Scientists have long known a #gene called #APOE4 is one of many things that can increase people’s risk for #Alzheimer's, including simply getting older. The vast majority of Alzheimer’s cases occur after age 65. But #research published Monday suggests that for people who carry not one but two copies of the gene, it's more than a risk factor, it's an underlying cause of the mind-robbing #disease.
If Donald Trump returns to the White House, close allies want to dramatically change the government's interpretation of #Civil#Rights-era laws to💥 focus on "anti-white racism" 💥rather than discrimination against people of color.
Trump's Justice Department would push to #eliminate or #upend programs in government and corporate America that are designed to counter racism that has favored whites.
Targets would range from decades-old policies aimed at giving minorities economic opportunities, to more recent programs that began in response to the pandemic and the killing of George Floyd.
Trump campaign spokesperson #Steven#Cheung told Axios: "As President Trump has said, all staff, offices, and initiatives connected to Biden's un-American policy will be immediately #terminated."
Longtime aides and allies preparing for a potential second Trump administration have been laying legal groundwork with a flurry of lawsuits and legal complaints — some of which have been successful.
A central vehicle for the effort has been #America#First#Legal, founded by former Trump aide #Stephen#Miller, who has called the group conservatives' "long-awaited answer to the ACLU."
America First cited the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in February in a lawsuit against CBS and Paramount Global for what the group argued was discrimination against a white, straight man who was a writer for the show "Seal Team" in 2017.
In February, the group filed a civil rights complaint against the NFL over its "Rooney Rule."
The rule — named for Dan #Rooney, late owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers — was instituted in 2003 and expanded in 2022.
It requires NFL teams to interview at least two minority candidates for vacant general manager, head coach and coordinator positions.
American First argued that "given the limited time frame to hire executives and coaches after the season, this results in fewer opportunities for similarly situated, well-qualified candidates who are not minorities."
In 2021, Miller's group successfully sued to block the implementation of a $29 billion pandemic-era program for women- and minority-owned restaurants, saying it discriminated against white-owned businesses.
"This ruling is the first, but crucial, step towards ending government-sponsored racial discrimination," Miller said then.
Other Trump-aligned groups are preparing for a future Trump Justice Department to implement — or challenge — policies on a broader scale.
The #Heritage#Foundation's well-funded "#Project2025" envisions a second Trump administration ending what it calls "affirmative discrimination."
Part of the plan, written by former Trump Justice Department official #Gene#Hamilton, argues that "advancing the interests of certain segments of American society ... comes at the expense of other Americans — and in nearly all cases violates longstanding federal law."
Hamilton is America First Legal's general counsel.
Such groups have gained momentum with the #Supreme#Court's turn to the right
— most notably its recent rejection of affirmative action in college admissions.
The court ruled that programs designed to benefit people of color and address past injustices discriminate against white and Asian Americans.
In 2021, a federal judge blocked a $4 billion program to help Black farmers
The painful, inherited blood disorder afflicts mostly Black people in the U.S.
The Food and Drug Administration said the one-time treatments can be used for patients 12 and older with severe forms of the #disease. One, made by Vertex
“Sickle cell disease is a rare, debilitating and life-threatening blood disorder with significant unmet need,” the FDA’s Dr. Nicole Verdun
This is fascinating. Everyone in the world with #blueEyes is descendant from one single #ancestor who lived about 10,000 years ago in modern-day #Ukraine. A single #genetic#mutation in the #gene that controls eye color is responsible for blue eyes. It functions by suppressing the ability of the #iris to produce #brown pigmentation.
The UK authorizes world-first gene therapy for sickle cell disease and B-thalassemia.
How’s it work? Scientists use CRISPR to edit the faulty gene in a patient’s stem cells in the lab so that they make functioning hemoglobin. Then, they infuse the cells back into the patient.
Results? Recall many sickle cell patients have frequent pain crises and anemia. And B-thal pts can need blood transfusions every month.)
-The trials are ongoing, but of eligible sickle cell 1/2
Gates McFadden, who played Dr. Beverly Crusher on several Star Trek projects, felt that creator Gene Roddenberry had some unenlightened ideas about women.
This may be a silly question, but with the understanding that virus genetics are contained within our own genome, is it possible for new viral genetics to be read/expressed as the original virus, causing the body to attack itself during early development? For example, a woman today has a viral infection, it affects one of her eggs, she becomes pregnant, and the fetus' immune system attacks the affected proteins causing it to fail to construct some vital organ. I would love to understand this more. #biology#virus#dna#rna#mutation#genetics#gene#protein#genome
There is some amazing work happening in #gene#therapy right now. David Corey’s lab at Harvard is nearing clinical trials for an Usher 1F treatment using a custom designed gene delivered via a viral vector.
We believe that the scientific community can therefore be cautiously optimistic based on current trends that gene editing will be accepted by the public and be able to achieve its promise of making a substantial contribution to future food security and environmental sustainability worldwide.
The scientist in China who controversially made gene-edited babies is out of jail and back in the lab doing genetics work aimed at human therapies. He talked to NPR
Why Star Trek's Gates McFadden Struggled With Gene Roddenberry's Work - /Film (www.slashfilm.com)
Gates McFadden, who played Dr. Beverly Crusher on several Star Trek projects, felt that creator Gene Roddenberry had some unenlightened ideas about women.
Gene editing achieves consistently higher favorability in social and traditional media than GMOs (www.tandfonline.com)
We believe that the scientific community can therefore be cautiously optimistic based on current trends that gene editing will be accepted by the public and be able to achieve its promise of making a substantial contribution to future food security and environmental sustainability worldwide.