Category Archives: Genetics

A Death in Northumberland & Beyond

“…our tree.”

~~ Anon.

[Photo: Google search]

I’ve never seen the tree. Several years ago, on a trip to Scotland and England, we drove along the eastern coast toward London. We passed Hadrian’s Wall. As usual, we were rushing to a hotel to make the check-in time. I didn’t realize then how close we were. If I had the information and the time, I would have driven the extra miles to see this tree.

It was a legendary tree in so many ways–being made famous in the movie Robin Hood with Kevin Costner.

“This is my land, and my tree…“

The Bishop of Newcastle said that the tree bore “a pastoral load” of worries and pain of the local folk. Ashes were scattered under the tree, proposals made, loves consummated, hearts broken and kisses bestowed. For generations, it was an ingrained symbol of personal and communal landscapes.

A botany of desire.

In the darkness of late night of September 27 or in the morning glow of September 28, someone with a 28″ chainsaw felled this sacred tree.

[Photo: Google search]

With so many things that I cannot wrap my brain around these days: i.e., the selection of a right-wing religious fanatic to the Speaker of the House, the horror of the Israeli/Palestine conflict and other disheartening events, I found this story hurting me in a strange way. Obvious but still strange. Vandalism is an illogical and dispiriting act. Teenagers (mostly boys, I’m afraid), tipping over headstones in old mossy cemeteries. I’ve seen my share of this destruction and often wondered how some mind could say to itself: “Yes, I see that this stone has a family history engraved in the marble, but I will topple it into the mud. And for added agony on the descendants, I will make sure the name and birth dates and death dates are face down.”

Or, “I see a clean face on a building that I don’t own. Its the living space for strangers. Nevertheless, I will treat the wall as if were only mine and spray my unique ‘tag’ to the smooth granite.”

Or, “I hate your mosque.” “I hate your Temple”…therefore I will bomb it. Destroying your faith a little more, because I don’t understand it and therefore I hate.”

And, closer to home…”I am afraid of you. I am afraid of your body. It will lead me to sin. Therefore, I will tell you what to do with your body…because I am a man and you are merely, in the end, property.

And not to forget…”I believe that God hates you. There are only two sexes, the Bible says so. Therefore, you are violating God’s commandments if you think you can love anyone you choose, regardless of gender.”

My tree, the one I have never seen, may seem minute and insignificant. But, to me its just a symptom of an illness in our society. The disease of hate and intolerance.

I’m not naive enough to think that it’s only the here and now. This sort of thing that has existed for millennia.

It’s just sad that we haven’t grown as a collective soul…as the sole stewards of this isolated planet. It boggles my mind to think that there are people out there, friends and politicians who actually believe that climate change is a hoax. If it wasn’t so dangerous, it would be funny…that people can deny satellite imagery and field studies and instead believe the lies that are fed them by those who will benefit from their ignorance. What a joke. What a tragedy.

Small planet, small ideas from small intellects, and small minds.

I feel so lonely. I feel so afraid for my children and grandchild. I feel gloomy about our future.

[Note: The information about the Sycamore Gap Tree was published in the October 7th issue of The Economist.]

The Curse Of The Uninformed

Our lives are universally shortened by our ignorance.

~~Herbert Spencer, Principles of Biology, 1867

[DNA Double Helix. Photo credit: National Human Genome Project. Art: Darryl Leja.]

Your blogger is back. It’s a mildly-warm late August afternoon here on the Upper West Side. I just completed my first attempt at Wordle (did it in 4 !). Not bragging, just sayin…

I also put aside my copy of Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann. I’m fairly sure it’s a banned book in Florida but I can’t say for certain. It does meet all the requirements of DeSantis & friends: it describes the terrible things we (yes, we white people) did to the Osage Indians in the early part of the 20th Century. Wait for the movie this fall. Read the book, it won’t kill you. It won’t pollute your mind but it may and should make you uncomfortable about the real facts of American History, you know, the acts that our collective ancestors perpetrated on the Indigenous People.

