Comments on: The Mosquito and the Bottle http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2005/11/28/the-mosquito-and-the-bottle/ A blog about life, past and future. Written by DISCOVER contributing editor and columnist Carl Zimmer. Mon, 13 Feb 2012 19:00:24 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Anti Alcoholism http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2005/11/28/the-mosquito-and-the-bottle/comment-page-1/#comment-8204 Anti Alcoholism Wed, 13 Dec 2006 18:38:46 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2005/11/28/the-mosquito-and-the-bottle/#comment-8204 The "Mosquito and the Bottle" is a great example how research challenges the conventional wisdom in some circles that alcoholism is strictly a sign of weakness and poor character. Indeed, scientific evidence shows that people who carry the low-bitterness gene are protected against malaria but, conversely, are more prone to alcoholism. From a personal perspective, the influence of The “Mosquito and the Bottle” is a great example how research challenges the conventional wisdom in some circles that alcoholism is strictly a sign of weakness and poor character. Indeed, scientific evidence shows that people who carry the low-bitterness gene are protected against malaria but, conversely, are more prone to alcoholism. From a personal perspective, the influence of

]]> By: Jeff http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2005/11/28/the-mosquito-and-the-bottle/comment-page-1/#comment-8203 Jeff Mon, 16 Oct 2006 18:58:22 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2005/11/28/the-mosquito-and-the-bottle/#comment-8203 This comment's probably too late to get a response, but... Bzimmer wrote, "any genetic defect only prevents its own propagation if it kills before the host reaches sexual maturity." I have two thoughts/questions on this. First, what are grandparents for? Humans seem to live on long past their sexual peak, and I've heard it hypothesized before that the knowledge of grandparents (or perhaps even just their role as baby sitters) does offer a competitive advantage to their grandchildren. Wouldn't this act as a selective pressure to reduce genetic defects that kill humans before they can assist in the rearing of their grandchildren? My other question is, ignoring the role of grandparents, wouldn't it be a function of how long the person remains fertile? If a person can continue making babies on up until their forties, a genetic defect that kills them before that would decrease the total number of offspring that they can have. Wouldn't the defect tend to be weeded out from this mechanism - just due to each generation producing more offspring without the mutation? This comment’s probably too late to get a response, but…

Bzimmer wrote, “any genetic defect only prevents its own propagation if it kills before the host reaches sexual maturity.”

I have two thoughts/questions on this. First, what are grandparents for? Humans seem to live on long past their sexual peak, and I’ve heard it hypothesized before that the knowledge of grandparents (or perhaps even just their role as baby sitters) does offer a competitive advantage to their grandchildren. Wouldn’t this act as a selective pressure to reduce genetic defects that kill humans before they can assist in the rearing of their grandchildren?

My other question is, ignoring the role of grandparents, wouldn’t it be a function of how long the person remains fertile? If a person can continue making babies on up until their forties, a genetic defect that kills them before that would decrease the total number of offspring that they can have. Wouldn’t the defect tend to be weeded out from this mechanism – just due to each generation producing more offspring without the mutation?

]]> By: Anonymous http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2005/11/28/the-mosquito-and-the-bottle/comment-page-1/#comment-8202 Anonymous Wed, 01 Feb 2006 16:13:21 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2005/11/28/the-mosquito-and-the-bottle/#comment-8202 Yes.. I agree ..<a href='http://www.tbns.net/888download/' rel="nofollow">8</a> Yes.. I agree ..8

]]> By: luca http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2005/11/28/the-mosquito-and-the-bottle/comment-page-1/#comment-8201 luca Thu, 01 Dec 2005 08:18:02 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2005/11/28/the-mosquito-and-the-bottle/#comment-8201 Great read. I hope youn won't mind me using your incipit "Natural selection is not natural perfection" in my PhD thesis. It was just what i was looking for to express the concept of less-than-optimal solutions to a problem (I work with Genetic Algorithms) Great read.

I hope youn won’t mind me using your incipit “Natural selection is not natural perfection” in my PhD thesis. It was just what i was looking for to express the concept of less-than-optimal solutions to a problem (I work with Genetic Algorithms)

]]> By: David Harmon http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2005/11/28/the-mosquito-and-the-bottle/comment-page-1/#comment-8200 David Harmon Mon, 28 Nov 2005 17:10:14 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2005/11/28/the-mosquito-and-the-bottle/#comment-8200 Don't forget that Asian allele which knocks out ethanol metabolism altogether! ("Victims" don't get drunk at all, they just flush and feel sick.) Don’t forget that Asian allele which knocks out ethanol metabolism altogether! (“Victims” don’t get drunk at all, they just flush and feel sick.)

]]> By: Bzimmer http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2005/11/28/the-mosquito-and-the-bottle/comment-page-1/#comment-8199 Bzimmer Mon, 28 Nov 2005 16:47:57 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2005/11/28/the-mosquito-and-the-bottle/#comment-8199 A couple of quibbles: any genetic defect only prevents its own propagation if it kills before the host reaches sexual maturity. Since sickle cell patients would live into late teens or early twenties, even under primitive conditions, there is nothing to prevent a homozygote (both bad genes) from passing them along. The alternative is to die in infancy from cerebral malaria. The mechanism of sickling is related to oxygen content of the red blood cell. Oxygenated hemoglobin S has a normal configuration; unoxygenated S deforms. In the normal course of events, when an unoxygenated sickled cell passes through the spleen, that organ performs its assigned physiologic function (snarf up damaged red blood cells) and removes them from the circulation. Incidentally, it takes the parasite with it and destroys it along with the cell. That's how sickle cell protects the host from malaria. By the way, with modern treatment, a homozygote sickle cell patient can expect to live a normal life span. Keep the good stuff coming! Barry Zimmerman A couple of quibbles: any genetic defect only prevents its own propagation if it kills before the host reaches sexual maturity. Since sickle cell patients would live into late teens or early twenties, even under primitive conditions, there is nothing to prevent a homozygote (both bad genes) from passing them along. The alternative is to die in infancy from cerebral malaria.

The mechanism of sickling is related to oxygen content of the red blood cell. Oxygenated hemoglobin S has a normal configuration; unoxygenated S deforms. In the normal course of events, when an unoxygenated sickled cell passes through the spleen, that organ performs its assigned physiologic function (snarf up damaged red blood cells) and removes them from the circulation. Incidentally, it takes the parasite with it and destroys it along with the cell. That’s how sickle cell protects the host from malaria.

By the way, with modern treatment, a homozygote sickle cell patient can expect to live a normal life span.

Keep the good stuff coming!

Barry Zimmerman

]]> By: djlactin http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2005/11/28/the-mosquito-and-the-bottle/comment-page-1/#comment-8198 djlactin Mon, 28 Nov 2005 14:40:04 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2005/11/28/the-mosquito-and-the-bottle/#comment-8198 clearly, none of this qualifies as "intelligent" design! if it were the deity, i'd... clearly, none of this qualifies as “intelligent” design!

if it were the deity, i’d…

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