As interesting as it was to hear about everyone’s projects and learn a thing or two from each one, I think we’re all pretty glad that’s over with. For now, anyway. Hopefully, the posters will be easier since we’ll have everything written down to be presented as is and we’ve already got our thoughts collected.
Out of all the intriguing projects from last week, I believe that the one that caught my interest most was Michael’s investigation on the epigenetic effects in the offspring of mice after the male parent’s usage of THC. In particular, it was curious though concerning that the F1 mice appeared to exhibit some symptoms of ADD and expression of genes associated with ASPD and schizophrenia, though from what I understood, those results are not conclusive.
However, if those current findings prove to be further supported, then that leads one to wonder if THC usage could have similar effects in the children of those who use it. It’s already well-known that women shouldn’t use a variety of drugs or consume fish with high mercury content while pregnant, but it could also be that men should avoid certain substances before planning on having a child, outside of certain drugs that are known to lower sperm count (unless the transgenerational effects of other drugs have been studied and shown to be detrimental?). That also makes me wonder how long the effects of THC on sperm lasts, though I would imagine it would be about however long it takes to produce new sperm.
But anyway, everybody’s projects were pretty cool, and I’m curious to see how the posters turn out at the end of this program!
