Genetics

Veritas Genetics Scoops Up an AI Company to Sort Out Its DNA – WIRED

Genes carry the information that make you you. So it's fitting that, when sequenced and stored in a computer, your genome takes up gobs of memoryup to 150 gigabytes. Multiply that across all the people who have gotten sequenced, and you're looking at some serious storage issues. If that's not enough, mining those genomes for useful insight means comparing them all to each other, to medical histories, and to the millions of scientific papers about genetics.

Sorting all that out is a perfect task for artificial intelligence. And plenty of AI startups have bent their efforts in that direction. On August 3, sequencing company Veritas Genetics bought one of the most influential: seven-year old Curoverse. Veritas thinks AI will help interpret the genetic risk of certain diseases and scour the ever-growing databases of genomic, medical, and scientific research. In a step forward, the company also hopes to use things like natural language processing and deep learning to help customers query their genetic data on demand.

It's not totally surprising that Veritas bought up Curoverse. Both companies spun out of George Church's prolific Harvard lab. Several years ago, Church started something called the Personal Genomics Project, with the goal of sequencing 100,000 human genomesand linking each one to participants' health information. Veritas' founders helped lead the sequencing partstarting as a prenatal testing service and launching a $1,000 full genome product in 2015while Curoverse worked on academic strategies to store and sort through all the data.

But more broadly, genomics and AI practically call out for one another. As a raw data format, a single person's genome takes up about 150 gigabytes. How!?! OK so, yes, storing a single base pair only takes up around two bits. Multiply that by roughly 3 billionthe total number of base pairs in your 23 chromosome pairsand you wind up with around 750 megabytes. But genetic sequencing isn't perfect. Mirza Cifric, Veritas Genetics cofounder and CEO, says his company reads each part of the genome at least 30 times in order to make sure their results are statistically significant. "And you gotta keep all that data, so you can refer back to it over time," says Cifric.

That's just storage. "Everything after that is going to specific areas and asking questions: Theres a variant at this location, a substitution of this base, a deletion here, or multiple copies of this same gene here, here, and here," says Cifric. Now, interpret all that. Oh, and do it across a thousand, hundred thousand, or million genomes. Querying all those genetic variations is how scientists get leads to find new drugs, or figure out how existing drugs work differently on different people.

But cross-referencing all those genomes is just the beginning. Curoverse, which was focusing on projects to store and sort genomic data, also has its work cut out for it in searching through the 6 millionand countingjargon-filled academic papers detailing gene behavior, including visual information found in charts, graphs, and illustrations.

That's pretty ambitious. Natural language processing is one of the stickiest problems in AI. "Look, I am a computer scientist, I love AI and machine learning, and no amount of coding makes sense to solve this," says Atul Butte, the director of UCSF's Institute of Computational Health Sciences. At his former job at Stanford University, Butte actually tried to do the same thinguse AI to dig through genetics research. He says in the end, it was way cheaper to hire people to read the papers and input the findings into his database manually.

But hey, never say never, right? However they accomplish it, Veritas wants to move past what companies like 23andMe and Color offer: genetic risk based on single-variant diseases. Some of America's biggest dangers come from diseases like diabetes and heart disease, which are activated by interactions between multiple genesin addition to environmental factors like diet and exercise. With AI, Cifric believes Veritas will be able to not only dig up these various genetic contributors, but also assign each a statistical score showing how much it contributes to the overall risk.

Again, Butte hates to be a spoilsport, but ... there's all sorts of problems with doing predictive diagnostics with genetic data. He points to a 2013 study that used polygenic testing to predict heart disease using the Framingham Heart Study dataabout as good as you can get, when it comes to health data and heart disease. "They authors showed that yes, given polygenic risk score, and blood levels, and lipid levels, and family history, you can predict within 10 years if someone will develop heart disease," says Butte. "But doctors could do the same thing without using the genome!"

He says the problems come down to just how messy it is trying to square up all the different research on each gene alongside the environmental risks, and all the other compounding factors that come up when you try to peer into the future. "Its been the holy grail for a long time, structured genome reporting," says Butte. Even attempts to get researchers to write and report data in a standard, machine-readable way, have fallen flat. "You get into questions that never go away. One researcher defines autism different from another one, or high blood pressure, or any number of things," he says.

