This week on Science Today, we covered a lot of topics, including a new finding sheds light on the unknown parts of the genome. This has often been called ‘junk DNA’, but scientist Diane Dickel of the Berkeley Lab doesn’t like that term. Instead, she says these are non-coding parts of the genome.
"Only about 3 percent of the genome consists of genes, the other, more than 95 percent of the genome, what we call non-coding, which just means that it does not encode genes. And it is clear these are important things in that non-coding sequence."
It is mutations in these non-encoding sequences, called enhancers, that causes genetic diseases. And this is an important finding because doctors don’t know what triggers some of these diseases, including cardiomyopathy – that’s a genetic heart disease. And that’s because researchers were looking for clues in the wrong part of the genome. Meanwhile, at UC San Diego, researchers looking into the mental health of seniors made a startling discovery about young adults. Dilip Jeste explains that there’s long been an assumption that the mental health of older people mirrors their declining physical and cognitive function – but that’s not the case. They seem to do better with age, despite physical ailments. It’s those in their 20s and 30s who have very high levels of depression and anxiety. So Jeste suggests people do more studies looking into the value of intergenerational activities.
"I think we need larger scale, better studies in which you can have younger people having an older person and they become partners or a team with mentorship in both directions."
So, a younger person can teach seniors about, technology for instance; and older folks can pass along pearls of wisdom about certain aspects of life. The main goal would be to promote mental health in all age groups. And in a similar vein, UC Santa Barbara has a new Center for Mindfulness and Human Potential. We spoke to co-director Jonathan Schooler about how in the last decade, mindfulness has been picking up steam as a topic of scientific research.
"Ten to 15 years ago, it would have been considered almost a taboo topic, like not really science. Almost more in the realm of spirituality or something. But now, the mound of research showing the value of mindfulness has just become demonstrated so many times, in so many contexts."
To hear more about this and other stories about University of California research, follow Science Today on iTunes or follow us on Facebook. I’m Larissa Branin, thanks for tuning in!
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