Umm, I'm not sure it's my driving I'd be worried about if I found out I had a gene that adversely affected my memory... what about, oh, I don't know, LEARNING? And generally not being an idiot?? #drivinggene
This... is kind of flawed. Too many variables there. What if they had navigators? You might find that some people with the crappy BDNF genes might put faster lap times than people with good BDNF genes, if you gave everyone the same navigator. This is more about memory, not about driving. And while memory helps w/re: to race driving, that is rendered moot when considering accidents. I.e. Person A might be able to find home better/faster than Person B, but en route, Person B might be able to better avoid the accident then Person A, because Person B is a "better driver".
I guess, this means then, they have to define "better driver", and quantify it.
Rereading the article (dur): I guess if you consider though, that the deficient person couldn't keep the car on track... hell, even without a navigator you should still be able to keep the car relatively on the racing line, using breaking markers and visual cues. Of course, if the driving course included blind curves, that assumption is eliminated...
I love that I live in a world with naked mole rats. I love being able to say that I really live in a world with naked mole rats. Mostly I love typing "naked mole rats". #nakedmolerat
I have always wonder how the scientists react when finding out something they have been studying for years. Do they look at there partners and say "Look I found it".. Or do they party hard? #nakedmolerat
@Tomb: R.O.A.C.H.: they party sensibly with girly cocktails and awkward jokes that have no punchline. sometimes they go hog wild and put up streamers in the lab #nakedmolerat
@Roklimber: there are some people who have malfunctioning pain receptors as well. i bet some of our more scientifically inclined io9ers could elaborate on that #nakedmolerat
@Bootknife-Jackson: Malfunctioning, yes, but I'm pretty sure that any animal which does not feel pain would not survive long enough to pass its "ability" to its progeny. #nakedmolerat
@Roklimber: yeah it is an odd trait to have developed, and makes me curious as to what external factor could have lead them to develop it in the first place... #nakedmolerat
@Bootknife-Jackson: A quick search revealed that they seem to be impervious to *specific* kinds of pain, namely, the burning sensation that certain mild acids and certain alkaloids (like chili pepper) produce on the skin. That's more reasonable. From the article here, it seemed that they're impervious to all kinds of pain, which I could not believe. The truth is, as I expected, that they're not.
@Roklimber: I thought maybe being a group mind thing, that the Queen was constantly going 'ouch', 'ouch', as she ate her Mole Rat bonbons back in the Mole Rate Palace throne room, and her minions ran into the walls of their burrows, just to piss her off. #nakedmolerat
The picture book Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed, by Mo Willems, is one of the best non-classic picture books I've ever read. If anyone's looking for a gift for a three-year-old... #nakedmolerat
They feel no pain. They have a hive mind. They are immune to cancer. So basically they are in the same family tree that leads to the Borg. #nakedmolerat
HeLa cells also avoid defects by their use of telomerase. The cells themselves came from a very old cancerous sample, but they continue to reproduce viably so long as they have nourishment. #nakedmolerat
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nope not with me... (pulls at collar) #drivinggene
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I guess, this means then, they have to define "better driver", and quantify it.
Rereading the article (dur): I guess if you consider though, that the deficient person couldn't keep the car on track... hell, even without a navigator you should still be able to keep the car relatively on the racing line, using breaking markers and visual cues. Of course, if the driving course included blind curves, that assumption is eliminated...
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Still:
1/3 of Americans are Asian Women?
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Get it?...Account? Heyoooooo!
My last name is Chen, so I'm allowed to make these stupid remarks. #drivinggene
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Muwahaha! #nakedmolerat
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Nonetheless, I find it difficult to believe that any animal is impervious to pain. Pain is a natural defense mechanism. #nakedmolerat
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[www.livescience.com]
[news.nationalgeographic.com]
[www.mdc-berlin.de]
"makes me curious as to what external factor could have lead them to develop it in the first place"
The last article above provides some clues to that question. The article is in English, despite being from a German site.
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