Butte isn't a total naysayer. He says partnerships like the one between Veritas and Curoverse are becoming more commonlike the data processing deal between genetic sequencing giant Illumina and IBM Watsonbecause there's a clear need for new computing methods in this area. "You want to get to a point where you are developing stuff that improves clinical care," he says.

Or how about directly to the owners of the genomes? Cifric hopes the merger will improve the consumer experience of using genetic data, even seamlessly integrating it into daily life. For instance, linking your genome and health records to your digital assistant. Alexa, should I eat this last piece of pizza? Maybe you should skip it, depending on your baseline genetic risk for cholesterol and latest blood test results. Diet isn't the only area where genomics could help improve your day to day life. Some people are more or less sensitive to over the counter drugs. A quick query might tell you whether you should take a little less Tylenol than is recommended.

Cifric thinks this acquisition could position Veritas as a global powerhouse of genomic data. "Apple recently announced that they had shipped 41 million iPhones in a quarter, right? I think in not too distant future, well be doing 41 million genomes in a quarter," he says. That might seem ambitious, given that the cost to consumers is nearly $1,000. But that cost is bound to come down. And artificial intelligence will make paying for the genome a matter of common sense.

This story has been updated to reflect that the company is named Veritas Genetics, not Veritas Genomics.

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Veritas Genetics Scoops Up an AI Company to Sort Out Its DNA - WIRED

Genetics

You’re getting a DNA test — start-up Clear Genetics is building chatbots to help you understand the results – CNBC

George Frey | AFP | Getty Images

A lab technician at Myriad Genetics in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Thousands of people are getting genetic tests, for everything from their cancer risk to their likelihood of passing on a disease to a child.

But many doctors aren't adequately trained to interpret these results, or tell patients how to act on them. And genetic counselors -- who do have that knowledge -- are in short supply. There are only about 4,000 genetic counselors in the country today. That's one for every 80,000 Americans. That means some patients have to wait months to get a consultation.

Start-up Clear Genetics, which launches this week after raising $2.5 million in financing, is trying to make genetic expertise more widely available.

The start-up has developed a conversational chatbot to guide a user through their results, collect information and review options for genetic testing, and answer questions about things like whether the test will be covered by insurance. If there's a need for additional support, the patient can then schedule a consultation with a human expert via video or in-person.

"We're finding that it's working really well with patients," said Moran Snir, Clear Genetics' CEO, who was previously a software engineer with the Israeli military.

Clear Genetics is working with several large health systems in the United States to test out a beta version of its product.

"I think this is a very good use for AI," said David Ledbetter, executive vice president and chief scientific officer at hospital network Geisinger Health System, in an interview with CNBC.

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You're getting a DNA test -- start-up Clear Genetics is building chatbots to help you understand the results - CNBC

Genetics

UNH research: Genetics mechanism preventing kidney injury after severe dehydration – Foster’s Daily Democrat

DURHAM Millions of people die every year from dehydration as a result of exposure and illness. In humans, even the most minor dehydration can compromise the kidneys causing lifelong, irreparable issues or even death. However, some animals living in desert environments are able to survive both acute and chronic dehydration. While these animals, like cactus mice, have evolved over time to deal with environmental stressors like dehydration, researchers at the University of New Hampshire have found its not the physical makeup that is helping them survive, but rather their genetic makeup.

Initially, we thought that maybe their kidneys are structurally different from people, but theyre not, said Matt MacManes, assistant professor of genome enabled biology at UNH and lead author of the study. However, when exposed to acute dehydration, no kidney injury was apparent, which would definitely be the case for humans exposed to similar levels of dehydration, suggesting their genes may be whats preventing widespread kidney damage.

The kidney is the canary in the coal mine when it comes to dehydration, continues MacManes. The exciting outcome of this research is that the molecular toolkit of the cactus mouse has orthologues, or related genes, in humans. These provide the potential for development of drugs or other therapies that could help protect the human body from the damages of dehydration. Such a response could be extremely valuable in a wide variety of situations for people with renal failure, where water is severally limited due to geography or possibly global climate change, for troops deployed in the desert, and perhaps even in space travel.

