Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, people of all ages - or just ladies as the case may be. I'm not sure I'm very lady-like though. Female identifying persons? You can call me whatever you like; just don't call me late for dinner. Oh I don't care what you are, just stop in and have a chat! Anyway, I've had a major accomplishment today. I spelled 'perspiration' correctly on the first try in the title!
Very rainy spring day today. Still warm indoors from yesterday, but much cooler outside. The humidity feels like a hug. It's quite nice. Here's a photo from earlier this week titled "Cat under peach tree". (And if anyone knows how to stop a certain cat from licking his bald spots extra bald, do let me know. He gets his fur ripped out in fights and it doesn't grow back. He's looking very scrappy at the moment.) The peach tree is now covered in flowers, the oak tree in the yard has gone from buck naked to fully leafed out in the space of a week, the air smells sweet, and I don't think it's a symptom of plague. Did you know Australia only has 1 native deciduous tree? Something that grows Tasmania.
How's the weather where you are? Oh you're not really talking about the weather are you? Yes I am. But please, talk about your workouts and food situations too. Or don't.
Or we could talk about the ACTN3 gene. I had to learn about it yesterday because I'm teaching it next week. The ACTN3 gene is on chromosome 11 and there are two common alleles (versions) that people have. One, called the X allele (I dunno why it's called X since it's not on the X chromosome), leads to production of a protein (called alpha-actinin-3) that promotes muscle recovery. The other version, called the R allele, has a mutation that disrupts production of this protein. Not having this protein makes you more susceptible to muscle injury, but also increases your endurance. Turns out, top level athletes in sports that require a lot of power and strength, like sprinting, usually have two copies of the X allele. And top level athletes in sports that require a high level of endurance, like marathon running, have two copies of the R. (Everyone has two copies - you get one from each parent.)
I think we were supposed to have the kids do saliva swabs and find out their genotypes, but that's kinda difficult to do over zoom so we will just have to guess. What copies of the ACTN3 gene do youse reckon you have? (Youse is a word in Australia only used by bogans, or rednecks, but I think it's great. Other languages have a pronoun for the second person plural; why can't we? Well, now we do. Plus, the only thing preventing me from joining the ranks of boganism is the fact that I'm not really Australian, and so probably don't qualify.) But I digress. Are you a sprinter or a marathoner? Or somewhere in the middle? Both alleles are relatively common - about 0.6 frequency for the X allele and 0.4 for the R - so don't let rarity stop you. And let's ignore the fact that this gene is only responsible for a small proportion of your athletic performance. Loads of other genes contribute, and so does your environment (how much you train, what you eat, do you live downstream of a battery plant, etc). If you have two copies of the R you can still do hiit, you just won't make the Jamaican Olympic track team.
Or, if your eyes are now glazed over, go back to talking about the weather. Or tell me a joke. Or swipe left. The choice is yours.
Perspiration and Cat Pals, 3 September 🐈🌷🧬 🦜🌵☔️
Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, people of all ages - or just ladies as the case may be. I'm not sure I'm very lady-like though. Female identifying persons? You can call me whatever you like; just don't call me late for dinner. Oh I don't care what you are, just stop in and have a chat! Anyway, I've had a major accomplishment today. I spelled 'perspiration' correctly on the first try in the title!
Very rainy spring day today. Still warm indoors from yesterday, but much cooler outside. The humidity feels like a hug. It's quite nice. Here's a photo from earlier this week titled "Cat under peach tree". (And if anyone knows how to stop a certain cat from licking his bald spots extra bald, do let me know. He gets his fur ripped out in fights and it doesn't grow back. He's looking very scrappy at the moment.) The peach tree is now covered in flowers, the oak tree in the yard has gone from buck naked to fully leafed out in the space of a week, the air smells sweet, and I don't think it's a symptom of plague. Did you know Australia only has 1 native deciduous tree? Something that grows Tasmania.
How's the weather where you are? Oh you're not really talking about the weather are you? Yes I am. But please, talk about your workouts and food situations too. Or don't.
Or we could talk about the ACTN3 gene. I had to learn about it yesterday because I'm teaching it next week. The ACTN3 gene is on chromosome 11 and there are two common alleles (versions) that people have. One, called the X allele (I dunno why it's called X since it's not on the X chromosome), leads to production of a protein (called alpha-actinin-3) that promotes muscle recovery. The other version, called the R allele, has a mutation that disrupts production of this protein. Not having this protein makes you more susceptible to muscle injury, but also increases your endurance. Turns out, top level athletes in sports that require a lot of power and strength, like sprinting, usually have two copies of the X allele. And top level athletes in sports that require a high level of endurance, like marathon running, have two copies of the R. (Everyone has two copies - you get one from each parent.)
I think we were supposed to have the kids do saliva swabs and find out their genotypes, but that's kinda difficult to do over zoom so we will just have to guess. What copies of the ACTN3 gene do youse reckon you have? (Youse is a word in Australia only used by bogans, or rednecks, but I think it's great. Other languages have a pronoun for the second person plural; why can't we? Well, now we do. Plus, the only thing preventing me from joining the ranks of boganism is the fact that I'm not really Australian, and so probably don't qualify.) But I digress. Are you a sprinter or a marathoner? Or somewhere in the middle? Both alleles are relatively common - about 0.6 frequency for the X allele and 0.4 for the R - so don't let rarity stop you. And let's ignore the fact that this gene is only responsible for a small proportion of your athletic performance. Loads of other genes contribute, and so does your environment (how much you train, what you eat, do you live downstream of a battery plant, etc). If you have two copies of the R you can still do hiit, you just won't make the Jamaican Olympic track team.
Or, if your eyes are now glazed over, go back to talking about the weather. Or tell me a joke. Or swipe left. The choice is yours.