A few months back, Nature published a series of papers on the completion of the chimpanzee genome, including a massive comparison of the human and chimp genomes (free online). One of the major utilities of having two closely-related genomes to compare (in addition to showing that humans and chimps have close common ancestors, as in Ken Miller's testimony on Day 1 of the Kitzmiller v. Dover trial) is that genes that are evolving rapidly under natural selection can be detected.
At the time, an odd observation stuck in my head: not only were things like immune system genes evolving rapidly (as they do in apparently all mammals studied thus far -- it's a war zone out there with the microbes), but according to Table 4 of the Nature article, so were some olfactory and taste receptor genes. This seemed rather odd, given that humans are not exactly first among the beasts when it comes to sniffing capabilities, or, I presume, tasting (although according to this PNAS article, our "gustatory receptors" are doing rather better than our olfactory receptors, many of which have become pseudogenes).
Even with our modest capabilities in this area, however, there are evidently some pretty important things that at least our taste receptors can do. Protect humans from malaria, for example. Read Carl Zimmer's latest to find out how.
Note: (I take a personal interest in this, because while in Zambia at the age of 7, I caught chloroquine-resistant malaria, even though I took my nasty, bitter chloroquine tablets every week. I was quite ill for a month (I was not diagnosed until I was back in the U.S. for some time, where malaria is not exactly the first diagnosis that comes to the mind of the typical doctor). So it was never quite "Evolution Schmevolution" for me.)
Another note: Today's GROAN Award (GROAN = Gratuitous, Ridiculous, and Onerous Acronyms by Nerds) goes to HORDE, the Human Olfactory Receptor Data Exploratorium.
Yet one last note: If you're wondering what that red thing is up at the front of the post, read about the episode of the cartoon The Tick entitled "The Tick vs. Science", and focus on the mad scientist Dr. Mung Mung and his creation, Tongue Tongue.Tastes great, less filling
A few months back, Nature published a series of papers on the completion of the chimpanzee genome, including a massive comparison of the human and chimp genomes (free online). One of the major utilities of having two closely-related genomes to compare (in addition to showing that humans and chimps have close common ancestors, as in Ken Miller's testimony on Day 1 of the Kitzmiller v. Dover trial) is that genes that are evolving rapidly under natural selection can be detected.
At the time, an odd observation stuck in my head: not only were things like immune system genes evolving rapidly (as they do in apparently all mammals studied thus far -- it's a war zone out there with the microbes), but according to Table 4 of the Nature article, so were some olfactory and taste receptor genes. This seemed rather odd, given that humans are not exactly first among the beasts when it comes to sniffing capabilities, or, I presume, tasting (although according to this PNAS article, our "gustatory receptors" are doing rather better than our olfactory receptors, many of which have become pseudogenes).
Even with our modest capabilities in this area, however, there are evidently some pretty important things that at least our taste receptors can do. Protect humans from malaria, for example. Read Carl Zimmer's latest to find out how.
Note: (I take a personal interest in this, because while in Zambia at the age of 7, I caught chloroquine-resistant malaria, even though I took my nasty, bitter chloroquine tablets every week. I was quite ill for a month (I was not diagnosed until I was back in the U.S. for some time, where malaria is not exactly the first diagnosis that comes to the mind of the typical doctor). So it was never quite "Evolution Schmevolution" for me.)
Another note: Today's GROAN Award (GROAN = Gratuitous, Ridiculous, and Onerous Acronyms by Nerds) goes to HORDE, the Human Olfactory Receptor Data Exploratorium.
Yet one last note: If you're wondering what that red thing is up at the front of the post, read about the episode of the cartoon The Tick entitled "The Tick vs. Science", and focus on the mad scientist Dr. Mung Mung and his creation, Tongue Tongue.
12 Comments
Harald Korneliussen · 29 November 2005
What type of malaria was it? Was it one of the persistent ones? Ouch! My sympathies.
drakvl · 29 November 2005
I knew I recognized that animation style!
drakvl · 29 November 2005
I guess I should have thought of this before I submitted that last entry, but it didn't occur to me until after.
My biology teacher told me about an Internet archive of the genetic sequences of various species. I've been trying to find it again, with little success. I know it's an acronym with two Is in it, like HIMI or KIWI, but I can't quite remember it. Can anyone help?
Steven Thomas Smith · 29 November 2005
Bulman · 29 November 2005
Here's an article from GenomeBiology.com that discusses the selection fo poor bitter receptors increasing the ingestion of cyanide. The low levels of cyanide in the body are in turn shown to be a selective adaptation that helps protect from malaria.
Russell · 29 November 2005
Bob O'H · 29 November 2005
Engineer-Poet, FCD, ΔΠΓ · 30 November 2005
I immediately recognized the image. Great episode, great reference.
semenax · 17 February 2006
Three phrases should be among the most common in our daily usage. They are: Thank you, I am grateful and I appreciate.
semenax · 18 February 2006
Three phrases should be among the most common in our daily usage. They are: Thank you, I am grateful and I appreciate.
penis enlargement · 2 April 2006
I agree with you the way you view the issue. I remember Jack London once said everything positive has a negative side; everything negative has positive side. It is also interesting to see different viewpoints & learn useful things in the discussion.
enlargement · 28 April 2006
DISORDER is simply unrelated information viewed through some particular grid. But, like "relation", no-relation is a concept. Male, like female, is an idea about sex. To say that male-ness is "absence of female-ness", or vice versa, is a matter of definition and metaphysically arbitrary. The artificial concept of no-relation is the ERISTIC PRINCIPLE.