To understand how desert-adapted cactus mice (Peromyscus eremicus) survive, the study recently published in the American Journal of Renal Physiology outlines how the researchers modeled a desert-like condition. The mice that went without water for 72 hours lost on average 23 percent of their body weight, which would be fatal for humans. Even though dehydrated, the mice continued to be active, eat, and interact normally. Researchers analyzed several other factors including serum electrolytes (sodium, calcium, bicarbonate ion) as well as blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine. While both were slightly elevated, gene-based biomarkers for kidney injury, were not, which suggests kidney injury is not occurring.

Further analysis found genes that are important in modulating electrolytes were very active, as were genes responsible for maintaining kidney blood pressure.

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UNH research: Genetics mechanism preventing kidney injury after severe dehydration - Foster's Daily Democrat

Genetics

Madhuri Hegde Elected to ACMG Foundation for Genetic, Genomic Medicine Board – India West

The ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine announced Aug. 4 that Indian American Madhuri Hegde of Waltham, Mass.-based PerkinElmer Inc. was elected to its board of directors.

"We are delighted that Dr. Hegde has been elected to the ACMG Foundation Board of Directors. She has vast experience in genetic and genomic testing and is a longtime member of the college and supporter of both the college and the foundation," said Dr. Bruce R. Korf, president of the ACMG Foundation, in a statement.

Hegde, who will serve a two-year renewable term, joined PerkinElmer in 2016 as vice president and chief scientific officer of global genetics laboratory services. She is also an adjunct professor of human genetics in Emory Universitys human genetics department.

Previously, Hegde served as the executive director and chief scientific officer at Emory Genetics Laboratory in Atlanta, Ga.; professor of human genetics and pediatrics at Emory University; and assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicines Department of Human Genetics in Houston, Texas.

Additionally, Hegde has served on a number of scientific advisory boards for patient advocacy groups including Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy, Congenital Muscular Dystrophy and the Neuromuscular Disease Foundation.

She earned her doctorate from the University of Auckland in Auckland, New Zealand, and completed her postdoctoral fellowship in molecular genetics at Baylor College of Medicine. She also holds a masters from the University of Mumbai in India.

The foundation, a national nonprofit dedicated to facilitating the integration of genetics and genomics into medical practice, is the supporting educational foundation of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics.

Board members are active participants in serving as advocates for the foundation and for advancing its policies and programs.

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Madhuri Hegde Elected to ACMG Foundation for Genetic, Genomic Medicine Board - India West

Cell Biology

Cells may be using protons to detect leaks, says study – Research Matters

Cells are the structural and functional unit of life thats middle school biology, learnt and forgotten. For many, however, cells continue to be a positively fascinating subject despite everything that is known about it. The fascination stems from the fact that cells are like factories, each with numerous machines called organelles working in synchrony to function as one whole unit. The coordination amongst these organelles, necessary to facilitate cellular function, is a topic of research pursued by many.

One among the many is Prof. Mukund Thattai, who is applying his knowledge of physics to cell biology. After moving to the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), he set up a synthetic biology lab to build genetic circuits in bacteria. Around 2010, I started looking for a new problem to work on, which could bring together my physics side with a problem that always interested me evolution. In a workshop in 2010, we called together some of the best cell biologists and evolutionary biologists to ask whether we could retrace the origins of eukaryotes. Ever since then Ive been doing evolutionary cell biology, he quips. It was along this course that he began following the studies of a few of his colleagues, who were studying various elements of endosome function.

What are endosomes and how do they work?

Endosomes are tiny parcels, containing anything ranging from microbes to food molecules that cells ingest. Lets say a cell comes across a virus; it engulfs the virus by forming a pocket around it. The pocket closes, and the virus is trapped inside a bag (made of the cells membrane) within the cell. This bag, called the endosome, is now transported deep inside the cell for degradation.

Now, at the same time, the cell also produces tiny sacs of enzymes proteins that can shred biomolecules into otiose bits. At some point, the endosome, with the virus, fuses with the bag of enzymes, forming what is known as a lysosome. Following the fusion, the enzymes called hydrolases begin to destroy the virus or whatever else the endosome may have contained, and we escape from the consequences that the virus could have induced. The endocytic system in the cell exists to break down such complex structures into simple molecules that the cell can reuse.

