Plasmids exist in bacteria and are small, extrachromosomal pieces of DNA that often encode accessory genes such as antibiotic resistance genes. They are largely responsible for spreading antibiotic resistance genes through bacterial populations via their ability to conjugate into different bacterial hosts or species. In environments without…

This article explores the potential contribution of modern genetic methods and findings to education. It is familiar to hear that the "gene" for this or that behavior has been discovered, or that certain skills are "highly heritable." Can this help educators? To explore this question, we describe the methods used to relate…

For those with chronic, progressive conditions, high quality clinical care requires attention to the human dimensions of illness--emotional, social, and moral aspects--which co-exist with biophysical dimensions of disease. Reflexivity brings historical, institutional, and socio-cultural influences on clinical activities to the fore, enabling…

Emotional arousal enhances memory encoding and consolidation leading to better immediate and delayed memory. Although the central noradrenergic system and the amygdala play critical roles in both effects of emotional arousal, we have recently shown that these effects are at least partly independent of each other, suggesting distinct underlying…

Individuals with higher levels of the broad autism phenotype (BAP) have some symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Like individuals with ASD, people with higher-BAP may have fewer sexual experiences and may experience more same-sex attraction. This study measured BAP traits, sexual experiences, and sexual orientation in typically developing…

We will attempt a synthesis from various research perspectives that have analyzed the alterations that knowledge inevitably goes through while percolating into classroom activities. We will try to identify some of their causes and will illustrate them with examples in genetics. First, we will discuss some research on knowledge transformation when…

School performance is one of the most stable and heritable psychological characteristics. Notwithstanding, monozygotic twins (MZ), who have identical genotypes, differ in school performance. These MZ differences result from non-shared environments that do not contribute to the similarity within twin pairs. Because to date few non-shared…

This paper reviews the rapidly developing field of epigenetics, providing an accessible explanation of the key ideas and some illustrative examples of work in the field. Although very much a biological discipline the implications of the developing knowledge in this area are very significant for educational psychologists and this paper aims to…

Early educational interventions aim to close gaps in achievement levels between children. However, early interventions do not eliminate individual differences in populations and the effects of early interventions often fade-out over time, despite changes of the mean of the population immediately following the intervention. Here, we discuss…

Biotechnology presence both in curricula and among researches regarding its teaching and learning processes is constantly increasing. The knowledge, attitudes and interests of 184 Spanish pre-university students on biotechnology in the fields of health, food, industry and environment have been analyzed in this work. The results showed that while…

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) was for many years considered to be one of five pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) as defined in the 4th edition of the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA, 2000). These disorders included Autism, Rett Syndrome, Childhood…

The flipped classroom is a teaching innovation in which instructional content is delivered out of the classroom, often via videos, and the class period is used for application of the course material. While the popularity of the flipped classroom is growing exponentially, its benefits have not been extensively studied. In this study we compared…

In obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), functional behaviors such as checking that a door is locked become dysfunctional, maladaptive, and debilitating. However, it is currently unknown how aversive and appetitive motivations interact to produce functional and dysfunctional behavior in OCD. Here we show a double dissociation in the effects of…

This study examined the mediating role of emotional availability in the relation between parent positive personality and toddler problem behavior. The sample comprised 654 twins at 12 and 32 months. Primary caregivers (>95% mothers) completed six measures indexing parent positive personality assessed at 12 months, and emotional availability and…

Studies have identified concurrent, longitudinal, and bidirectional associations between language difficulties and internalizing problems. This is commonly explained by social exclusion or withdrawal from peers, but underlying mechanisms are not well understood. This study uses sibling data to investigate if the comorbidity between language…