Whether it’s a candlelit dinner or walk on the beach, most things are better with a partner. That’s certainly true of research on applying genomics to improve disease resilience in the pork industry. In seeking to break new ground for agriculture, science has forged a mutually beneficial partnership with some key industry players. “We got involved because we appreciated that several parties could come together, have common objectives and do pre-competitive research that benefits the…

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This is another in our profiles of researchers in the early stages of their careers who are working on Genome Alberta funded projects.    What do cooking and parasites have in common? Hopefully not much, but they are both interests of Emily Herman, post-doctoral researcher, Livestock Gentec, Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science at the University of Alberta (U of A). As her research career begins to blossom, it seems that Herman’s mix of…

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February 14 is Valentine’s Day. I was asked if there was any science to the symbolic heart we often call a Valentine or Valentine’s heart. I responded that there must be a relationship because I could draw a heart and use it to explain the flow of blood through a four-chambered heart. Check out my most recent Gerry’s Gene Scene to see what I did.                     The Valentine’s heart shape is so recognizable, I found…

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Whether it was relocating from Singapore to Canada as a child, or progressing from undergrad studies to a Master`s thesis, Kristy Myles has always been on the move. After completing her BSc in Natural Sciences at the University of Calgary (U of C) with a concentration in biology and chemistry, she made a “slight switch” to interpretative social sciences for her grad studies. “In my last year of undergrad I took a course focused in…

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This is the sixth in my series of ‘genetics explainer’ videos on YouTube for students, parents and teachers. The feedback I have received has encouraged me to continue with this series. Some teachers have told me that these videos are of great use in a flipped-classroom instructional strategy. We have learned more from Mendel than just monohybrid and dihybrid crosses and his Laws of Segregation and of Independent Assortment. We have also learned an algorithm…

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Our chronic wasting disease project is working to develop better surveillance methods to track and manage the spread of the disease which affects cervids (elk, deer, moose, reindeer, caribou). It is a fatal disease that can take anywhere from 150 to 600 days before it shows itself in an animal and there can only be a definitive diagnosis after the animal has died. This means that CWD research needs time to test strains of CWD,…

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Discussions around bioinformatics typically center on the development of new drugs and personalized medicine. But the roles are expanding for this powerful computing system that specializes in collecting and analyzing complex biological data. And one of those growing use cases is forensics – also known as crime detection. The first things that occur to most people in biological data crime sleuthing are DNA and other forensic biology sciences that have been used for decades to…

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As sensitive topics go, animal health is up there with politics and the latest flood. Yet when pork producers do discuss their feeling around animal health, the results are revealing. As researchers on a Genome Alberta-led project continue their quest for greater disease resilience in pigs through genomics, producer feedback is a key piece of the puzzle. “We surveyed 67 pork producers and associated professionals in the UK from 2017-2019 about their thoughts on selecting…

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As sensitive topics go, animal health is up there with politics and the latest flood. Yet when pork producers do discuss their feeling around animal health, the results are revealing. As researchers on a Genome Alberta-led project continue their quest for greater disease resilience in pigs through genomics, producer feedback is a key piece of the puzzle. “We surveyed 67 pork producers and associated professionals in the UK from 2017-2019 about their thoughts on selecting…

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                     The schools are registered, the medals and plaques have been ordered, and the students are busy with their beakers or whatever other science equipment they need. Yes, it is science fair season in Alberta again! An additional reason for Albertans to be excited this science fair season is that the Canada-Wide will be held in Edmonton. Yes! The Canada-Wide finalists arrive in Edmonton for May 9. Visitors are welcome May 13 – 15 to…

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