This recycling system, present only in eukaryotes (the more evolved organisms), is absent in prokaryotes like bacteria, which lack cell organelles and a membrane-bound nucleus. So, eukaryotes, including humans, take stuff inside the cell for digestion and molecular break down happens within the lysosomes. But in bacterial cells, digestion occurs outside the cells. Bacteria break down complex molecules by spitting enzymes outside the cell and then consuming the digested bits. In fact, many times when food in our pantry goes bad, it is because of bacterial enzymes that have broken down the food into simple molecules, so that the bacteria can consume it.

Another interesting aspect of lysosomes is the cocktail of enzymes in them. These enzymes are called hydrolases, and lysosomes contain more than 50 different kinds of them each to break down specific types of biomolecules like carbohydrates, proteins, fats, etc. So how is it that these enzymes, which reside within the lysosomes in our cells, do not break down the cell itself? The answer lies in a little mechanism called acidification.

Lysosomal enzymes work only in acidic conditions. Endosomes, containing matter to be digested, have pumps on their membrane that sucks protons (or positively charged hydrogen ions), from its outside to its inside. The H+ ions make the endosomes acidic. When the endosome fuses with the vesicle containing the lysosomal enzymes, the enzymes are activated, and then they get to work. In fact, the purpose of acidic pH in endosomes has always been credited to its role in activating lysosomal enzymes.

In his new study, however, Prof. Thattai has a whole new rationale for the acidic pH found in endosomes. He proposes that lysosome acidification must have evolved as a leak detection system, a theory that brings in a paradigm shift to the current understanding of lysosomal biology. This study was recently published in the journal BMC Biology.

The leak detection theory

Prof. Thattai argues that lysosomal enzymes are costly for a cell to produce. And having made it, the cell would ensure not to waste it. To do so, the cell would need to ascertain that the endosomes that formed by the fusion of the cell membrane are completely sealed. Else, the expensive enzyme would leak out into the cell during fusion. But, how can a cell detect leakage? To answer this, Prof. Thattai puts forth the leak detection dye theory.

Many real-world engineers approach the issue of leak detection with a simple solution a dye is continuously pumped into the structure that is suspected of leaking. The dye will leak outside the structure, as long as there is no seal; once it is completely sealed the dye will accumulate a sign that the structure is leak-proof. Prof. Thattai explains, My line of thought was not why the endosomes are acidic, but rather, how to detect leaks, like an engineer. I knew there must be a leak-detection dye. The proton [H+] seemed like a good choice it is inexpensive for the cell to produce, abundant, rapidly diffusing, and easily sensed. To me, acidification is a by-product.

Prof. Thattai says that he has spoken to many cell biologists about this idea and that although they find it to be an interesting thought, nobody has so far has ever considered this leak-detection hypothesis. The issue is that there are so many obvious things acidic pH can do, that nobody felt there was anything further that even required explanation. I am not saying that all those processes dont make use of pH. Im saying that organelle acidification first arose for leak detection, he explains of his hypothesis.

Prof. Thattais theory is an exciting one, especially when you consider the evolution of eukaryotes from prokaryotes. Prokaryotes do not have lysosomes, but eukaryotes do. If the theory is true, then the evolution of a leak detection system in eukaryotic cells is a very intriguing concept. Prof. Thattai points out that we dont have much information about how this evolutionary jump from prokaryotes to eukaryotes occurred 2.5 billion years ago. Any hints about that process would be valuable. Finding something that functions as a leak detector adds a fresh angle to that story, he adds.

The leak detection theory holds good for most of our cells. But, what about eukaryotic cells that grow in acidic conditions? Their endosomes would already be acidic. This is something I have thought of, says Prof. Thattai. Incidentally, according to my hypothesis both acidic (H+) and alkaline (OH-) ions would work equally well theyre equally abundant and move nearly as rapidly. So maybe somewhere on earth, theres a cell that makes its organelles alkaline to test for leaks. That would be very cool.

The theory, of course, is a new perspective that has not occurred to many biologists. It is sometimes useful to ask why questions in biology. Its not always possible to answer them, but it does allow you to discover unexpected connections sometimes, he signs off.

