Videos about Biology of the Genome
Genome vs DNA: What’s the diff?
What’s the difference between DNA and genome? DNA is a molecule; your genome is all of your DNA, and unlike commercial genetic tests, new technology reads every bit of it. That’s a big diff! You’ll be surprised at how much information your genome holds and where it’s stashed.
Waking Sleeping Beauty
“Waking Sleeping Beauty” is a story about the scientific research that “woke” a genetic sequence that evolution had put to sleep (deactivated) millions of years ago. The experiments that Perry Hackett, Scott McIvor, David Largaespada, and Steve Ekker began in 1997 led to a non-viral gene-editing tool and the development of life-saving applications in use today.
Gene Cross-Talk for Co-Evolution
I was thrilled when the Fulbright Association awarded me a Senior Scholar Award to Israel or my proposal to produce a video about Dan Mishmar’s research.
Dr. Mishmar is an evolutionary geneticist at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Be’er Sheva, Israel. His research focuses on the mitochondrion—the fundamental mechanisms and impacts of disease.
Designed for a general audience, “Gene Cross-Talk” is the story of the coevolution of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA. After consulting with Dr. Mishmar to get the details right, I wrote, narrated, illustrated, and animated this three-minute video.
HLA: Making the Match
HLA is the immune system we inherit from our ancestors. The bioinformatics scientists at Be The Match specialize in deciphering the complex information that makes up our HLA. They identify the specific variants to make accurate patient-donor matches, which improve outcomes for people who need a stem cell transplantation.
Genetic Ancestry for a Better Match
Did you know your genome holds information that could save a life? In a land of many multis, such as the United States, identifying genomic variants is critical for people with mixed genetic ancestry who need a donor match. This video explains the research by bioinformatics scientists at Be the Match, who develop tools to find and identify the variants.