The GOP convention is over, and summer has clamped its heat dome on us. This may be just the time for you to sit down with my “Game of Genomes” series at Stat.
Season Two came out on Monday. Continue reading “Friday’s Elk, July 22, 2016”
Author: Matt Kristoffersen
For the past few months, I’ve been traveling through my genome with the guidance of a couple dozen scientists. On Monday, Stat published the first part of my narrative of the experience. You can read it here.
As part of the package, I’ve also set up a parallel web site for the scientific nuts and bolts. I’ve posted some of the analysis that researchers produced while poring over my genome. And you can find the raw data of my genome there, too (including files of variants, and the original, gigantic BAM file). I hope it will be of use to teachers who want to show students how to make sense of a genome. I will add more materials as the next two parts of the series are published.
This week I also talked about the experience a few times. Continue reading “Friday’s Elk, July 15, 2016”
I was so busy looking back at the week that was that I forgot to mention that, on Monday at 3 pm ET, I will be on Reddit for an AMA about my genome series.
I’ll be answering questions about what it’s like to look at your own genome, the future of genomes in medicine, the evolutionary clues hidden in our DNA, and whatever other questions you may have. Please join us. Continue reading “A Friday’s Elk P.S.! I’ll be on Reddit on Monday”
Last summer, I found a way to get my genome sequenced–and to get my hands on the raw data.
I then enlisted a couple dozen scientists to join me on a trip into my DNA, pushing beyond standard genetic counseling to discover the weirdness the lurks in all our genomes. I encountered ancient viruses, Neanderthal genes, broken genetic switches, and genes that protect me from diseases.
The experience was so rich and rewarding that I ended up writing a three-part series about it for Stat. The first part will come out on Stat Monday morning. The next two will come out the following Mondays. I hope you enjoy it! (And for scientists and other genome junkies, I’m going to set up a parallel site where all the data will be freely available.) Continue reading “Friday’s Elk, July 8, 2016”
Happy July! Here are a couple things I published this week. I’ve also got a big project to unveil soon that I hope you’ll enjoy. I’ll spill some details in next week’s newsletter.
Epigenetics is one of those subjects that’s irresistible to a science writer. Our DNA is enveloped by proteins and molecular caps that influence how active our genes can get. Some studies have suggested these epigenetic marks are the way in which the environment can reach into our cells and alter the workings of our DNA. But there’s a big debate in the epigenetics field about just how meaningful that research is. The studies may only be uncovering biological randomness, or perhaps some other process in our cells. Given that I’ve written my own share of articles about epigenetics (here and here, for example), I decided I needed to pay some attention to the skeptics, too. That’s the subject of my column this week in the New York Times. Continue reading “Friday’s Elk, July 1, 2016”