The Stranger, Seattle's Only Newspaper: Gillian Anderson

Ye Olde Wordes

Gillian Anderson — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 15:48:47 -0700

Ever wonder where the hell "short shrift" comes from? Or "just deserts"? Interesting stuff here:

12 Old Words That Survived by Getting Fossilized in Idioms

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Pandora's Promise: Pro-Nuclear Environmentalists?

Gillian Anderson — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 14:00:22 -0700

While people are quick to dismiss nuclear energy as bad, Pandora’s Promise looks at how some leading environmentalists have converted to support its use. Many activists have become disillusioned with the traditional environmental approaches to climate change. They claim that the concerns are so dire, that non-carbon-producing nuclear is the best current solution to mitigate the effects of our years of fossil-fuel guzzling.

The film makes a surprisingly persuasive argument. Experts on the scientific side explain the ways that nuclear energy technology has advanced (new reactors recycle waste back into fuel) and examine what they say is misinformation (inflated radiation fears, that conservation and alternative energies could be enough). The reality is we will need more and more power, and we cannot continue to extract every last bit of oil, coal, and natural gas, then burn it and send it into the atmosphere. The film lays out the benefits of nuclear energy: It is clean, it doesn’t pollute the air, it doesn’t damage the ozone, and it produces large amounts of energy, which is inexpensive for consumers. One environmentalist says: “To be anti-nuclear is basically to be in favor of burning fossil fuels. I finally had to change my mind.”

Pandora's Promise opens today at the Harvard Exit.

The Supreme Court and Dr. Mary-Claire King

Gillian Anderson — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 15:19:53 -0700

When I saw Decoding Annie Parker at SIFF, one of the subjects of the film, geneticist Mary-Claire King, was in attendance. Dr. King discovered the BRCA genes and proved that there can be a genetic cause for breast cancer, an idea that had previously been pooh-poohed. At the screening, Dr. King spoke hopefully about the upcoming US Supreme Court case on the patenting of genes. The case was decided this morning, with the court saying that genes may not be patented. If a woman carries the BRCA gene, she has an increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer, but genetic screening to discover if you have the gene is expensive. Now that the patent on the BRCA genes has been lifted, more scientists will be able to work on the genes and more laboratories can provide genetic testing—leading to more access for women and lowering the costs.

From the New York Times:

Isolated human genes may not be patented, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Thursday. The case concerned patents held by Myriad Genetics, a Utah company, on genes that correlate with increased risk of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. The patents were challenged by scientists and doctors who said their research and ability to help patients had been frustrated. The particular genes at issue received public attention after the actress Angelina Jolie revealed in May that she had had a preventive double mastectomy after learning that she had inherited a faulty copy of a gene that put her at high risk for breast cancer.

The price of the test, often more than $3,000, was partly a product of Myriad’s patent, putting it out of reach for some women. The company filed patent infringement suits against others who conducted testing based on the gene. The price of the test "should come down significantly," said Dr. Harry Ostrer, one of the plaintiffs in the case decided Thursday. The ruling, he said, “will have an immediate impact on people’s health.”

Fun Fact: In 1975, Dr. Mary-Claire King informed the world that humans and chimpanzees share 99 percent of their genetic material!

Decoding Annie Parker (which is a drama starring Helen Hunt and Samantha Morton about the discovery of the BRCA genes) is showing again as part of Best of SIFF 2013 on Sunday, June 16, at 2:30 p.m. at SIFF Cinema Uptown.

The Stranger, Seattle's Only Newspaper: Gillian Anderson

Ye Olde Wordes

Pandora's Promise: Pro-Nuclear Environmentalists?

The Supreme Court and Dr. Mary-Claire King

Pandora’s Promise: A Documentary That May Change Your Opinion of Nuclear Power

Decoding Annie Parker

Lil Bub

Lindy West vs. Jim Norton: Are Rape Jokes Okay?

Big Joy

Anita

Geographic Apostrophe Death

Square Knot Diner

Help Out on the Pollinator Pathway

No Place on Earth: An Amazing Tale of Surviving the Holocaust in an Underground Cave

Mummy Cat Found Under a House

A Fierce Green Fire: An Environmental Documentary So Honest You’ll Want to Kill Yourself

Easter Bunnies of Doom

Hoo! Hoo! Owl Cam!

From Up on Poppy Hill: Studio Ghibli, Without the Weirdness

Seen in the Central District

Who Likes a Baby Owl?

Bees Getting Ready

Guerrilla Gardening in South Central

More Beer! Coming Soon to the CD

Summer Vacation at Grey Gardens

Interactive Arboretum Map Coming

Grammar Help for Valentine's Day

Westminster’s Best of Breed

Lunar New Year Festival

Overheard in the Office

Burt Talks to the Bees