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Cells may be using protons to detect leaks, says study - Research Matters

Cell Biology

Volant resident conducting new soybean plant research at SRU – New Castle News

SLIPPERY ROCK The United States, as the worlds largest producer of soybeans, has nearly 90 million acres devoted to the crop, according to the most recent outlook published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The most interesting soybeans however, could very well sprout up in a greenhouse at Slippery Rock Universitys Vincent Science Center.

Emily Reed, a junior biology major from Volant, received a $725 Summer Undergraduate Research Experience grant this summer to study the cell functions in soybeans. Under the guidance of Nicole Dafoe, assistant professor and chair of the biology department, Reed is observing endoreduplication in soybean plants. Endoreduplication is a cell cycle in which a cells DNA is replicated, but the cell does not divide.

This process occurs in all organisms because of a specific gene called ccs52, or Cell Cycle Switch 52. All organisms have one of these genes, with plants having two or three, but soybeans are different.

We started looking into soybeans and it turns out they have six of them, which is huge, said Dafoe, who made the discovery two years ago. Research has been done with other organisms but theres not a ton out there on what we are doing. Nothing has been done in soybean. This is all very new.

Reed and Defoe may want endoreduplication to occur so they can learn from it, but what about farmers and, ultimately, consumers?

Theres both good and bad to it, Dafoe said. Endoreduplication in plants has been associated with crop production and its important for drought tolerance. While there are a lot of really good things that its associated with, the downside is its association with pest and pathogen growth because of the nutrients on which they are able to feed.

Part of the research is testing different compositions of the gene, based on amino acid sequences, and how they contribute to endorepuplication.

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Thats the exciting thing about endoreduplication it occurs in lots of different phases, said Dafoe, who prior to coming to SRU five years ago was a research molecular biologist at the USDA. It occurs during fruit development, it occurs in response to drought, it can occur in response to a pest feeding on it.

In soybeans, endoreduplication occurs when a swelling of cells, or nodules, are formed in response to the presence of nitrogen-fixing bacteria.

Thats where Reed comes in. She is testing the effects of the ccs52 gene in yeast, as a model, as well as planted soybean to determine what is necessary to develop the nodules. The soybean plants are treated with bacteria when they are planted and some are grown in the absence of nitrogen.

Reed has spent two to three days per week in the lab this summer, experience she says will be important not only for discovery but to build her resume for future research opportunities and entrance into a doctorate program.

I was extremely excited to get this research grant because I learned that I really have a passion for research and this is making it so that Im able to come in every week and do more and learn more, said Reed. The aspiring professor is already eyeing doctorate programs in molecular or cellular biology that will allow her to bypass a masters degree because of her undergraduate research.

Reed and Dafoe said their efforts this summer will help scientists better understand the causes of endoreduplication. They plan to publish the findings in a peer-reviewed journal or present at conferences next spring.

Its been a lot of practice and learning to do things that I didnt even know were possible before, said Reed, referring to scientific functions like DNA replication and measuring protein expression in organisms.

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Volant resident conducting new soybean plant research at SRU - New Castle News

Biochemistry

James J. Lee – Suffolk Times

Dr. James J. Lee, formerly of Freeport, died March 2017.

Born June 14, 1958, he was baptized and raised Catholic. He attended public school in Copaigue and graduated from Copaigue High School in 1976. He graduated valedictorian from Stony Brook University in 1980 with a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry. He received a full scholarship with stipend for graduate studies at Caltech. In the late 1980s, he received a Ph.D. in genetic studies from Columbia University. Post-doctorate, he interned at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York City.

In 1980 he married Jo Anne, who was a childhood friend. She was killed in 1984 by a drunk driver in California. He later married his colleague, Dr. Nancy Lee, who has a Ph.D. in microbiology.

Since 1991, James and Nancy worked as the head of the research lab at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz., where James held the position of professor of biochemistry and molecular biology in the division of pulmonary medicine. He and Nancy researched the genetics of wild mice to isolate and study the gene that causes asthma.

James lifes work was improving our understanding of how eosinophilic leukocytes contribute to the pathogenesis of allergy, asthma and cancer, according to the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. He was the past president of the International Eosinophil Society, where he served on the board of directors; was a member of the National Institute of Health Taskforce on the research needs of eosinophil-associated diseases; and served as co-editor-in-chief for the multi-author text Eosinophils in health and disease.

In addition to being well-known at Cold Spring Harbor Research Lab, Mr. Lee traveled the world and became a globally known scientist.

