of the eighth grade, students are expected to have a basic understanding of the mechanism of basic genetic inheritance. However, these concepts can be difficult to teach. In this article, the author introduces a new learning tool that will help facilitate student learning and enthusiasm to the basic concepts of genetic inheritance. This…

Symbiosis between rhizobia and leguminous plants leads to the formation of nitrogen-fixing root nodules. In the present article, we recommend the use of the ribosomal RNA (rRNA) isolated from legume nodules in an experimental class with the purpose of introducing students to the structure of eukaryotic and prokaryotic ribosomes and of…

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a Nobel Prize-winning technique that amplifies a specific segment of DNA and is commonly used to test for the presence of genetic modifications. Students use PCR to test corn meal and corn-muffin mixes for the presence of a promoter commonly used in genetically modified foods, the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S…

In this article, the authors discuss their belief in organizing curricula around sets of causal models in order to provide students with opportunities not only to learn about the subject matter of particular disciplines, but also about how scientific knowledge is generated and justified. They describe a nine-week genetics course for high school…

The aim of this literature review is to assess the current state of knowledge regarding differences and similarities between the inattentive (IA) and combined (C) subtypes of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in order to detail challenges concerning further conceptualization, diagnostics, and treatment. The literature on ADHD-IA and…

An international team that includes researchers from the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has discovered that mammalian chromosomes have evolved by breaking at specific sites rather than randomly as long thought--and that many of the breakage hot spots are also involved in human…

A novel method of studying the generation of genetic diversity in an undergraduate microbiology laboratory is described. The basis of this approach is the accumulation of mutations that confer a competitive advantage, or growth advantage in stationary phase (GASP) phenotype, to E. coli grown in stationary phase for extended periods of time.

Williams (WS) and Down syndromes (DS) are two genetic disorders that involve intellectual disability (ID) and have been extensively studied over the past decades because of the unique linguistic profiles they exhibit. Recent investigations seek to explore the fractionation of linguistic components within the cognitive system using genetically…

We examined the association between reading and general cognitive ability (g) in a population-based sample of 6,476 pairs of 7-year-old twins. Additive genetic influences largely accounted for individual differences in reading and the covariation between reading and g. Furthermore, both genetic and shared environmental influences on reading and g…

Each new baby is scrutinised and their facial features and other characteristics catalogued against known family members. This is essentially a social process: the new family member is recognised and accepted into the tribe. However, people's genetic inheritance--the information in their DNA--is also a serious matter with the potential to…

Haemoglobin, Hb is the red, protein pigment in blood that transports oxygen round the body. Decreased quantity could lead to anaemia, and when the anaemic condition turns severe, blood transfusion becomes inevitable. However, the safety of human source has become questionable in recent times, and this has aroused the interest of scientists to…

Age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in older adults, yet researchers are still in the dark about many of the factors that cause this incurable disease. But new insight from University of Florida (UF) and German researchers about a genetic link between rhesus monkeys with macular degeneration and humans could unlock…