geneticists

"Plant genetic resources are seldom 'raw materials'; they are the expression of the current wisdom of farmers who have played a highly significant role in the building up of the world's genetic resource base... As is already happening in my country, farmers and national genebanks in developing countries can work together to preserve and expand crop genetic diversity on behalf of all humanity."

"... I started to contact other grape geneticists in labs all over the world—initially 10 or 15 different research groups in France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, South Africa—and proposed that we form a consortium to develop these s. Each lab would try to develop a few markers and then contribute those markers to the general pool that we would share. We formed the . After a couple of years we had developed several hundred markers. We were able to make some interesting discoveries by just using a couple of dozen markers, because that is enough to prove statistically whether one variety is related to another variety. But once several hundred markers existed it was then possible to develop a of grape, a project that was really just starting around the time that I retired from . The highlight of my career was using these s to reveal genetic relationships among classic s and to then elucidate from that something about the ."

"With potent new analysis tools, researchers could capture a species’ unique genetic fingerprint to trace its origins and evolutionary history. Once s for grapes became available, Meredith and her team at quickly harnessed the power of DNA fingerprinting to identify classic vinifera varieties and resolve longstanding questions about their murky history. Meredith and grad student John Bowers even surprised themselves in 1996 by revealing a mixed heritage of white () and red () grapes for . And in what many call her crowning achievement, Meredith—whose place in the wine pantheon was secured by a 2009 induction into the Vintners Hall of Fame—confirmed that , long claimed California’s “historic” native, is the genetic twin of the nearly extinct Crljenak Kastelanski grape variety, once grown along ’s n Coast."

"Methods to introduce s, either from or other organisms, into existing are now well-established and permit the targeted modification of existing grape cultivars. This may provide a means to reduce disease losses and usage in classic cultivars without otherwise changing their wine attributes."

"In higher organisms, the cells of an individual become greatly diversified despite their identity of . How such diversification is achieved and how supra-cellular organization then comes about have remained largely obscure. A new way of getting at theses questions was formulated in ; its purpose was to subject the pivotal genotype-phenotype relationship to experimental manipulation. The intact organism was taken to be the necessary framework for such an experimental study of gene expression, and the mouse, with its wide variety of available s, was easily the most promising vertebrate species. The plan was to make artificial mice: within each, cells with different, rather than identical, genotypes would be included. ... Certain kinds of had previously been extensively employed in studies with '. ... The first indication, in a mammal, of an admixture of genotypes came with 's discovery of erythrocyte mosaicism in fraternal cattle co-twins. ..."

"She made foundational discoveries and revolutionized many tools and techniques of that paved the way for tremendous progress in our understanding of cancer."

"s owe their existence to a population of persistently proliferating s which probably originate from the normal generative cells of that ... Normal stem cells ordinarily tend to give rise to non-dividing terminally differentiated cellular progeny; malignant stem cells, on the other hand, suffer an impairment of differentiation. Early in embryonic life, stem cells are developmentally versatile; the earliest ones, e.g., s in the mouse, are , or individually capable of forming an entire organism. s are exceptional tumors in that they contain a multiplicity of tissues, a characteristic implying that their stem cells arise from cells more developmentally primitive than is the case in other malignancies."

"Beatrice Mintz, known as “Bea” to her friends, was a developmental geneticist. ... Her pioneering work had a major impact on many different areas of science. She began her career addressing one of the most complex and fascinating questions of development: how the many different and diverse tissues in an organism are initiated and develop from a single fertilized egg. In the early 1960s Bea—at about the same time as in Poland and in Philadelphia—generated the first chimeric mice by combining early, genetically distinct, mouse embryos. She had contemplated this experiment for many years at the and began to work seriously on it after moving to (discussing the project with her colleagues) … And indeed, this manipulation of embryos was a breakthrough to a new era of experimental work in mammalian development. (Bea did not like the designation “chimera” because of its association with “monsters” in Greek mythology; she described these mice as “allophenic.”)"

"From an environmental perspective, science and technology offer many ways to reduce our impact—whether in greenhouse gas emissions, water use, or soil management. Agriculture currently consumes most of the world’s freshwater and emits about 30% of greenhouse gases, yet it employs 4.5 billion people. Scientific innovation can make agri-food systems more sustainable through resilient crop varieties, improved farming practices, and technologies that boost productivity while lowering carbon and water footprints."

