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Ewan Birney @ewanbirney
, 4 tweets, 2 min read Read on Twitter
Great collaboration between my (research) lab @emblebi and Charles Bangham's lab @imperialcollege in particular with @AnatMelamed moving between the two labs regularly (the pleasures of "dry science").
Our (Birney group's advocacy) was getting the HTLV infected samples WGS'd so that we could do allele specific RNAseq and 4C - definitively shows that the integrated provirus changes genome structure and gene expression in cis only (ie, only the integrated chromosome)
HTLV is the "other" retrovirus (HIV far more infamous) and endemic in some human populations (parts of Caribbean, parts of Japan). In a minority of cases it causes a nasty form of leukemia, and this research points to plausible mechanisms to test further to explain this variation
Congratulations to @AnatMelamed and Hiroko Yaguchi who did the dry and wet work respectively! Lovely to see published and out!
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There is this odd thing when I say I am "European" (or "a committed European", or "pro-Europe") for a certain audience (usually in a friends+family setting, not work) they assume this is a zero-sum game with my pride for being British.
As if there some fixed amount of "patriotism" and to have fondness/pride for Europe means less for the UK. I've always been a proud Brit and committed European, and my support for Europe is I hope clear sighted - I don't think it is perfect, just that it is reasonable.
There is also sometimes an immediate listing of all the fudges, complications and messiness of EU (from arcane Eurozone finance aspects to the MEP Brussel/Strasbourg annual migration ... there is a long list)
Read 7 tweets
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This is a bad idea on multiple levels; the science is less solid/applicable than realised (though not invalid); we should be seriously cautious about embryo selection for anything; embryo selection needs robust regulation that society can be confident in. I will expand on each >>
The science on multiple genetic scores - called sometimes GRS, sometimes PRS on traits you can measure has a very long academic history (the theory is laid down in the 1930s/1940s) and debated/explored in science publications (and twitter)
For this thread the take homes are that (a) the science is robust (b) there are huge numbers of gotchas and complications. One complication is 'cryptic population structure' which these methods can latch onto. The methods are best set up when there is good randomisation
Read 22 tweets
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Watching @AdamRutherford chat with @toadmeister on twitter about racism and genetics reminds me again of the communication problem around sensibly talking around genetics, genetic ancestry and race - which are, counterintuitively, surprisingly separate concepts.
Race is complex mixture of visible physical characteristics (skin colour, hair type, facial features) mixed with many cultural signals (dress, accents, gestures); most people will self classify themselves confidently and other people
Although most people will acknowledge the continuum of people ("mixed race") most people are confident in the major groupings and assign labels, use heuristics around them for good and bad (bad more common than good!)
Read 22 tweets

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One week ago, #thisisourlane exploded on Twitter. At the request of may, here's a tweetatorial to address some of the most common questions and answers about the epidemic of #gunviolence - why it matters to docs - and what we can do about it:
***Q1: What are the patterns of #gunviolence injury and death in the US? ***

A: 100 people die and 200 are injured each day across the US. Most deaths (~2/3) are suicide; these are mostly white middle-aged men from rural areas.
Approximately 30% are homicides: mostly young minority men from inner cities. The rest are accidental and mass shootings.

#DomesticViolence deaths from firearm injury are estimated at ~50/month.

And firearm injury is the 2nd leading cause of death for American youth.
Read 25 tweets
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First panel, day 2 #CSPC2018 on the @MitacsCanada #cspf program and building skills / capacity at the #scipol interface.

@alejandroadem introduces the program, that is in its 3rd year, and is at federal level in #ottawa and prov at #BC
Check out our fellows! @katieplantlady @SocMedDr @salexander_11 @Monsauce @jespanesar @SciPoliBoundary (many others!) #CSPC2018 @MitacsCanada #CSPF
David Castle champions @MitacsCanada #CSPF program in #BC, and discusses the importance of capacity building of #scipol across levels of govt (fed + prov), and placing fellows in depts that can and will use their skills effectively, + help them to develop new ones. #CSPC2018
Read 18 tweets
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1) Gather around – it’s time for a thread - on the Mayak Reprocessing Plant.

Some of this I only learned about a few days ago, but is a big deal at IRSN (French Institute for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety), where I’m currently working.
2) The Mayak facility is a nuclear fuel reprocessing facility in Russia. When nuclear fuel is in a reactor, the fuel undergoes fission, the splitting of atoms (mostly Uranium-235) into smaller atoms (many of which are radioactive).
3) Some of the fuel also captures neutrons, which "transmutes" (changes) them into different atoms (like Plutonium). The Mayak facility was built to separate the irradiated fuel, mostly for the separation of plutonium so it could be used to make nuclear weapons.
Read 33 tweets
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Kicking off our #CreativeEconomy Networks day in Stour Space hosted by @CreativeWick and in partnership with @NetworkCentre, @QMUL, @ahrcpress and @brBritish with a welcome from Will Chamberlain focusing on local creative initiatives and interOlympic exchanges with Brazil
Tim Clement-Jones, Chair of Council @QMUL, reflects that until recently the contribution of the creative industries to the UK economy has been underestimated but this is starting to change, with @ahrcpress funding research to build a crucial evidence base & build new employment
And we’re into our first panel focusing on #CreativeEconomy Networks, with Martin Dowle of @brBritish, Morag Shiach of @NetworkCentre and our very own Paul Heritage of @QMULsed.
Read 132 tweets
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This is the problem with contemporary "feminists." It amounts to buyer's remorse. Young women CHOOSE to engage in behavior that ranges from personal conversations to sex. TBC: 1/?
p2
The young woman gets her feelings hurt and, with the guidance of older, more prominent women, they organize a social media campaign against the male "perp" (often adding texture to the story by turning him into a "perv").
p3
The women, now organized and believing that they are doing some serious good for all women, make something like a phone tree, and shamelessly RECRUIT other women to "come out" with more stories about the unacceptable behavior. Some women want "in."
Read 40 tweets
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#Science vs #BJP

Bjp is party very educated party consisting of scientists , researchers,doctors , IITians , Oxford topper economist.
Here we have some of important theories nd reserch done by important organisation.
One of our very intelligent after a years of hard work in his lab with his Braille book found out dat natural calamities can b prevented by reading hanuman chalisa.

Another important member of our research team.after working yr on theory of evolution,he concluded dat theory is false. few of illiterate were unhappy about his remark.

Read 19 tweets

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