Humans spend about one-third of our lives asleep, but scientists still dont fully understand how sleep works and why some people have different sleep habits than others. Natural short sleepers are a perfect example: The average person requires seven hours a night, but these folks only need about four to six hours of snooze time.

In August 2019, scientists discovered that these natural short sleepers have something unusual a mutation in the gene ADRB1. The finding suggests genetics may at least in part underlie natural short sleepers tendencies. Understanding why they need different doses of daily rest than the average Joe could help scientists finally pinpoint just how much sleep humans really need to be well-rested.

This is #2 on Inverses 25 most WTF science stories of 2019

Lead study author Ying-Hu Fu, a neurology professor at UC San Francisco, told Inverse at the time she hoped the finding would not only bring relief to those who suffer from sleep problems, but increase sleep efficiency for everyone to ensure healthy aging.

Fu and her team analyzed a family of short sleepers genes and found that they all carried mutations in ADRB1. The gene is involved in neurons in a brain region called the dorsal pons which play a role in regulating sleep-wake behavior.

From there, they compared the mutated ADRB1 genes protein to that of a non-mutated version, and found that the mutant version of the protein was less stable. This suggests that the mutation doesnt interact with the neurons as expected that may explain why carriers of the genetic variant have an atypical sleep-wake cycle.

To confirm their results, the researchers bred mice with the mutated ADRB1 gene and compared them to controls. The mutant mice woke up 55 minutes earlier than the control mice on average. They also saw that the gene was expressed at high levels in the mutant mices brains dorsal pons region.

Untangling the genetics underlying sleep could one day help people get better at sleeping, said Fu. Her team has also found that natural short sleepers may carry a different mutation in the DEC2 gene, which helps regulate circadian rhythms. And there are likely more discoveries to come as scientists get to grips with the biology of this universal human activity.

As 2019 draws to a close, Inverse is counting down the 25 science stories from this year that made us say WTF. Some are incredible, some are icky, and some are just plain strange. This has been #2. Read the original article here.

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Mutants among us: "Natural short sleepers" reveal the genetics of sleep - Inverse

It was quite a year for the Jews of the Bay Area. From TV shows to Barbie Death Camp to white supremacists to racial diversity in the Jewish community, here are the 10 stories our online readers clicked on the most in 2019.

It was a big year for Israeli TV in America. One show in particular, Shtisel, became an unlikely crossover hit among American viewers when the 2013-2016 series about the travails of a haredi family in Jerusalem hit Netflix late last year. As our TV reviewer Esther D. Kustanowitz wrote in January, there are some universal themes about family, community and change that kept mainstream audiences fascinated by the show:

In September, we brought you perhaps the strangest piece of news we covered this year: the curious case of Burning Mans Barbie Death Camp display. Heres how reporter Gabe Stutman described it: A sea of nude Barbies is seen moving toward three full-size kitchen ovens. Some are crucified on bright pink crosses. Other photos show toy soldiers with semi-automatic rifles marching the Barbies from the rear. A banner strapped to an RV proclaims the Barbie Death Camp the friendliest concentration camp at Burning Man. Another reads arbeit macht plastik frei, a reference to the message over the Auschwitz gate meaning work makes you free.

Some might say its the least Jewish story we wrote this year, but I beg to differ. My visit to the recently remodeled Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Temple in Oakland was a personal highlight of the year. It was the first time it had been open to the public in over 50 years, and the visit did not disappoint. As I wrote at the time: I was there out of my love of religious architecture and because Id heard that [Mormon temples] include architectural references to the Mishkan (the portable sanctuary used by the Israelites as they wandered in the desert), as well as the ancient Temples that stood on Jerusalems Temple Mount.

No one article about him truly topped the list, but weve been covering the story since the 24-year-old Concord man was arrested in June and accused of plotting online to shoot Jews. Police found a weapons cache and Nazi literature in his home. He has been in and out of court and jail since then. Last month, a federal charge was added: In 2017, he falsified an application to join the Army by lying about his mental health history, according to the FBI. His bail has been revoked and he remains in custody as his case progresses.

This profile of iconoclastic billionaire Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist, was the first in-depth interview he has given about his Jewish upbringing and values. More and more Im conscious of the notion of treating people like I want to be treated, and more and more Im conscious of the notion that I got lucky financially and I should share that in ways that mean something, he told our late colleague Rob Gloster in April.

The 2018 Portrait of Bay Area Jewish Life and Communities revealed that one-quarter of local Jewish households include at least one person of color. In our Jan. 25 editorial, we wrote: Its time we acknowledge not only the tendency to make Jews the other in broader society, but the equally pernicious tendency to other Jews of color right here within our own community. Our cover story is replete with stories from Jews of color being stared at or questioned when they show up in synagogue, and being passed over for leadership positions. But we also highlighted ways in which the situation is changing for the better.

