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Medicine

One Night Stands May Be Genetic 240

Posted by samzenpus from the getting-in-your-genes dept.
An anonymous reader writes "So, he or she has cheated on you for the umpteenth time and their only excuse is: 'I just can't help it.' According to researchers at Binghamton University, they may be right. The propensity for infidelity could very well be in their DNA. In a first of its kind study, a team of investigators led by Justin Garcia, a SUNY Doctoral Diversity Fellow in the laboratory of evolutionary anthropology and health at Binghamton University, State University of New York, has taken a broad look at sexual behavior, matching choices with genes and has come up with a new theory on what makes humans 'tick' when it comes to sexual activity. The biggest culprit seems to be the dopamine receptor D4 polymorphism, or DRD4 gene. Already linked to sensation-seeking behavior such as alcohol use and gambling, DRD4 is known to influence the brain's chemistry and subsequently, an individual's behavior."
Biotech

A Genetically Engineered Fly That Can Smell Light 111

Posted by timothy from the lsd-way-cheaper dept.
An anonymous reader writes "It sounds like a cool — if somewhat pointless — super-powered insect: a fly that can smell light! Researchers added a light-sensitive protein to a fruit fly's olfactory neurons, which caused the neurons to fire when the fly was exposed to a certain wavelength of blue light. Adding the protein specifically to neurons that respond to good smells, like bananas, makes for a light-seeking fly."

Comment Re:Assembler: start there and stay there (Score 1) 634

by kbrasee (#28824077) Attached to: The Best First Language For a Young Programmer

At this point, assembler is the best solution for very few things. Programmers generally output a pretty constant amount of code, regardless of the language they're using. So using something like Java or C# or C++ or Ruby or Python, where 1 line of code equals dozens of assembler instructions, is insanely more productive.

Only in a software-hardware interface, or when speed absolutely has to be maximized, is assembler the best choice.

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