Multiple Representations of Human Genetics in Biology Textbooks

Multiple ways of representing the emerging new genetic knowledge and its implications have resulted from recent research including the Human Genome Project. In this chapter, we discuss that the presentation of human genetics is now less deterministic, formulated in a more systemic approach, taking into account the interaction between the genes and their environment (epigenetics), discussing the notion of biological determinism, and including connections with ethical and social implications. How are these new genetic trends represented today in biology textbooks? Do multiple ways exist across cultures, languages, and countries? Two complementary sets of data are presented and discussed: (1) the representation of human genetic diseases in French biology textbooks, showing a frequent absence of a systemic approach with nevertheless some exceptions; and (2) a comparative analysis of biology textbooks in 16 countries, showing the common similarity in their use of an implicit message through the same clothes and hairstyle of identical twins, but strong differences--in their use of the metaphor genetic program--which depended on the sociocultural context of each country. We argue that the renewal of the taught representations of human genetics is not only correlated with the renewal of scientific knowledge, but also with implicit values underlying each country's sociocultural context

Teachers' conceptions of biological determinism in five countries: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France and Italy

e-book: http://www.esera.org/media/eBook_2013/strand%2012/Pierre_Clement_09Jan2014.pdfInternational audienceThe interaction between the genome and its environment (epigenetics) is a new paradigm in biology. Nevertheless, the notion of genetic determinism is still present in syllabuses and textbooks. What about teachers' conceptions? We analyzed the teachers' conceptions related to the genetic determinism of human performances in five European countries, using 24 questions of the Biohead-Citizen questionnaire. The conceptions of the 2038 teachers, when grouped by country, show clear and significant differences, being more deterministic in the three countries of North Europe (Finland, Estonia, Denmark) than in Italy and France, and more sexist for only some of the related questions. When grouped by religion, the differences are significant but disappear after suppression of the country effect, while this last one does not disappear after suppression of the religion effect: there is no specific religion effect. There is a gender effect (female teachers being more feminist), an effect of the level of instruction at University (the most instructed teachers having more knowledge but also some more tolerant attitudes), and an effect of age (the oldest believing more in genetic determinism). A Co-Inertia analysis shows significant correlations between teachers' answers on genetic determinism with their political opinions: genetic determinism (as belief of heredity of intelligence) and intolerant attitudes (as sexism and racism) are correlated with the most conservative political opinions. Finally, we found a specific and paradoxical effect of biology training of teachers: biologist teachers have, without surprise, more knowledge than their colleagues, but are also more convinced of the importance of genetic determinism: their training in biology still needs to be improved by introducing the most recent concepts of genetics, as epigenetics

Variational phase field model for dynamic brittle fracture

Simulating crack nucleation and propagation remains a challenging problematic because of the complexity of crack patterns observed in fracture mechanics experiments. Whereas some numerical methods aim at explicitly tracking the crack front evolution, an interesting alternative is offered by continuous approaches of brittle fracture which consist in representing the crack topology using a continuous field varying from 0 (sound material) to 1 (fully cracked material) across an internal length scale. This « phase field » approach benefits from a variational framework, strongly related to gradient damage models, and can be seen as a regularization of the variational approach to fracture developed by Francfort and Marigo in 1998. Moreover, it does not require any a priori knowledge of the crack path or topology, its evolution being driven only by energy minimization. Using such an approach combined to a finite-element discretization, the present work aims at providing some insights on crack propagation in a dynamic context. More specifically, crack branching (splitting of a single crack in two or more cracks) is a characteristic phenomenon of dynamic brittle fracture which still lacks a sound theoretical explanation. Numerical simulations will help us better understand some aspects of the branching phenomenon, especially the role played by material heterogeneities in the onset or delay of crack branching

A young star-forming galaxy at z = 3.5 with an extended Ly\,α\alpha halo seen with MUSE

