Tag Archive for: DNA

Problems with DNA Barcodes in Plants

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The question is simple: is DNA barcoding useful in assessing whether dietary supplements contain the herbs they say they contain? If we were looking at the raw leaves or seeds or flowers of the herb, yes. But that’s not what happened: scientists tested bottles of herbal preparations pulled right off the shelves. In my opinion, as well as experts in the field, looking for the DNA won’t work.

The way we use herbal products today is very different from the way herbals were used earlier in our history. We don’t use raw plants or poultices the way . . .

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DNA Barcoding in Plants

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I like to know how things work, and researching DNA barcoding in plants opened up a whole new world I was only partly familiar with. DNA barcoding is a method that examines regions on DNA to categorize animals, insects, plants, and just about everything else on this planet that has DNA.

I first learned about using DNA to identify organisms when I wrote the section on the microbiome in Real-Life Detox. Using specific regions of the DNA strand, scientists were able to identify more than 5 . . .

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Cancer: Do Your Best

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We’ve spent this week looking at whether many forms of cancer are just due to bad luck or whether other factors come into play. Based on the statistics derived from comparing the lifetime rate of getting a specific cancer and the cell division rate of the tissues, about two-thirds of cancer cases are due to chance. That leaves genetics and lifestyle choices to make up the rest—and remember, breast and prostate cancers were not included in the analysis.

Some cancers, lung cancer for example, are influenced by habits such as smoking. Colon cancer is influenced by genetics . . .

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Cancer: Timing is Everything

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We’re continuing our look at whether the development of cancer is simply bad luck or if there could be more to it (1); most of all, we need to look at why we’re at risk for cancer when cells divide. Let’s start there.

The reason we’re most at risk when cells divide is that’s when they’re vulnerable to mutations—mistakes in copying the cell’s DNA. Cancer cells are typical tissue cells that multiply faster than they should; their DNA is damaged and they aren’t “behaving” normally. The damage to the DNA most . . .

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