Because You Can Never Know Enough About Your Turkey’s Genome
Cross posted at Balloon Juice
For your pre-Thanksgiving edification, I give you this delightful photo-feature on the genetics of tomorrow’s feast.
I’ll add just one note of unmerited self-satisfaction. Emily Anthes, the writer of this piece, is an alumna of the MIT Graduate Program in Science Writing — which I have the honor of directing. She’s been doing great work since she left us (and before) and it is part of my Thanksgiving Day treat to take pleasure in such outcomes.
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So as not to be unseemly in this public space, I’ll just stop with the advice that you would be wise to keep an eye on Emily.
Image: Pieter Claesz.“Still Life With Turkey Pie,” 1627
Explore posts in the same categories: Cool Images, good public communication of scienceTags: genetics, Genomics, Thanksgiving, Turkey
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November 24, 2010 at 9:46 pm
Indeed, Tom, you should be proud – and not ashamed of spouting off about it either. Emily is a fantastic writer and I’m equally honored to be writing beside her at PLoS Blogs. Unlike you, however, I cannot take any credit at all for her talent.
Slide 2 of the photo-feature was expanded by Emily into this post. I had worked on cytochromes P450 before and knew that the enzyme family bioactivated aflatoxin B1 to a carcinogenic metabolite but I had never known that turkeys have a much more efficient enzyme that renders them highly susceptible to aflatoxin.
Of course, she does a much better job than I did just there.
Happy Thanksgiving to the Levensons – I’m thankful to have your positive influence in my life.