"On the challenges and obstacles that might hold back some women from getting to top managerial positions, there are many common challenges between the Middle East and the West, but also some cultural differences. In terms of common challenges, all mothers feel protective towards their children and want to give them a lot of love and time. This can get in the way for some women wishing to attain high-level positions."

"It is doable to make these lands productive but it requires investment in research and in science."

"We should also provide women with freedom of choice. With this, eventually society will develop around equal opportunities, and women will feel much more in control of their destiny and not have to choose anymore between having a career and being a mother."

"our goal is to ensure that farmers enjoy better livelihoods. Today, they remain at the bottom of the income pyramid, receiving the least reward for their hard work. By improving productivity and enhancing the nutritional value of what is produced, we can create stronger economies and ensure that these benefits reach small-scale producers worldwide."

"Marginal environments are going to be the norm of tomorrow, so we'd better be ready for it and have solutions."

"In a few years, if we don't stop what we're doing to planet earth, we would all be living in marginal environments."

"I don’t think we can afford to have only men in leadership positions anymore. Throughout history, it has been shown that female leadership is different from men’s in many positive ways. So, if we want to bring out the full potential of humankind, we should be conscious of those differences and push for gender equality. It’s not so much equality of positions, it’s much more about equality of opportunities."

"Science and innovation can greatly improve nutrition. Although over 6,000 plant species are cultivated for food, fewer than 200 dominate global production, and just 9 provide 66% of all crops. This limited genetic base reduces nutritional diversity. Expanding the use of neglected and underused species through technology can boost both food variety and environmental health."

"I believe that science holds the key to addressing many of the interconnected challenges we face today — not just one or two isolated issues. Through science and innovation, we can optimize how we utilize our biodiversity by identifying the most suitable crops, animals, fish, and fibers for specific environments. At present, there is often a disconnect between what ecosystems can sustainably produce and what is actually being produced around the world. This imbalance stems largely from decisions that overlook scientific knowledge and the urgent need to meet the demands of a growing population. I am convinced that science and innovation can lead to more efficient production with fewer inputs, ensuring sustainability for the future."

"On the Master thesis of my student Malak Doss who is working under my supervision at the NRC."

"We hypothesize that genetic heterogeneity in the VNTR."

"We concluded that taking in consideration the sequence of DRD4 VNTR is very important to estimate the contribution of this dopaminergic receptor to the pathophysiology of ADHD."

"Detecting the genetic factors for children with ADHD in the Egyptian population becomes imperative."

"It was reported that inattentive ADHD in Egypt constituted high percentage of the finally diagnosed cases."

"I am the main supervisor from the National Research Centre (NRC)."

"Our findings provide further evidence for an effect of DRD4 where children with smaller number of repeat alleles of this DRD4 gene have higher possibility to develop ADHD In Egyptian children."

"Is one of the most important candidate genes for ADHD."

"Is an important factor in the pathophysiology of ADHD and dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4)."

"In terms of the health of a person, this is really a difficult thing to study because there are endless combinations, and trying to understand what is relevant and important is not so easy."

"Because when I started, so little was known about the human genome. It was unthinkable that we could look at a person’s DNA and make a diagnosis for a disease or perform a prenatal diagnosis where we could diagnose babies in utero to see if they inherited a genetic disease from their parents. I feel that I have been so fortunate in my career to have experienced all these changes and to work in a field that has its heyday right now."

"This is really cutting-edge stuff... it's very exciting, for me as a geneticist, what can be done."

"To never stop learning, and to never stop seeking the next challenge. My aspirations are to be CEO of my own business empire; I have an idea box that I need to act upon!"

"I think it’s no secret that the decision makers in STI are predominantly male, and that is not to say there are no capable women. Of course, the capable women are a lot less few, because of a problem that starts with the access to education and opportunity that is skewed toward the male child, especially in my part of the world."

"I think the world is poorer for not giving a chance to the girl child. I think that skewed system then carves out the research agenda in a manner that could have benefited immensely from having women at the top, given our role in society."

