Is depression genetic?

     Depression is a serious medical illness that is described as feeling sad, blue, and miserable. Most of this feel this for a short period. Clinical depression, or known as major depression disorder affect how one feels, thinks, and behaves that causes emotional and physical issues. Depression requires a long term treatment that can be treated with medicine or psychological counseling. There are a variety of factors that causes depression such as biological differences- people have physical changes in their brain, brain chemistry- neurotransmitters out of control chemicals controls depression, Inherited traits- depression is more common who have relatives with these condition, life events, or hormones. According to health line, “A person with a relative who suffers from depression is almost five times more likely to develop depression as well”.  Research has found a gene in multiple family members with depression. Scientist have found that about 40% of the people who have depression has a genetic link. People with depressed parents are siblings are three times more likely to have the condition. For this reason, it strongly suggest that it is an inherited illness. Studies have also found that women are about 15% more likely for the chance of hereditary depression compared to men. Many researchers have found that a combination of genes leads to the depression disorder. 

            Most of study on genetic depression is based on identical twins since they have the same exact genetic code. It was found that when one identical twin gets depressed, the other twin will 80% most likely get depressed. It is concluded that there’s a strong genetic influence since both twins become depressed at a high rate. Fraternal twins who share 50% of the genes do not have a high connection in depression. When one fraternal twin gets depressed, there’s only a 20% chance the other twin will also get depressed. 

Main Link: http://www.healthline.com/health/depression/genetic#OtherFactors3

Related Link:http://depressiongenetics.stanford.edu/mddandgenes.html

Artist Creates 3-D Faces from DNA Left in Public

3-D faces created from DNA samples found in public. 

                A New York Artist Heather Dewey-Hagborg picks up things people leave in public, extracts their DNA from it and creates a 3-D face that looks like the DNA owner. This project is called “Stranger Visions”, where portrait sculptures are completed from the bits of genetic material that are collected in public. Heather got the idea for this project from the appeal of a single hair; it was then turned into a research project to discover as much as she could from someone by an artifact they left behind.

                The process begins with finding a sample in a public place. These samples could be a strand of hair, a chewed piece of gum, and even a cigarette butt; it has to be something that contains cells from a person’s body.  Heather then takes this sample to a community biotechnology, called Genspace. At this lab a standard DNA extraction protocol is used to mine the DNA, purify it, and use it in polymerase chain reactions. After the sequencing information is obtained, the traits form the individual’s DNA and deposits it into a computer program that generates a 3-D model of a face. This process takes about 8 hours to print one of the faces in NYU’s Advanced Media Studio. The print looks like a block of powder; the face is then dug out, baked, and hardened with a superglue-like structure.

                

                There are limitations behind these masterpieces. These faces are not exact replicas of the strangers DNA that has been found. Heather insists that it is more of a family resemblance. Also, the age of the DNA’s unknown donor cannot be determined from the DNA samples. This project was started from Dewey-Hagborg’s own DNA self-portrait two years ago. People have had different opinions of how the DNA is found for these portraits; some people feel that this is unethical. People feel that you should not be able to just take some ones DNA from things just because it is in public. They feel that their privacy is being taken advantage of. This art project is the connection between art, technology, and science. 

               I found this absolutely amazing. If is extraordinary that just from a piece of gum or strand of hair someone can make a 3-D image of what you would look like. In a way I do find it to be a little creepy. It makes you think twice what you will spit out or leave behind. The persons DNA that you are using did not give you permission to use it, though it is left in a public place. I feel that this could cause a lot of controversy with people. But, in all I think this is brilliant and I would love to have it done to me, with my permission.   

http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/04/tech/innovation/dna-face-sculptures/index.html?iref=allsearch

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/artist-creates-3d-models-faces-discarded-dna-article-1.1384149