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Vitamin Gene Treatment for Migraine

Queensland University of Technology plans to use genetic modifiers in vitamins as a treatment for migraine. This is problematic as health professionals do not really know what migraine is. Botox injections to the forehead has been used successfully to relieve the pain to date. It is quite a "quacky" area of medicine. About the only main factor about it is that it causes a feeling of nausea along with the pain and an aversion to light.

India is the test ground for the gene treatment. A migraine marker in the Parsi population is the target. If vitamins are useful per se, why is the ailment common in the West where we take too many of them? As a child and adolescent I suffered from it. In my opinion it was brought on when the eyes were overworked. Reading small text was a no no for me. As I grew older it faded and I can say I have not had a migraine for 20 years. Have I changed my diet or vitamin intake - not really.

Just how scientists make the link between genes and vitamins is unclear. But then, scientists are clever people. There are many categories of migraine, so pinning down particular genes is going to be difficult. Articles on genes vis-a-vis vitamins is a bit wishy-washy. Researchers are not very specific about how they will go about it.

✴ Genetics by Ty Buchanan ✴

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No One Can Claim Ancestry to Native Tasmanian Aboriginals

There is a problem in Australia in regard to claims that one is an Aboriginal. In the past, part Aboriginals have identified themselves as native Australians, so they are entitled to welfare benefits that white Australians cannot access.

The Palmer United Party Senator Jacqui Lambie has ignited the debate by claiming she is Aboriginal. This is questioned by other Aboriginals. Sure she does look a little bit different than "pure" white Europeans, but the difference is minuscule. She actually claims that she is a descendant of Mannalargenna, a famous Tasmanian Aboriginal leader.

Her offer of a DNA test to substantiate her claim is not of much use. Aboriginals originally came from Africa, as we all did. No genes have been identified as being unique to Australian Aboriginals. DNA testing was suggested in 2002 at the Tasmanian ATSIC elections.

The issue is that Tasmanian Aboriginals were a different "race" than mainlanders. They were all killed by European immigrants to Tasmania. The original Tasmanians had a very primitive culture. They believed that fire was mysterious and magical. They did not know how to light fire. If the fire went out they had to steal it from a neighbor.

All Aboriginals living in Tasmania today are Imports from the mainland. They left their cultural bases on the mainland more than a century ago so their lineage cannot be traced. The theory that mainland Aboriginals were the first people to leave Africa is brought into question by the earlier presence of Tasmanian Aboriginals.

✴ Culture by Ty Buchanan ✴

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Australia Should Develop a Bionic Brain - Nonesense!

One of the most difficult things to do is to develop a computer brain that operates like a human brain. Intelligence that evolved by nature is very complex. A computer "thinks" linearly with one activity followed by another. The human brain works outward from a central point, spreading out to different areas depending on the particular task.

To say that Australia should concentrate on making the world's first bionic brain is a leap too far. Saying that $250m over ten years will get the job done is way off the mark. There are many scientists already working with much more money than that and they haven't achieved much.

Pioneering the healthbionic ear and eye is kid stuff compared to replicating the brain. Using nerve activity to make artificial limbs move is also far from understanding human intelligence. Even after all these years measuring intelligence is beyond us. The IQ test only gives a score for rating cultural knowledge. It is misused by so many people.

We need to start at the real beginning and understand genetics first. Genes build the brain. Consciousness is another thing. Is it the outcome of the overall activity of the brain or is it something separate, like a soul? Saying humans are the only animal to have a soul is nonsense. When you get to Heaven expect to find some Neanderthal there!

Science by Ty Buchanan

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Angus Cattle Carry a Dangerous Recessive Gene

There are serious problems involved in breeding top class cattle for the market. Like in breeding budgerigars recessive genes coming together can cause some young to be victims of early death.

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In creating the "perfect" animal, weaknesses have been seen in Angus cattle. The disease is call Development Duplication (DD). Its general name is polymelia. Embryos are dying and some are born with extra limbs.

The disease is common in all cattle, but selective breeding has increase its prominence in Angus cattle. Some affected animals have had operations to remove extra limbs. This is complicating the issue particularly if they are used for breeding.

Tests are available to identify the recessive gene causing the problem. It occurs at a rate of 3 per cent in the Angus breed. Pairing a sire with the recessive to a dam without it produces a normal calf. The recessive gene is passed on, however, not eliminated. It is believed that the presence of the gene has improved growth and fertility. This is a dangerous path to follow. Keeping something deleterious for perceived market benefits.

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Conservation

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Australian Birds Change Breeding Times to Suite the Harsh Climate

Human beings may be having problems with variable weather in Australia, but animals are coping well. Zebra finches, pelicans and woodswallows seem to know when the weather changes. If the Spring comes early they nest early. If it is too dry to breed they hold off until times are better. They change their breeding point by months either way.

When glaciation was at its peak the woodswallow population actually boomed. In boom times there is a larger pool of gene carriers ideal for genetic selection when times become harder. More of the birds die off. Yet, the survivors have traits that suite the changed environment.

Australia has the harshest of climates with long periods of drought. Consequently, birds such as pelicans live a longtime on a meagre diet so they can wait for good times to breed. Zebra finches seem to do well even when times are very hard.

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Conservation

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No Scales on a Crocodile's Head

Contrary to popular belief crocodiles don't have scales on their heads. They are just cracks in the thick skin on their skulls. The rest of the body does have scales. How the animal develops biologically is interesting. Each scale forms from a discrete scale primordium. For example, scales at similar points each side of the body are identical.

The deep lines on the head are unique to each crocodile, like a fingerprint. Indeed, the lines are not symmetrical. Now it is possible to identify young crocodiles without tagging, to follow their growth.

Having no primordia on a crocodile's head is functional. Mounds of skin build up and form an active memrocobrane. Receptors detect fine vibrations in water. This helps in hunting.

It has been hypothesised that fingerprints form in the same way as the "cracks" on the heads of crocodiles. This unregulated gene formation building on earlier skin development is probably the reason why identical twins have different fingerprints. The final shape of all creatures was believed to be totally preprogrammed by genes.

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Genetics

Mothers Keep the DNA of Their Sons

Mothers keep the DNA of their children in their system for a lifetime, particularly the genes of male offspring. The DNA resides in the mother's brain. It is not know what the overall effect is on a woman. It was found, however, that presence of male DNA reduced the incidence of Alzheimer's.

All mammals exchange DNA in this way. It is called fetal microchimerism and has bad effects as well as good. While improving disease resistance it can lower autoimmune reactions.

Until recently humans were not known to have microchimerism, though other animals such as rats did. Autopsies on middle aged deceased woman found male DNA spread throughout the brain. A 101 year old lady had DNA present even at her advanced age.