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The mutations that drive cancer formation are often found in “hub” genes that regulate many aspects of cell growth and survival. But these key genes are not always good therapeutic targets — some are even considered “undruggable.” In the latest issue of GENETICS, Bailey et al. identify a strategy for fighting cancer cells that carry…

Amphibians around the world have been devastated by the spread of the deadly fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). But although many populations have been decimated, others have survived the same threat. One reason for such different outcomes is variation in virulence between Bd isolates. In the latest issue of G3, Refsnider and Poorten et al. investigate…

Johnny Kung, Director of New Initiatives for the Personal Genetics Education Project (pgEd), fills us in on their latest Congressional briefing. A version of this post is published on the pgEd website and is posted here with permission. On Nov. 17, our group, the Personal Genetics Education Project at Harvard Medical School, held a Congressional…

As we approach the holiday season and #GivingTuesday, we hope that you will consider a donation to the Genetics Society of America (GSA). We rely upon your charitable contributions to promote a strong future for our field. GSA is the voice for those conducting fundamental studies in genetics and those working with model organisms from…

GSA members are well represented among the winners of FASEB’s fourth annual BioArt competition: 4 of the 11 winning images were submitting by our members. The BioArt competition seeks to share the beauty and excitement of biological research with the public by featuring captivating images and illustrations that represent cutting-edge life science research. All winning…

Kevin Ahern and Indira Rajagopal, both from the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at Oregon State University, described the process of creating an interactive e-textbook in biochemistry while presenting at the Gordon Research Conference on Undergraduate Biology Education Research in the summer of 2015. G2G asked them about their experience writing and publishing and they…

Today’s guest author is Emma Farley, a postdoctoral researcher in Mike Levine’s lab, which recently relocated to Princeton (formerly at University of California, Berkeley). Sea squirts (Ciona intestanalis) are a classic system for the study of development. They were a favorite of early developmental biologists like Laurent Chabry, Ed Conklin, and Thomas Hunt Morgan. Over…

What if we could eradicate malaria by engineering a mosquito population that doesn’t transmit the disease? What if we could control invasive species that outcompete natural populations? What if we could get rid of insecticide-resistant pests not by developing new chemical treatments, but instead by changing the population itself and driving it toward extinction? Although…

This month, the GSA journal GENETICS published an editorial that illuminates the struggles experienced by scientists when trying to both do good science and advance in their career, especially as it relates to the unintended effects of the Journal Impact Factor (JIF). The editorial by Executive Editor Tracey DePellegrin and Editor-in-Chief Mark Johnston is largely intended to…

GENETICS’ publication of WormBook in the 21st century is a perfect partnership, because C. elegans research began in GENETICS with the May 1974 publication of Sydney Brenner’s The Genetics of Caenorhabditis elegans – the foundational article that launched an entire field. Since then, some of the most important papers about C. elegans have appeared in…

The National Science Foundation has funded a new mentoring initiative jointly organized by the GSA, American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB), and American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB). The Promoting Active Learning & Mentoring (PALM) Network was established to spark sustained biology education reform at diverse institutions through one-on-one long-term mentorships for faculty new to approaches…