Remember this years middling Netflix film The Red Sea Diving Resort, based on the secret Israeli plan to extract Ethiopian Jews through Sudan in the early 80s? Yeah, theres no reason you should. Much more interesting is the real-life story of one of the Israeli naval commandos who took part in the operation. Nir Merry lives in Mountain View today, and as he told editorial assistant Gabriel Greschler, during the operation he spent nights picking up Ethiopian Jews who had hiked for days, sometimes weeks, to reach the rendezvous point. He recalled avoiding armed Sudanese patrols on the coastline and ferrying the refugees to a disguised Israeli Navy ship in the Red Sea. We were tired but really excited, Merry said. I remember picking [up] an [Ethiopian] lady and you could hear little squeaks. And I realized it was a baby tucked in her dress close to her body.

Just last week, Adam Eilath, head of school at Ronald C. Wornick Jewish Day School in Foster City, registered his dismay at the Hanukkah-themed episode of the Disney series Elena of Avalor. In his opinion piece he wrote, As a Sephardic Jew raising two small daughters in an American Jewish community whose default is almost always Ashkenazi. I was excited that the episode would feature Princess Rebekah from a Latino (Ladino) Jewish kingdom. But, he continued, As usual, the only way that Sephardic culture gets represented in this episode is by incorporating Sephardic food.

This story was part of a three-part series on the rise of home genetic testing and the ease of doing genealogical research from the comfort of your home computer. One woman we spoke with grew up Catholic, but found out that she was 50% Asheknazi Jewish from a 23andMe home genetic test. But, as reporter Maya Mirsky asks, what does that really mean? The question itself is a new wrinkle in the age-old debate of just what it means to be Jewish, which has been given a kick in the pants from the commercialization of a field of science that says it can tell you something new: For a price, you can now choose from one of seven commercial genetic tests to find out just how Jewish you are.

In October we reported on a Nazi flag seen hanging inside a state parole office in Sacramento. How did it get there? And why was it hanging in a government building? The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation told us in an email that they have a zero tolerance policy for the display of objects that are derogatory in nature, but they pointed out that their officers deal with gang members and high-risk sex offenders, [so] we will come into contact with items that may be considered objectionable. However, the email continued, We take this issue seriously and have removed the item and are looking into the circumstances for why the flag was displayed in potential view of the public. No word yet on what they found out.

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Our 10 most read stories of 2019: genetics, TV, 'Barbie Death Camp' and more - The Jewish News of Northern California

What Can Genes Tell Me About My Cancer Risk?

Before pursuing any kind of genetic testing, it is important to understand that the majority of cancers are not the direct result of genes passed down from your parents. Inherited gene changes sometimes called mutations or variants contribute to somewhere between 5 and 10 percent of all cancers. For that reason, genetic testing and counseling is typically recommended only for people who have had certain types of inherited cancer or who have histories of cancer within their family.

Genetic testing allows healthcare providers to look for inherited gene mutations associated with increased cancer risk, such as BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene changes that have a clear tie to breast and ovarian cancer. For example, women in the general population have roughly a 12 percent chance of developing breast cancer in their lifetime; for women with BRCA mutations, it is closer to 70 percent, according to the NCI. Understanding that risk can help a woman and her healthcare providers plan prevention strategies.

RELATED: My Genetic Test Came Back BRCA Positive. Now What?

Medical-grade genetic cancer testing is typically ordered by your doctor or a specialist, such as a genetic counselor. The tests are noninvasive and typically use a blood or saliva sample.

"Medical-grade testing is developed and approved to answer medical questions [such as]: 'Do I carry a mutation in one of these hereditary cancer genes?'" says Ellen Matloff, the president and CEO of My Gene Counsel, a company that helps clients better understand their genetic testing results, and the former director of the cancer genetic counseling program at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut. "At-home testing kits are for entertainment and are not developed, or approved, to answer medical questions."

There are several reasons for that. Medical-grade testing is far more thorough, Matloff says. For example, medical-grade testing for BRCA gene mutations analyzes thousands of gene variant options, whereas one leading at-home kit considers just three.

There are also differences in accuracy. A study published in March 2018 in the journal Genetics in Medicine found that 40 percent of gene variants reported in direct-to-consumer tests were false positives and that some of the variants companies told users meant they were at increased risk for certain health conditions are actually considered common gene variants by clinical labs.

An unpublishedstudy presented in October 2019 by Invitae, a medical-grade genetic testing company, found that an individual's ethnicity may have a significant impact on whether their at-home test results are accurate. MUTYH gene mutations, for example, would have been missed in 100 percent of Asian and 75 percent of African American test takers, but only 33 percent of Caucasian individuals.

"Medical-grade testing uses laboratory techniques and validation methods not used by most at-home testing kits," Matloff explains. "So those results are generally more accurate."

Health insurance plans will often cover genetic testing which can cost thousands of dollars but not always, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine and Breastcancer.org. Direct-to-consumer genetic cancer risk tests tend to be less expensive, so they can be a good starting point for people who are worried about their family history and who do not want to spend too much.

"There are some at-home genetic cancer testing kits that are good, reasonably priced, and convenient for people who do not meet insurance criteria for coverage of traditional medical-grade testing and prefer to pay out of pocket and have the test delivered to their house," Matloff says.

But it is important to remember that everyone from the American Cancer Society to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) caution that the tests may provide incomplete or inaccurate information, and urge individuals to talk to their doctors before making any health-related decisions on the basis of those tests.

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What to Know Before You Buy an At-Home Genetic Cancer Risk Test - Everyday Health