A memorial Mass, which was arranged by his family in Riverhead, will take place at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017, at St. John the Evangelist R.C. Church in Riverhead, Father Larry Duncklee officiating.

This is a paid notice.

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Biochemistry

NSF Awards Grants To Kent Students – Patch.com

From Kent University: Several Kent State University professors in the College of Arts and Sciences have been selected to receive Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF). REU grants are designed to provide faculty with funding to create research positions and experiences specifically for undergraduate students. These students typically come from two- or four-year institutions that may not provide access to many research opportunities.

Torsten Hegmann, Ph.D., a professor at Kent States Liquid Crystal Institute, and Mike Tubergen, Ph.D., a professor and chair in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, were awarded $360,000 by the NSF in March for the support of an REU Site in liquid crystals and advanced materials at Kent State. The three-year award started June 1, 2017, and ends May 31, 2020.

The goal of this NSF-REU project is to provide a diverse group of undergraduate students with a comprehensive learning and career-building experience that has advanced materials chemistry at its core, yet seamlessly crosses the disciplinary boundaries among materials science, biology and chemical physics, Hegmann explained. Undergraduate students will conduct research in Kent States Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, as well as the Liquid Crystal Institute, which are recognized centers of excellence in advanced materials, technology and education.

The NSF also offered an REU Site award of $259,200 to Evgenia Soprunova, Ph.D., and Mikhail Chebotar, Ph.D., both in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at Kent State, for undergraduate research in geometry, algebra and analysis. This award started May 1, 2017, and ends April 30, 2020.

Chebotar, whose students will be studying the interaction of linear algebra and ring theory, has had previous success with REU grants.

So far, I have supervised 15 REU students, and theyve published seven research papers, Chebotar said. Six of them were published in Linear Algebra and Its Applications, the top journal in the area of linear algebra, and one in Involve, a journal that showcases and encourages high-quality mathematical research involving students from all academic levels.

In addition to these faculty awards from the NSF, Taylor Michael, a biological sciences major at Kent State from Mantua, Ohio, is one of eight undergraduate students selected for the Ohio State Universitys Stone Laboratory 2017 REU Scholarship Program.

The five-week program is a competitive, comprehensive research internship that gives students the chance to conduct scientific research in the field alongside top scientists at Stone Laboratory, Ohio States island campus on Lake Erie.

REU students receive a full scholarship to Stone Lab, including lab fee, room and meals, in-state tuition for the 2-credit research experience and a 4-credit, five-week course. The program runs concurrently with Stone Labs five-week summer term. Students spend their nonclass days focused on research, working closely with their supervisors to design an experiment, collect samples and analyze data. At the end of the program, they give a final presentation to their peers and the public.

This years program was held June 18 through July 22. Michael studied field zoology.

More information about Stone Labs REU program can be found here.

For more information about Kent States College of Arts and Sciences, visit here.

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Originally published August 7, 2017.

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NSF Awards Grants To Kent Students - Patch.com

Human Behavior

Glore looks at connection between moon, behavior – News-Press Now

Perhaps perpetuated by folklore, Hollywood, or just human fascination, the idea that the moon effects human behavior continues to persist today.

But how much of it is fact, and how much is fiction?

When there is a full moon, people always say Oh everybody is acting strangely because its a full moon, says Sara Wilson, executive director of the St. Joseph Museums. We said Well, is that really true?

The Moon and Madness exhibit, which looks at the connections between the moon and human behavior, opened Aug. 1 at the Glore Psychiatric Museum. The family-friendly, temporary exhibit will be open through the end of the year.

The exhibit explores this idea, this fundamental belief that we have that the moon effects human behavior, Wilson says. We think about the history between our long understanding of the history of mental illness and what mental illness is and the idea that the moon has some relationship to that.

In preparation for the exhibit, the museum collected research that looked at human activity during a full moon, including psychiatric hospital admissions and crime. They worked on the exhibit for about a year before it was unveiled.

Are there more psychiatric hospital admissions during a full moon? Is there more crime during a full moon? Wilson says. Overwhelmingly, the science seems to indicate, no, theres not. But if you have friends who work for the police force or hospitals, almost all of them will say Yes, yes, there is something that happens when theres a full moon that people start to act strangely.

