whatshouldwecallgradschool:

So glad those days are done with.

musinginga:

totallyjeannius:

totallyjeannius:

Episode 1.08 Entangled Bank gave the fans pot-smoking/street-fighting/drunk Alison, Cosima x Delphine, a lot more screen time for Mrs. S (as a big fan of MDK, I definitely approve), and an unsettling final few scenes.

What’s behind this almost supernatural connection…

I agree that it’ll likely be Option 1. Which will be great because we might get introduced to Tatiana Maslany playing an older version of herself! With Option 1, the egg’s nucleus would have to be removed since gametes (i.e., eggs and sperm) are produced by meiosis and therefore genetically diverse - even gametes from the same individual are genetically distinct. Otherwise, full sibling offspring would be identical. The egg is then fused with a somatic (non-gamete) cell, such as a skin cell and the resulting embryo is a clone of/genetically identical to the donor of the somatic cell.

Splitting the genetically identical cells of an embryo in its early stages would generate multiple, genetically identical embryos. The starting embryo could have been produced by somatic-cell nuclear transfer or IVF.

As for Katja’s illness, it’s possible the experimenters did alter her genetic code, either intentionally or inadvertently due to laboratory error. DNA mutations can also arise spontaneously. Because the clones all have different birth mothers, I’m inclined to believe her illness is due to environmental factors. Her birth mother could have been exposed to something harmful during pregnancy, leading to Katja being ill from birth, though not necessarily because of something genetic. She could have been exposed to something later in life. Cosima’s lab analysis didn’t find a viral cause behind Katja’s illness, but that doesn’t rule out environmental factors, like exposure to radiation, nuclear waste, or second-hand smoke. The cause of the illness could also be bacterial. For example, active cases of tuberculosis (my field of study!) cause extensive lung damage, leading to patients coughing up blood.

I’m oversimplifying this, but scientists will likely discover that many diseases have a nature and nurture component to them. This certainly applies to non-hereditary diseases, such as certain cancers. In order to come down with a disease, you not only have to be exposed to the disease-causing agent (in a high enough dose, for a long enough time), you most likely have to have a genetic predisposition for the disease. Barring any genetic manipulation of Katja’s DNA, all the clones are likely predisposed to come down with whatever Katja’s disease was. It’s now a matter of identifying the contributing environmental factor(s).

I hope this doesn’t come across as know-it-all or like I’m picking on you, because that’s certainly not my intention. Human cloning is outside my field (in some ways, it’s outside everybody’s field since it’s mostly theoretical at this point), and this show has even gotten me and my fellow science geeks talking. I can’t help but love this show for getting people talking about science. And, as a geeky scientist, of course I’m gonna encourage you to whip out those microbio and genetics books! I’ve always believed that great science should answer questions while generating new questions. This belief also applies to great t.v. shows, and so far, Orphan Black is a great t.v. show.

I keep forgetting the clones had mothers. I think until we learned about the IVF I assumed most of them were born in a lab and then placed with families. But knowing they were implanted, does introduce the environmental component into the equation. 

There’s only so far you can take an embryo in vitro. Even differentiated cell lines can only be cultured for so long before their quality begins to go downhill. Again, obstetrics isn’t my field but the implantation of an embryo into the uterine wall sets off a whole cascade of biological processes in a woman’s body. There’s an entire feedback loop that gets established, with the embryo and the woman’s body sending signals back and forth with each other. Unless the experimenters have produced the first ever artificial womb (I can’t even imagine how difficult and extremely expensive it would be to get all the hormones released and removed in the right amount and at the exact right time), babies being created from embryo to newborn in a laboratory setting is still the stuff of science fiction. The implications of an artificial womb would surely set off a firestorm. There’s something reminiscent of The Matrix about it: humans being grown, rather than born. But it could have numerous advantages for extremely premature babies as it would allow them to be placed in the artificial womb, continue to develop to term, and significantly improve neonatal care.

totallyjeannius:

Episode 1.08 Entangled Bank gave the fans pot-smoking/street-fighting/drunk Alison, Cosima x Delphine, a lot more screen time for Mrs. S (as a big fan of MDK, I definitely approve), and an unsettling final few scenes.

What’s behind this almost supernatural connection…

I agree that it’ll likely be Option 1. Which will be great because we might get introduced to Tatiana Maslany playing an older version of herself! With Option 1, the egg’s nucleus would have to be removed since gametes (i.e., eggs and sperm) are produced by meiosis and therefore genetically diverse - even gametes from the same individual are genetically distinct. Otherwise, full sibling offspring would be identical. The egg is then fused with a somatic (non-gamete) cell, such as a skin cell and the resulting embryo is a clone of/genetically identical to the donor of the somatic cell.