"I find myself now quite comfortable in my own skin, with nothing to prove to anyone but myself. Support of family, colleagues, male and female, can of course not be underestimated! I have had mentors who have supported me along the way as well."

"This recognition is in line with the collaboration value in our CSIR EPIC values and is testament to how we live up to these values."

"It is an honour for me to be recognised as one of the 50 most influential people navigating disruption in the ‘collaborators’ category."

"Many of the challenges had to do with doubt cast on my abilities to lead, sometimes self-doubt, but also doubt by other parties. I overcame that through self-belief and determination, demonstration of what I can do in all my assignments from the most trivial to strategic. I made a choice that whatever I chose to do will be excellent."

"If it is ever documented conclusively, the genetic inferiority of a race on a trait as important as intelligence will rank with the atomic bomb as the most destructive scientific discovery in human history. The correct conclusion is to withhold judgment."

"When the theoretical questions are properly understood, proponents of race science, while entitled to their freedom of inquiry and expression, deserve the vigorous disapprobation they often receive."

"Why don’t we accept racial stereotypes as reasonable hypotheses, okay to consider until they have been scientifically proven false? They are offensive precisely because they violate our intuition about the balance between innateness and self-determination of the moral and cultural qualities of human beings. No reasonable person would be offended by the observation that Africans have curlier hair than the Chinese, notwithstanding the possibility of some future environment in which it is no longer true. But we can recognize a contention that Chinese people are genetically predisposed to be better table-tennis players than Africans as silly, and the contention that they are smarter than Africans as ugly, because it is a matter of ethical principle that individual and cultural accomplishment is not tied to the genes in the same way as the appearance of our hair."

"I was offended by the New Atheist movement, which included the public intellectuals Sam Harris (The End of Faith, 2004) and Christopher Hitchens (God is Not Great, 2007), in addition to Dawkins and Dennett with their evolutionary credentials. In part I was offended by the poor scholarship of the books, which meant that Dawkins and Dennett were falsely trading on their academic reputations. The fact that the books were written for the general reader wasn’t an excuse. The New Atheists clearly began with animosity toward religion and constructed their arguments to support their predetermined conclusion. (P. 33)"

"Building a scientific edifice is a bit like building a cathedral, stone by stone. Shaping each stone—each single study—is hard work but immensely satisfying, especially knowing that it will be durable. (P. 38)"

"Around this world and to this very day, among experts and novices alike, say the word “evolution” and most people hear the word “genes.” (P. 19)"

"...[A] new breed of philosopher was coming close to declaring that nothing in philosophy makes sense except in the light of evolution. (P. 26)"

"Science is often associated with complicated instruments and questions so specialized that a PhD is required even to become interested. (P. 31)"

"Anthropological geneticists should participate in because of the complexity of their work, its implications for human health and societies, and its tendency to be co-opted for particular political or social agendas. They are positioned to offer important contributions to public conversations on issues of race, genetic identity, history, and conflict. There are multiple avenues to public outreach for academics; among them, is a powerful, underused tool."

"The maintain that their ancestors were a seafaring people who have lived in since the dawn of history. This discovery of this man, whom the Tlingit called , was consistent with that they descend from an ancient, coastally adapted people who engaged in long-distance trade."

"In her new book, “Origin: A Genetic History of the Americas,” Raff beautifully integrates new data from different sciences (archaeology, genetics, linguistics) and different ways of knowing, including Indigenous oral traditions, in a masterly retelling of the story of how, and when, people reached the Americas. While admittedly not an archaeologist herself, Raff skillfully reveals how well-dated archaeological sites, including recently announced 22,000-year-old human footprints from , are . She builds a persuasive case with both archaeological and genetic evidence that the path to the Americas was coastal (the ) rather than inland, and that was not a bridge but a homeland — twice the size of Texas — inhabited for millenniums by the ancestors of the . Throughout, Raff effectively models how science is done, how hypotheses are tested, and how new data are used to refute old ideas and generate new ones."

"... Getting the science wrong has very real consequences. For example, when a community doesn’t vaccinate children because they’re afraid of “toxins” and think that prayer (or diet, exercise, and “”) is enough to prevent infection, outbreaks happen."

"And then use this understanding to develop new treatments for virus-caused damage to blood vessels and related brain and lung issues.”"