Maren van Son

Ever laid awake at night wondering how number of vertebrae in pigs are linked to number of teats? Who am I kidding, of course you have. See our latest paper in @FrontGenetics: frontiersin.org/article/10.338… @Norsvin @TopigsNorsvin @jorgenkongsro @mflderks @grindflek_eli

Poster session is on. I am at my poster in the exhibit hall. 🐷🧬 #pag32

Day two in sunny San Diego and I will be giving a talk at the swine session now under my temporary pseudonym T. Harvey. Interesting in whole genome CRISPR screens? Come listen! #PAG32

The new Delta Norway is opening today, looking forward to talking with people about the work we do in genomics.

Job available in machine learning and image analysis: jobbdirekte.no/norsvin/270626…

Large scale sequence-based screen for recessive variants allows for identification and monitoring of rare deleterious variants in pigs biorxiv.org/content/10.110…

Et vendepunkt for #CRISPR -mat: EU foreslår vesentlig enklere regler for genredigerte planter: kun meldeplikt og ingen GMO-merking. 🥳🧬 heidner.no/aktuelt/eu-kom…

A mind-blowing paper has come out today in @Nature In 2016, JC Venter Institute scientists trimmed a bacterial genome to its barest minimum required for life to synthesize what they called a "minimal genome" (science.org/doi/10.1126/sc…). Today, a group of scientists from Indiana University reports how that minimal genome evolved over 2000 generations in comparison to the non-minimal genome. The authors found that even when you reduce a bacterial genome to its absolute minimum where every nucleotide matters, the genome undergoes mutational events generation after generation as much as the non-minimal genome. One simply cannot stop the evolution. Just over 300 days of evolution (equivalent to 40,000 years in humans) the minimal cell has gained everything it lacked in fitness on day one in comparison to the non-minimal cell. When comparing the evolved traits between the minimal and non-minimal cells, the scientists found something striking. The evolutionary process increased the cell size of non-minimal cells but not that of the minimal cell. But that is not the striking part. The scientists were able to identify the key mutation that resulted in cell size evolution. And it turned out that the mutation that helped the non-minimal cells to grow bigger is the same that helped the minimal cells to stay smaller. Growing bigger had a survival advantage for non-minimal cells and not growing bigger had a survival advantage for minimal cells. So, the mutation had a context-dependent effect. This just demonstrates that the evolutionary effects on traits have no absolute direction. All that matter is what is beneficial for the organism's survival. The conclusion of the paper is metaphorically a quote from the Jurassic Park movie: “Listen, if there’s one thing the history of evolution has taught us is that life will not be contained. Life breaks free. It expands to new territories, and it crashes through barriers painfully, maybe even dangerously, but . . . life finds a way". (scienmag.com/artificial-cel…) nature.com/articles/s4158…

@DiffordGareth Genejockeys 😂

I had a great time presenting our latest phenomic work 🍣 at #ISAG2023 in the mothercity 🇿🇦. Not sure the genejockeys got it 🤫, but great to hear phenotypes mentioned in many talks 😀 👍

Klima -og miljøminister Espen Barth Eide sier at det er på høy tid med ny og oppdatert lovgiving på GMO. #genredigering

Flertallet i genteknologiutvalget mener presisjonsavlede produkter bør likestilles med tradisjonelle produkter. #genredigering

Debatt med Graminor, Geno, Norsvin og Aquagen om hvordan regulering av genredigering vil påvirke norsk matproduksjon i framtiden. @biotekradet

Hvis Norge legger seg på linja genredigering = GMO vil vi fremdeles spise importert mat fra andre land der genredigert mat ikke trenger merkes. Dette gjelder etter hvert mange land hvor teknologien er i bruk. Ny NOU presenteres snart. #genredigering

På vei til Oslo for møte om norsk genredigert mat. @biotekradet @Norsvin @Geno4u @UniNMBU

📢Exciting invited speaker to NMBU's Breeding&Genetics📢 24 May 12:00 CET. Dr Marc Vandeputte speaking on "Successful genetic improvement of feed efficiency in European seabass by an alternative method"🐟🥇🧬 @Marc_VDP_INRAE please join us zoom link 👇 nmbu.zoom.us/j/61322525751?…

After five long months of winter, spring is here. And so is an application deadline for research proposals. No long sunny ascension weekend for me.

I know this feeling 😀 #Bioinformatics #codinglife

Since 2020, Topigs Norsvin has used machine learning in routine predictions of carcass composition for living pigs based on CT scan images. Recently, we launched an improved model that will create more precise predictions. Read more: bit.ly/3knUavD

I honestly feel more power with every R package I add. True story. #datascience #rstats

The proceedings of @wcgalp2022 is now available online & open access. Over 3300 pages technical and species orientated innovations in animal breeding, and the contribution that genetics can make to solving societal challenges. doi.org/10.3920/978-90… @wcgalp2026 @WURlivestock

I dag har jeg snakket med realfagsstudenter på Norway Life Science 2023. Det var en veldig positiv dag og jeg har troa på framtida!