Splitting the genetically identical cells of an embryo in its early stages would generate multiple, genetically identical embryos. The starting embryo could have been produced by somatic-cell nuclear transfer or IVF.

As for Katja’s illness, it’s possible the experimenters did alter her genetic code, either intentionally or inadvertently due to laboratory error. DNA mutations can also arise spontaneously. Because the clones all have different birth mothers, I’m inclined to believe her illness is due to environmental factors. Her birth mother could have been exposed to something harmful during pregnancy, leading to Katja being ill from birth, though not necessarily because of something genetic. She could have been exposed to something later in life. Cosima’s lab analysis didn’t find a viral cause behind Katja’s illness, but that doesn’t rule out environmental factors, like exposure to radiation, nuclear waste, or second-hand smoke. The cause of the illness could also be bacterial. For example, active cases of tuberculosis (my field of study!) cause extensive lung damage, leading to patients coughing up blood.

I’m oversimplifying this, but scientists will likely discover that many diseases have a nature and nurture component to them. This certainly applies to non-hereditary diseases, such as certain cancers. In order to come down with a disease, you not only have to be exposed to the disease-causing agent (in a high enough dose, for a long enough time), you most likely have to have a genetic predisposition for the disease. Barring any genetic manipulation of Katja’s DNA, all the clones are likely predisposed to come down with whatever Katja’s disease was. It’s now a matter of identifying the contributing environmental factor(s).

I hope this doesn’t come across as know-it-all or like I’m picking on you, because that’s certainly not my intention. Human cloning is outside my field (in some ways, it’s outside everybody’s field since it’s mostly theoretical at this point), but this show has gotten even me and my fellow science geeks talking. I can’t help but love this show for getting people talking about science. And, as a geeky scientist, of course I’m gonna encourage you to whip out those microbio and genetics books! I’ve always believed that great science should answer questions while generating new ones. This belief also applies to great t.v. shows, and so far, Orphan Black is a great t.v. show.

Episode 1.08 Entangled Bank gave the fans pot-smoking/street-fighting/drunk Alison, Cosima x Delphine, a lot more screen time for Mrs. S (as a big fan of MDK, I definitely approve), and an unsettling final few scenes.

What’s behind this almost supernatural connection between Kira and Helena?

How did Kira know Helena’s name?

Will Kira survive?

With Kira in the hospital and any number of medical tests likely to be performed on her, will we learn something about Kira’s origins? And if so, will that lead to more questions and/or revelations about the clones?

Anyway, this immunologist is geeking out over Cosima rocking the white lab coat and hoping we’ll get some more science lab times in Episode 1.09 Unconscious Selection. Also, apropos of nothing, anybody else get the warm fuzzies that Colin was reading Rimbaud when Art and DeAngelis paid him a visit?

Below the cut is my conspiracy theory-filled entry for this week.

MDK gig on this side of the pond. And of course I’m relocating from Chicago in one week. FAIL.

If some shady organization wants to make a bunch of Mrs. S clones, I’d be A-OK with that.

(Source: deficiencyincourtship)

Orphan Black conspiracy theories are the best kind of conspiracy theories. I am morbidly curious to see whether the show begins completely debunking this entire entry starting tomorrow night with Episode 1.08 Entangled Bank. 

orphanblack:

It’s not even Friday.

Clicking on the Orphan Black tag on Tumblr and reading theories, especially those written by non-scientists, has become my new favorite pastime. And I don’t mean for that previous statement to sound in any way condescending. I’m an immunologist by training, so naturally I find it encouraging that non-scientists, especially young women, have latched onto this show and found a forum for discussion. I think the best compliment I can pay Orphan Black is that not only has it gotten people talking; it’s what the show has gotten people talking about. What sets the Orphan Black fandom apart, in my opinion, is that the fans aren’t just having the predictable post-show discussions revolving around simple plot synopsis or the characters’ wardrobe choices or their favorite (potential) couples. Granted, those discussions are happening, but they’re happening as almost second fiddle to discussions about the scientific questions generated by the show. The more I read, the more compelled I am to write. I also find myself making observations about the nurture side of the nature vs. nurture debate. As I discuss the show with my friends (many of whom were once my fellow graduate students), the tone of our discussions has taken a turn towards the philosophical and sociological.

(Source: pinkmusicbox)

(Source: aj-cook)

(Source: broucewaine)

Rachel Griffiths photographed by Hugh Stewart for inStyle Australia, March 2013

(Source: capturelab.com.au)

Episode 7 sneak peek stills (x)

(Source: drdoccubustorres-greysloanmh)