Although such a connection, which has been called the lunar lunacy effect or Transylvania effect, has persevered in legend, media and other places, the research didnt support a connection, Wilson says. Despite the lack of solid scientific evidence, the connection has been long standing, including in the mental health field, she says.

The state hospital, which was here in St. Joseph, which is largely what the Glore interprets, was originally called the State Lunatic Asylum. If you think about that word, lunatic, that has its roots in lunar, which is another word for moon. The notion of lunatic, the longstanding idea of what happens with lunacy, is there is some connection to the phases of the moon, she says.

One theory about a link between the moon and human behavior stems from the moons influence on the Earths tides, Wilson says, but research suggests that the same influence is not substantial on the human body.

The thing that I find most interesting is our stead-fast belief that people do act strangely during a full moon, despite the overwhelming scientific evidence, Wilson says. I think there must be something to it, even though our science maybe hasnt figured out what, yet.

The interactive exhibit also looks at the solar system and the fundamentals of solar and lunar eclipses. A telescope allows visitors to view the moon, and a 3-D interactive exhibit displays the solar system.

A few floors below the exhibit, lunar sample 70035, a piece of moon rock, is on display at the museum. It was collected by astronaut Harrison Schmitt in 1972 and is estimated to be 3.75 billion years old. It will be on display through October and was brought to St. Joseph by the St. Joseph Museums and VekTek LLC.

Thats been a huge deal for St. Joseph to have a piece of the moon when the solar eclipse is coming, Wilson says. We are grateful for that.

The solar eclipse provides a unique opportunity to look at the history of the moon and mental illness, Wilson says. The St. Joseph Museums, 3406 Frederick Ave., are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. Admission ranges from free for children under 6 to $6 for adults.

The Glore is a fantastic resource here in St. Joseph, and its inspiring, she says. Its also an important story that we share with the entire country, the history of treatment of mental illness. Its very unique.

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Human Behavior

People Everywhere Think Atheists Are Bad, Says New Study – Gizmodo

Religion has played an important part in countless wars, conflicts, terrorist attacks, murders, and genocides, yet people seem to associate it with morality. In fact, these same peopleeven other atheistsseem to think atheists are the immoral ones.

A new study from an international team of scientists tried to add some data to the moral distrust of atheists, a prejudice that exists in America and around the world. The research surveyed 3,256 people from 13 different countries, and found that, sure enough, anti-atheist prejudices still exist among religious people and other atheists alike, in both religious and secular countries.

Entrenched moral suspicion of atheists suggests that religions powerful influence on moral judgements persists, the authors write in the article, published today in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, even among non-believers in secular societies.

The task was simple: Survey participants read about a boy who tortures animals, then murders and mutilates homeless people as an adult. They then answered questions about the mans religious beliefs in a way the experimenters specifically designed so folks werent simply choosing whether the man was a believer or non believer, which could add extra bias. Instead, some participants decided whether the man was a teacher, in general, or specifically a teacher who believed in god, and others decided whether the man was a teacher or specifically an atheist teacher.

Participants came from Australia, China, the Czech Republic, Finland, Hong Kong, India, Mauritius, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States. While the amount of anti-atheist sentiment varied between countries, folks were always more likely to say the man was an atheist teacher than they were to say he was religious.

Even as secularism reduces overt religiosity in many places religion has apparently still left a deep and abiding mark on human moral intuitions, the authors write.

You might think that people simply associate immorality with disbelief in general, but further studies seem to point out that the sentiment is specifically expressed towards those who dont believe in God.

If youre an atheist, no need to worry (yet). This is just a scientific study and not necessarily a reflection of how peoples thinking actually plays out in the real world, Adam Cohen and Jordan Moon, psychologists at Arizona State University write in a Nature commentary. Atheism is rarely the only piece of information known about interaction partners, they write, and it is possible that, when included with the social information that individuals collect naturally, atheism will be perceived as less indicative of immoral behavior. In other words, survey data doesnt necessarily reflect the world as large, as is often the caveat of many lab studies.

Still, as mentioned, the data does seem to support a well-documented bias against atheists. To that I ask: What is wrong with everyone?

[Nature Human Behaviour]

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People Everywhere Think Atheists Are Bad, Says New Study - Gizmodo