Spatially resolved studies of high redshift galaxies, an essential insight into galaxy formation processes, have been mostly limited to stacking or unusually bright objects. We present here the study of a typical (L$^{*}$, M$_\star$ = 6 $\times 10^9$ $M_\odot$) young lensed galaxy at $z=3.5$, observed with MUSE, for which we obtain 2D resolved spatial information of Ly$\alpha$ and, for the first time, of CIII] emission. The exceptional signal-to-noise of the data reveals UV emission and absorption lines rarely seen at these redshifts, allowing us to derive important physical properties (T$_e\sim$15600 K, n$_e\sim$300 cm$^{-3}$, covering fraction f$_c\sim0.4$) using multiple diagnostics. Inferred stellar and gas-phase metallicities point towards a low metallicity object (Z$_{\mathrm{stellar}}$ = $\sim$ 0.07 Z$_\odot$ and Z$_{\mathrm{ISM}}$ $<$ 0.16 Z$_\odot$). The Ly$\alpha$ emission extends over $\sim$10 kpc across the galaxy and presents a very uniform spectral profile, showing only a small velocity shift which is unrelated to the intrinsic kinematics of the nebular emission. The Ly$\alpha$ extension is $\sim$4 times larger than the continuum emission, and makes this object comparable to low-mass LAEs at low redshift, and more compact than the Lyman-break galaxies and Ly$\alpha$ emitters usually studied at high redshift. We model the Ly$\alpha$ line and surface brightness profile using a radiative transfer code in an expanding gas shell, finding that this model provides a good description of both observables.Comment: 19 pages, 15 figures, accepted in MNRA

Images of twins and the notion of the genetic program in the school textbooks of biology: a comparative study held among 15 countries

Genetic concepts have been strongly evolved during these last ten years, and have been found less connected to reductionist or hereditarist values. The aim of the specific research was to analyze and identify if the current school textbooks of biology ensue this progress, in the way the topic “human genetics” is taught in the textbooks of 15 different countries. Results show that the notion of the genetic program remained central in some countries, while it fades behind the notion of genetic information in some others. In addition, almost all the twins’ pictures demonstrate the following pattern: they are identically dressed and they have the same hairstyle, which gives evidence of a strong obstinacy of a determinist reductionist ideology.European project FP6 Biohead-Citizen CIT2-CT-2004-506015.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia - LIBEC/CIFPEC - Unidade de investigação (16/644)

Teachers' conceptions on environment and GMO in twelve europen countries

We analyze the conceptions of 4248 teachers on Environment and GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms), in 12 European countries: Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania. Most of the differences between teachers' conceptions are observed inside each country. Some of them (related to preservation or utilization of Environment) significantly differentiate the 12 countries. Biology teachers have more knowledge on GMO and more opinions pro- GMO than their colleagues. Female teachers are significantly more anti-GMO than their male colleagues. More a teacher studied at University, more he or she thinks that the resources of our planet are limited.CIEC – Research Centre on Child Studies, IE, UMinho (FCT R&D unit 317), Portuga

Vaccine breakthrough hypoxemic COVID-19 pneumonia in patients with auto-Abs neutralizing type I IFNs

Life-threatening `breakthrough' cases of critical COVID-19 are attributed to poor or waning antibody response to the SARS- CoV-2 vaccine in individuals already at risk. Pre-existing autoantibodies (auto-Abs) neutralizing type I IFNs underlie at least 15% of critical COVID-19 pneumonia cases in unvaccinated individuals; however, their contribution to hypoxemic breakthrough cases in vaccinated people remains unknown. Here, we studied a cohort of 48 individuals ( age 20-86 years) who received 2 doses of an mRNA vaccine and developed a breakthrough infection with hypoxemic COVID-19 pneumonia 2 weeks to 4 months later. Antibody levels to the vaccine, neutralization of the virus, and auto- Abs to type I IFNs were measured in the plasma. Forty-two individuals had no known deficiency of B cell immunity and a normal antibody response to the vaccine. Among them, ten (24%) had auto-Abs neutralizing type I IFNs (aged 43-86 years). Eight of these ten patients had auto-Abs neutralizing both IFN-a2 and IFN-., while two neutralized IFN-omega only. No patient neutralized IFN-ss. Seven neutralized 10 ng/mL of type I IFNs, and three 100 pg/mL only. Seven patients neutralized SARS-CoV-2 D614G and the Delta variant (B.1.617.2) efficiently, while one patient neutralized Delta slightly less efficiently. Two of the three patients neutralizing only 100 pg/mL of type I IFNs neutralized both D61G and Delta less efficiently. Despite two mRNA vaccine inoculations and the presence of circulating antibodies capable of neutralizing SARS-CoV-2, auto-Abs neutralizing type I IFNs may underlie a significant proportion of hypoxemic COVID-19 pneumonia cases, highlighting the importance of this particularly vulnerable population

B. Redon, D. Agut-Labordère (éds), Les vaisseaux des déserts et des steppes. Les camélidés dans l’Antiquité (2020)

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Mythe et réalité d'une Olynthe livrée par ses cavaliers. 348 av. J.-C.

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