Disclaimer: This web page was produced as an assignment for an undergraduate course at Davidson College. Nanopore sequencing of clinical blood samples in Ghana revealed gene variants linked to anti-malarial drug resistance and identified variations in vaccine targets. Malaria is a life-threatening disease transmitted through mosquitos, primarily prevalent in tropical countries. According to WHO, malaria…
Peek-A-Boo: “Hidden” Viruses in Protozoa Lead to Increased Illness Due to Evolutionary Advantages
Peek-A-Boo: “Hidden” Viruses in Protozoa Lead to Increased Illness Due to Evolutionary Advantages As humans increase travel and connections around the world, so does concern about the spread of diseases, especially ones that are known to fail to respond to treatments. Scientists use genome sequencing to gain a better understanding of the Leishmania RNA virus,…
Mousing through History: A Close Look at How House Mice Took Over North America
This web page was produced as an assignment for an undergraduate course at Davidson College. Return to the course home page here. The demographic history of house mice (Mus musculus domesticus) in eastern North America reveals a close link between human colonization and mouse dispersal. The house mouse (Mus musculus) has long been known for its…
Genetic Threads: Mapping the French Canadian Tapestry Through Space and Time
News and Views by: Gabe Jones (gajones@davidson.edu) Primary Article: Anderson-Trocméet al. 2023 Analyzing the nuanced genetic history of French Canadians, this research, employing an extensive spatial pedigree, reveals how historical events, geography, and migration have shaped their unique genetic landscape. By highlighting distinctive founder events this study forms the crucial link between family pedigrees, natural…
Unraveling the effect of the Black Death on the Genetic Diversity of Cambridgeshire
The Plague, also known as the Black Death, killed approximately 75-200 million Europeans, therefore it is not surprising that it is hypothesized that it had an effect on the genetic ancestry of people that lived after the Black Death. Surprisingly, no evidence was found to support this hypothesis! This web page was produced as an…
The Unexpected Relationship Between The Roman Empire and Modern Day Europe
An analysis of 204 genomes across Europe and the Mediterranean has given significant evidence of high mobility and minimal genetic admixture between the dawn of the Roman Empire and now, despite predictions from models. This web page was produced as an assignment for an undergraduate course at Davidson College. Since the initial growth of genome…
How does cancer start? Identifying the genetic processes by which lung adenocarcinoma is developed
A whole genome analysis of lung adenocarcinoma tissue shed light into one of the mechanisms by which cancer is developed. Authors identified specific types of mutations and the order in which they happen that lead to developing lung adenocarcinoma. About the author: Sofia Doune Bosch This web page was produced as an assignment for an…
The scoop on poop: Metagenomic analysis highlights why some bacteria are successful following fecal transplant
Scientists studied the metagenomics of the intestinal microbiome of fecal matter transplant donors and recipients to gain an understanding of which bacterial taxa are successful in recolonizing the fecal transplant recipient’s gut after CDI. Bacterial species that demonstrated genomic evidence of high metabolic independence exhibited better survivability in high-stress conditions than those with lower independence.…
“TB or Not TB”: How Your Genome Can Influence Your Risk for Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis continues to be a leading cause of death globally, but its genetic susceptibility has not yet been completely understood. A meta-analysis consisting of 12 genome-wide association studies (GWAS) studied the heritability and significant genes contributing to tuberculosis susceptibility. This web page was produced as an assignment for an undergraduate course at Davidson College. by…
Holy Cow : Unveiling Domestic-Wild Hybridization Dynamics in Cattle Over Time
“This web page wasproduced as an assignment for an undergraduate course at Davidson College.” Genomic Sequencing Reveals Hybridization Events between Iberian Cattle and Auroch during the Neolithic period Cattle has been an essential way of human development as it produces high-value protein to meet human nutritional demands. Cattle was essential in Europe during the Neolithic…
