Genome Alberta Newsletter GeneSnips - March 3, 2009
Genome Alberta News
CAVEman on YouTube
The team working on the 4D project have received some good media attention from publications such as the Washington Post and Popular Science. They’ve also been featured on Good Morning America and now thanks to a Discovery Channel item, the CAVEman has hit pop social media by appearing on YouTube.All anyone, anywhere in the world has to do is search on YouTube and they can view the video and post a comment. We’ve embedded the video on our home page so why not take 5 minutes and 26 seconds to check it out at www.genomealberta.ca
Links for BioEducators
Bioscience teachers recently met in Saskatoon, Toronto, and Halifax. Each location had their own agenda for the 2 days but integrated speakers such as Bob McDonald from Quirks and Quarks into joint agenda items and shared the presentations through a web link. It was an effective tool and certainly did not detract from the activities at all. There were a variety of great presentations and discussions during the sessions and over the breaks. We’ve posted a blog related to one of those conversations to help generate more links to bioscience resources for teachers.
For the blog posting and links go to http://genomealberta.ca/blogs/
main_02210902.aspx and feel free to add some thoughts and links of your own.Minister of Environment in Calgary
The Honourable Jim Prentice, Minister of Environment, will be speaking at a Calgary Chamber of Commerce event on March 16th at 11:30.
He will be speaking about Canada’s Economic Action Plan as outlined in the recent budget, as well as talking about a North American approach to Climate Change and clean energy technology.
The event takes place at the Sheraton Suites Calgary Eau Claire and you can get more information or register at http://tinyurl.com/dl778a
Science Policy Conference
If you are interested in what a long term and visionary science policy for Canada should look like you should turn your web browser to http://sciencepolicy.ca/ and get involved in the 2009 Canada Science Policy Conference.
The organizing committee is looking for volunteers interested in getting the conference up and running and is seeking ways to fund the venture. Scheduled for October 2009 in Toronto, the objectives for the meeting include creating stronger links between scientists and policy-makers, identifying Canadian science policy issues, and laying the foundation for a "Virtual Institute" for Canadian Science Policy Research.
There has been a lot of discussion in the Canadian media recently about the state of science and research funding in Canada which makes it an ideal time to help chart a course for science in this country.
Cautious Optimism About the Future of Genomic Medicine
A conference on the Future of Genomic Medicine held last week brought together such notable speakers as Craig Venter (Venter Institute), Kelly Frazer (Scripps Institute), Stephen Scherer (Toronto Hospital for Sick Children) and many others from the private and public sectors. According to GenomeWeb Daily News there was general agreement that genomics is already having an impact on medicine and it will continue to accelerate. Equally however there seemed to be a general feeling that sequencing technology still needs more development before it can be useful for physicians.
Age of Personalized Genomics.
Just a reminder that the web pages for the Age of Personalized Genomics Conference are live and ready for you to look over the draft agenda and to register. This is the 5th International DNA Sampling Conference and it is being held this September in Banff. There is already an excellent roster of speakers confirmed and with direct-to-consumer genetic testing hitting not just science circles but even popular magazines such as Vogue and GQ you can bet the list of pros and cons will continue to grow.
Head for www.genomealberta.ca/APG for all the details.
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GE3LS Digest
This is a sample from the GE3LS Digest put out on a regular basis by Genome Alberta’s GE3LS team. If you’d like to receive the full digest, email rhyde-lay@genomealberta.ca
GM battles rage down on the farm – February 17, 2009
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7892328.st
Pressure is mounting from some scientists for Europe to end its resistance to genetically modified (GM) crops but fears remain about the impact of such technology on the rights of farmers. Many American farmers like the ease of operating a GM system which involves regular spraying of chemicals which kill weeds but don't hurt their crops. The problem is that GM pollen can blow across fields and anti-GM campaigners say the fear of being prosecuted for growing GM accidentally leads many farmers to give up traditional methods and take the GM route for a quiet life.
Vatican warns of ethical risks with progress in genetic testing – February 17, 2009
http://tinyurl.com/cvfq68
Vatican official warned on Tuesday that advances in genetic testing were creating a slow but "relentless" spread of a eugenics mentality - the effort to improve the quality of the human race by controlling heredity. Msgr. Rino Fisichella made the warning as he outlined the scope of an upcoming Vatican conference, "The New Frontiers of Genetics and the Risk of Eugenics," which starts Friday. Fisichella acknowledged that the term eugenics harks back to the past, when most famously the Nazis used eugenic theories to justify forced sterilization and other practices in their quest to establish a master race.Vitamin D interacts with gene in MS: study –February 5, 2009
http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2009/02/05/ms-vitamin-d. html
Vitamin D seems to help control a gene known to increase the risk of multiple sclerosis — a finding that suggests taking vitamin D supplements during pregnancy and early in life may help prevent the disease."I think it's the first time that the environment and genetics are brought together, this is something that links the two," Dr. George Ebers, a Canadian who is based at the University of Oxford in London, told CBC News.
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Genome Alberta in Pictures
Here is a picture of Dr. Christoph Sensen the ‘4D Man’. You can find more pictures at http://picasaweb.google.com/
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