If you haven’t picked up on it yet, I’m feeling a bit collywobbled today. Sort of a hangover from watching a certain debate on Wednesday night on Fox. I actually heard with my own ears one of the candidates (gaining in the polls?) say, out loud and into a mic: “Climate change is a hoax.” I ran to the phone to make an appointment with my Audiologist. I must have heard him wrong. It must have been my inner ear issues acting up again (I did feel dizzy when he said it).

Two issues have been on my mind of late. I’m going to try to cover these ideas in this screed (blog). The Common Ground: 1) People are complex and, 2) Freedom of expression and ideas are essential, today more than ever.

But I digress, so let’s cut to the chase. Let’s talk about sex.

I am so sick of the growing intolerance of those people who have chosen (or been born with) ambiguous gender. I taught science for over thirty years so I have some informed things to say here.

It is NOT a scientific fact that every human on the planet is born into one of only two sexes. I want to make a clear point here. Your sex is how you were born. Your gender is how you perceive yourself. Most people are born either XX (female) or XY (male). But one can also be born with only one X chromosome. (XO). Some can be born XXY. A person cannot be born YY. The birth would end in a certain miscarriage. The Y chromosome contains the genes that make life processes possible. But the whole thing gets more complicated than that.

Everyone should have the choice of how they want to live. That brings up the multitude of gender identities. An example: In India there is a whole group of people (Higras) who choose not to be in either of the two genders. They offer blessings to the Hindu families, often these visits at weddings, births etc are unwelcome. They have been subject to violence and abuse. That is changing thanks to laws enacted several years by the Indian government that makes it illegal to discriminate. (Some of our states could learn a lesson here).

Here is a photo of a Higra, a major spokesperson for the cause of inclusion:

[Hijra spokesperson. They are often called India’s 3rd Gender. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.]

In the interest of space, I need to move on to my second topic. Don’t fret, I’m not drifting too off topic. In fact, this Part 2 is a little sharing of what I found whilst trolling the internet about genetics and uncommon traits. This is all quite interesting.

~~~

This is a brief sample of rare traits that show up in the vast Human Genome. I’ll start with something I can spell easily.

Poliosis

This trait displays itself in humans by a distinct white streak in the hair. It is passed down by the mother (XX). Here is an example:

[Mother & child with Poliosis. A mark of beauty and not something connected to Cruella de Vil. Photo: fatima.theo.gomes.]

Sectoral Heterochromia

Here is a trait that is even more rare. An eye that has two different colors. An example:

[An awesome eye color (s). Photo: Photo_m_for_Minion.]

Sunflower Eye

Another rare eye color that includes a peculiar pattern. Example:

[Sun flower eye. Very rare and very striking. Photo: AlwaysSpinClockwise.]

Vitiligo Heterchromia

Once more, a rare eye color. This example shows a woman with two different eye colors:

[Photo: Reddit.com.]

If you’re interested in more rare genetic traits, Google away. I’m showing these images to you because it’s my way to illustrate that small segments of the population have certain conditions that make them outliers. A celebration of the vast diversity of human beings. This applies to gender choices to eye color to conditions that are harmful and often fatal. It’s Darwinism.

Evolution is real. Those who deny it are denying facts that can be supported by science.

Climate change is real. Evolution is happening as I write this. The world is full of variety and diversity. Gov. DeSantis is not aware, it seems, of critical thinking skills. Too bad expensive educations at Yale and Harvard were such a waste of time.

I don’t often post political blogs. But I’m getting pretty tired of INTOLERANCE and CLOSE-MINDED THINKING. It’s far too common today, when gun violence and lynchings and hateful actions are more and more common.

There is an increasing amount of flapdoodle being put forth these days.

Limited minds make for a limited and dark future. The clouds are already gathering.

I’m worried.