Every human carries a unique individual genome. The ways in which human genomes are similar or different to one another is just now being detailed at high resolution thanks to technological advances in DNA sequencing. These new observations reveal much about our origins as humans and the evolutionary processes that shape both human adaptation and disease. Continue reading “Genes and Geography: Understanding Human Genetic Diversity”

Over the past two decades, technology has had huge impacts on almost everything we do–everything except participate in our democracy. When it comes to the voting booths, things look a lot like they did in 1996, and changing that scene is really hard to do. Come talk about the role technology plays in our democracy: from campaigns to voter registration to election day, this space is ripe for innovation. The time is now.

University of Chicago neurobiologist Peggy Mason talks with her Brain Buddies Podcast co-host Aaron Freeman about recent research by Fordham University Ph.D. candidate Matthew Comb. Comb and his team collected scores of rats from different neighborhoods in Manhattan and analyzed their DNA. Their work shows identifiable differences in the SNPs (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms) of rats in different areas of the island. They hope their findings will help the Mayor DeBlasio et al diminish the big apple’s rodent population.