Comments on: Reversible gene marks linked to reversible careers in bees

By: SeekTruthFromFacts

SeekTruthFromFacts — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 16:52:24 +0000

“[They’re] as different as being a scientist or journalist,”

Such irony using that metaphor on this blog!

By: zackoz

zackoz — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 01:56:10 +0000

“Next, Florian Wolschin, a postdoc in Amdam’s lab, removed all the nurses from the team’s hives while the foragers were away.”

Written down like that, it sounds casually easy; but I can’t help admiring researchers who do things like this for a living.

By: James V. Kohl

James V. Kohl — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 23:10:50 +0000

I used the honeybee model organism to exemplify how the molecular biology common to all species links the epigenetic effects of nutrient chemicals and pheromones to DNA methylation so that others might better be able to grasp the species-wide genomic complexity that starts with microbes.

From Kohl (2012): “The honeybee already serves as a model organism for studying human immunity, disease resistance, allergic reaction, circadian rhythms, antibiotic resistance, the development of the brain and behavior, mental health, longevity, and diseases of the X chromosome (Honeybee Genome Sequencing Consortium, 2006). Included among these different aspects of eusocial species survival are learning and memory, as well as conditioned responses to sensory stimuli (Maleszka, 2008; Menzel, 1983).”

Sumner says: “This paper is the first step in exposing the mechanisms [of that plasticity] and making them possible to study.”

I disagree. My paper was published in March.

Kohl, J.V. (2012) Human pheromones and food odors: epigenetic influences on the socioaffective nature of evolved behaviors. Socioaffective Neuroscience & Psychology, 2: 17338.

By: Anonymyrmica

Anonymyrmica — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 21:07:50 +0000

I just have to say it: I love the analogy the “[methylation]… [is] like Post-It notes.”