Examines the correlates of spelling impairment in children with histories of early speech sound disorders. Reveals that children with preschool speech sound and language problems become poorer spellers at school age than did children with preschool speech sound disorders only. Concludes that familial aggregation of spelling disorders suggests a…

Explains Occam's razor which is a guiding principle in scientific methodology. Describes a genetics problem to demonstrate Occam's razor. (YDS)

Introduces a series of molecular genetics laboratories where students pick a single colony from a Drosophila melanogester embryo cDNA library and purify the plasmid, then analyze the insert through restriction digests and gel electrophoresis. (Author/YDS)

Notes that a modest linear relation was found between visual contrast sensitivity across the broad range of word-reading skill in a population of children with higher word-reading tended to have higher contrast sensitivity. Suggests that the modest shared variance between word reading and contrast sensitivity may be due primarily to environmental…

This editorial outlines how developments in our understanding of genetic information may raise new challenges for people with learning disabilities, their parents, and professionals working in learning disability services. It concludes by highlighting some key aspects professionals need to consider if they are to support effectively people who…

This study evaluated cytogenetic and molecular parameters in 30 Brazilian youths with autism or other pervasive developmental disorders (PDD). The high frequency of chromosomopathies found support the hypothesis that PDDs may develop as a consequence to chromosomal abnormalities and justify the cytogenetic and molecular assessment during diagnosis…

Studied whether correlations between family characteristics and children's IQs represented causal effects in a sample of 1,349 cousin pairs from 344 families. Results suggest that correlations do not represent pure causal effects and are, for an important part, confounded by genetic and environmental "third variables" shared by extended…

A survey of 42 state boards of nursing and examiniaton of 30 textbooks found that, despite advances in genetics research, few boards require genetics in nursing curricula. Textbooks had minimal genetics content. (SK)

Explains the two theories on the origins of human and animal behavior. Introduces the new discipline of sociobiology, a merging of biology and sociology. Describes the central dogma of sociobiology and its societal implications, and discusses criticism of sociobiology. Presents the nature vs. nurture debate. (YDS)

Focuses on the way learning about genetics and evolution raises ideas that pupils and adults should relate to themselves whether what is learned helps reveal what science can and cannot say about human nature. Reviews the impact of informal learning after exploring the role and influence of informal learning channels. (Contains 79 references.)…

This article considers the complications met by behavioral and biological studies of dyslexia by the condition's phenotypic heterogeneity and lack of uniformly applied diagnostic criteria. It notes the increasingly powerful genetic technologies and statistical methodologies used to identify genomic locations for genes involved in this complex…

Objective: Eighteen extended multigenerational families were recruited from the genetically isolated Paisa community in Colombia to conduct genetic studies of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This report describes the inclusion strategy and clinical features of participants to facilitate comparisons with other data sets. Method:…

Symbiosis between rhizobia and leguminous plants leads to the formation of nitrogen-fixing root nodules. In the present article, we recommend the use of the ribosomal RNA (rRNA) isolated from legume nodules in an experimental class with the purpose of introducing students to the structure of eukaryotic and prokaryotic ribosomes and of…

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a Nobel Prize-winning technique that amplifies a specific segment of DNA and is commonly used to test for the presence of genetic modifications. Students use PCR to test corn meal and corn-muffin mixes for the presence of a promoter commonly used in genetically modified foods, the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S…

An international team that includes researchers from the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has discovered that mammalian chromosomes have evolved by breaking at specific sites rather than randomly as long thought--and that many of the breakage hot spots are also involved in human…