The Scientist - 09 2019

76 Pages·2019·18.88 MB·English

SEPTEMBER 2019 | WWW.THE-SCIENTIST.COM

DRUG TRIALS
FOR FRAGILE X

DOPING ATHLETES
VS ANTI-DOPING
OFFICIALS

RETHINKING
ANIMAL RESEARCH

ANCIENT SECRETS IN THE
HUMAN GENOME

OUR INNER
NEANDERTHAL

PLUS
NEW MODEL
ORGANISMS ON
THE BLOCK

RELEASED BY "What's News" vk.com/wsnws TELEGRAM: t.me/whatsnws

MIRUS
MIRUS

©2019 All rights reserved Mirus Bio LLC. Mirus Bio is a registered trademarks of Mirus Bio LLC.
All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

mirusbio.com/sample

RELEASED BY "What's News" vk.com/wsnws TELEGRAM: t.me/whatsnws

©2019 All rights reserved Mirus Bio LLC. Mirus Bio is a registered trademarks of Mirus Bio LLC.
All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

mirusbio.com/sample

RELEASED BY "What's News" vk.com/wsnws TELEGRAM: t.me/whatsnws

www.eppendorf.com/automation • 800-645-3050

031.A1.0133.C Eppendorf®, the Eppendorf Brand Design, and epMotion® are registered trademarks of Eppendorf AG, Germany.
All rights reserved including graphics and images. Copyright © 2019 by Eppendorf AG. *See Application Note 168 for more details.

Do More With Less

Increased reproducibility at small volumes with the epMotion® liquid handling workstations

> Improves pipetting accuracy with a
CV of 1.6 % at 1 µL*
> Software assistants for easy and
intuitive application programming
> Availability of 3 instrument sizes and
multiple upgrade options to adjust to
your workflow

Experience great accuracy and precision
from 200 nL to 1,000 L with the epMotion
liquid handling workstations. Improve
your reproducibility for qPCR setups,
NGS library preparations, and enzymatic
assays and save money by eliminating
pipetting errors.

RELEASED BY "What's News" vk.com/wsnws TELEGRAM: t.me/whatsnws

3
09.2019 | THE SCIENTIST

© ISTOCK.COM, SIMONKR; © SCIENCESOURCE, S. ENTRESSANGLE AND E. DAYNES

Contents

Features

SEPTEMBER 2019

THE SCIENTIST
THE-SCIENTIST.COM
VOLUME 33 NUMBER 09

44
A Broken X
Despite a solid understanding of the
biological basis of fragile X syndrome,
researchers have struggled to develop
effective treatments. But recent trials
offer hope.

BY RANDI HAGERMAN

36
Our Inner Neanderthal
From skin color to immunity, human
biology appears to be linked to our
archaic ancestry.

BY JEF AKST

30
The Doping Arms Race
Athletes have devised ways to outsmart
tests for performance-boosting drugs, but
scientists are working hard to get ahead.

BY ANNA AZVOLINSKY

ON THE COVER: © SCIENCESOURCE, S. ENTRESSANGLE AND E. DAYNES

RELEASED BY "What's News" vk.com/wsnws TELEGRAM: t.me/whatsnws

RELEASED BY "What's News" vk.com/wsnws TELEGRAM: t.me/whatsnws

5
09.2019 | THE SCIENTIST

DEWALD KLEYNHANS, UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA; © ISTOCKPHOTO.COM, RALWEL; © KEN RICHARDSON PHOTOGRAPHY

Department Contents

SEPTEMBER 2019

13
FROM THE EDITOR
We’re Different, We’re the Same
Diversity is a strength. And so is a
full appreciation of our similarities.

BY BOB GRANT

16 NOTEBOOK
Impervious; Stellar Influence?;
Help for Hellbenders; Complex
Inheritance

28 CRITIC AT LARGE
Diversify Our Human Genomic Data
To better understand the biology
of our species and to make
individualized medicine accessible
to all, we need to consider the
comprehensive genetic makeup of a
wider swath of humanity.

BY CHARLES LEE

28 MODUS OPERANDI
Optogenetics Sans Genetics
DNA-coated gold nanorods enable
cells to be activated by light without
genetic manipulation.

BY RUTH WILLIAMS

52 THE LITERATURE
A synthetic ion channel makes plants
grow faster; a new family of viruses;
potential biomarkers of suicidal
thoughts in PTSD patients

54 PROFILE
Defining Rare Disorders
Judith Hall was instrumental in
incorporating genetics into medical
practice, describing previously
unknown disorders.

BY ANNA AZVOLINSKY

57 SCIENTIST TO WATCH
Cigall Kadoch: Unraveling Cancer

BY CHIA-YI HOU

59 LAB TOOLS
Genetics’ Next Top Models
You’re well-acquainted with
Drosophila, C. elegans, and the
humble lab mouse, but lesser-known
model systems are poised to make
their mark.

BY AMBER DANCE

63 CAREERS
Fixing Animal Research
Many in vivo preclinical studies are
poorly designed and generate
irreproducible data, but efforts to
address the problem are on the rise.

BY DIANA KWON

67 READING FRAMES
Meeting Our Maker
Humans are the first species to
decipher the genetic code that
underlies our biology, but does it
hold all the answers?

BY BILL SULLIVAN

72 FOUNDATIONS
Modern Synthesis, 1937

BY CHIA-YI HOU

IN EVERY ISSUE
10
CONTRIBUTORS

15
SPEAKING OF SCIENCE

71
THE GUIDE

52

16

57

PUZZLE ON PAGE 15

L U N A M O T H
R A S H
I
I
I
O
N
O
M A N I C U R E
R A I N
E
E
R
R
J
T
E
T O X I C O L O G Y

C
W
F
D
S
M
B
A N I M A L
S H R I K E
T
N
U
S
U
C
E
A L G O N Q U I A N
R
S
A
N
T
C
T
A L P S
S T A R G A Z E

C
A
A
E
V
N
T U N A
I N H E R E N T

RELEASED BY "What's News" vk.com/wsnws TELEGRAM: t.me/whatsnws

6
THE SCIENTIST | the-scientist.com

Online Contents

AS ALWAYS, FIND BREAKING NEWS EVERY DAY ON OUR WEBSITE.

© ISTOCK.COM, АЛЕКСЕЙ ФИЛАТОВ

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

• A new view of Parkinson’s disease

• How could the Trump administration’s suggested ban on
fetal tissues in research hurt vaccine development?

AND MUCH MORE

VIDEO

Neanderthals in Our Family Tree
Vanderbilt University’s Tony Capra, who
is quoted in this month’s feature article on
Neanderthal DNA in modern genomes,
discusses the effects of interbreeding
between ancient hominin groups.

VIDEO
Genomic Medicine’s Future
Charles Lee, scientific director of
the Jackson Laboratory for Genomic
Medicine, talks about his vision for
how genomic discovery will fuel
individualized medicine.

VIDEO
Fragile Xpert
The MIND Institute’s Randi Hagerman
discusses symptoms and treatment in
children with fragile X.

THIS MONTH AT THE-SCIENTIST.COM:

SEPTEMBER 2019

Online Contents

RELEASED BY "What's News" vk.com/wsnws TELEGRAM: t.me/whatsnws

DOWNLOAD
The ELISA Guide
Learn more at rndsystems.com/elisa

Global bio-techne.com