Sickle cell disease - keeps pro football player out of game

Ryan Clark, a football player for the Pittsburgh Steelers, was held out of a game in Denver because he's a carrier for sickle cell disease (anemia). This is a sex-linked trait that is common in certain regions of Africa and around the Mediterranean Sea.

Comments should focus on why the player was not allowed to play and whether you agree it was a good decision. Another topic you can comment on is why the sickle cell trait is more common in Africa and why many African-Americans also carry this trait.

Why pioneers bred like rabbits...

A new study out of Canada has used data from church birth and death records and identified that the pioneers had more children and those children contributed more genes to the modern gene pool than those that came after them.
   

Families that colonized the Canadian frontier contributed more genetic material to the modern population than folks who stayed home, says a new study...According to new research, the desire to expand into new territory may have provided an evolutionary advantage to those who had it over those who lacked it.

The article also compares the pioneers of the Canadian frontier to the plants and animals that colonize new habitats.

What do you think of the research? What do you think of conclusions and comparisons. Is there a genetic component to fertility as is suggested in the article?

Diet Counters Bad Gene

This podcast reviews a research study in which the causes of heart disease were studied. It was determined that although one of the causes of heart disease is a gene, the diet of the person determined whether or not the gene was turned on. Comment upon the research of the study. Was their study valid, why? What could be done to make the research better?