Dr. Eric Vilain, a professor of human genetics, urology and pediatrics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and co-director of UCLA’s Institute for Society and Genetics, was interviewed Oct. 6 by the New York Times and Oct. 7 by KPCC 89.3FM’s AirTalk show about a young female sprinter from India who was banned from competition due to…
An obscure swatch of human DNA once thought to be nothing more than biological trash may actually offer a treasure trove of insight into complex genetic-related diseases such as cancer and diabetes, thanks to a novel sequencing technique developed by biologists at Texas A&M University. The game-changing discovery was part of a study led by Texas A&M biology doctoral candidate…
Handwashing with antibacterial soap exposes hospital workers to significant and potentially unsafe levels of triclosan, a widely-used chemical currently under review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, according to a study led by researchers from UC San Francisco. Triclosan, a synthetic antibacterial agent, is found in thousands of consumer products, including soaps, cosmetics, acne creams and some brands of…
Human Biology and Society student featured in a recent LA Times article.
ISG director, Eric Vilain, recently gave a provocative TEDx talk on Sports, Genes and Fairness, at the very heart of Society and Genetics matters. Feel free to share and post anywhere, and enjoy! http://youtu.be/nu9GnW4HD18
For starlings and meerkats in the Kalahari Desert, the fork-tailed drongo, a songbird with glossy black feathers and garnet-red eyes, is like the neighborhood dog: a trustworthy pal that’s always on the alert and ready to warn you about dangerous predators. Except when it’s lying. Because sometimes drongos, which are about the size of a scrub jay, make false alarm…