What can research studies on man’s best friend tell us about ourselves? As it turns out, quite a lot! That’s exactly what we’re doing as scientists who run the NHGRI Dog Genome Project. Dogs are a treasure-trove of information for understanding natural variation in populations. For example, within the 175 dog breeds recognized by the American Kennel Club (AKC), you can find many differences in how traits are displayed including body size, leg length, skull shape, or fur color and type. What are the genes driving the body size differences that we see between a Chihuahua and a Great Dane? Which genes contribute to the curly fur of a Poodle versus the bristly fur of a Wirehaired Pointer? Sequencing the genomes of each dog breed and comparing them allows us to determine the genes and changes in DNA sequence responsible for those outward differences. How does this work relate to us humans? While we don’t have fur, we do have natural variation in outward traits, just like our four-legged friends. By learning more about them, we can help better understand ourselves in the process! In addition to the above, dog breeds vary greatly in their risk of getting certain diseases. More than 350 inherited diseases have been described in domestic dogs. Certain diseases occur with remarkably high frequency in small numbers of breeds, or in groups of closely-related breeds. This suggests these diseases may have a genetic component. Since many diseases in dogs are similar to disorders in humans, NIH studies of dog genetics provides insights into human diseases as well. In fact, NIH studies have been particularly successful at finding genes that influence cancer susceptibility and progression in dogs, and determining whether they function the same way in humans. The NHGRI Dog Genome Project is part of a world-wide consortium aimed at sequencing the genomes of 10,000 dogs within the next five years. About 1000 are already done! Our studies are all based on collaboration with dog owners and involve collecting DNA samples, health histories, and pedigrees. Your dog can be part of our research studies, too! We are always interested in the voluntary submission of DNA samples from all types of dog breeds as we continue to develop new studies every year. Check out our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/DogGenomeProject/) and NHGRI Dog Genome Project website (https://research.nhgri.nih.gov/dog_genome/) for more info. Ask us anything about dog genetics, and our work on natural variation in dog populations and human disease! Your hosts today are: Elaine Ostrander, Ph.D., Chief of the Cancer Genetics and Comparative Genomics Branch, Distinguished Investigator at the National Human Genome Research Institute. Dr. Ostrander’s Border Collie, Tess, was one of the first dogs entered into the dog genome project. Heidi Parker, Ph.D., Staff Scientist, Cancer Genetics and Comparative Genomics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute. Dr. Parker’s dogs, Hattie and Grace, are accomplished competitors in barn hunt (rat hunting)! Fortunately, Hattie and Grace do not bring the rats home. Dayna Dreger, Ph.D., Senior Research Fellow, Cancer Genetics and Comparative Genomics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute. Dr. Dreger owns several Shelties who have distinguished themselves with awards and championships in obedience competitions. Her dogs have won so many ribbons she’s making them into quilts (the ribbons…not the dogs)! UPDATE: Thanks so much for asking all your great questions! We’re all done for the day, but will continue to answer a few more questions as they come in! You’re the best, Redditors!

ACS AMA Hi Reddit! Robert Strongin and Jiries Meehan-Atrash here from Portland State University. We recently had a paper in ACS Omega entitled “Toxicant Formation in Dabbing: The Terpene Story” (http://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acsomega.7b01130). We describe there that “dabbing” means to put a small amount of cannabis-containing liquid such as butane hash oil on a hot surface, then inhale the vapors via a water pipe. This is an example of a noncombustible use of cannabis, i.e. not requiring smoking; Cannabis dabbing has found increased popularity as medicinal and recreational use has increased. Our study concludes “that dabbing, although considered a form of vaporization, may in fact deliver significant amounts of toxic degradation products”. In this Ask Us Anything, we look forward to answering your questions about our research on chemical analysis of the vapors produced by cannabis “dabbing” – this could include the instrumentation we used, the chemical nature of terpenes and their degradation products, and toxicological ramifications. Note that we are not medical experts, but chemists conducting analysis. About us: Robert Strongin, Ph.D.: I am a professor in the Portland State University Department of Chemistry and I have affiliate appointments at the Oregon Health and Sciences University. My research focuses broadly on redox and chromophore chemistry. It encompasses the creation of biosensors and molecular probes for studying oxidative stress and cancer, as well as the investigation of chemical reactions and products associated with the usage of electronic cigarettes and new cannabis formulations. I received my B.A. in chemistry from Temple University, then worked as an industrial chemist at FMC Corporation and SmithKline Beechman. I then obtained a Ph.D. in organic chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania. Upon graduation, I began my independent career at Louisiana State University, then later moving to Portland State University. In addition to my academic research, I’m a biotech startup founder, an advocate for science funding, a regular grant review panel chairman at the National Institutes of Health, and dedicate much time to improving STEM education. Jiries Meehan-Atrash: I am a Palestinian-American who attended high school at the Colegio “El Estudio” in Madrid, Spain. I then received a B.S. in chemistry at State University of New York at New Paltz, where I also did research in organic chemistry. After working in New York City as a freelance Spanish-English technical translator for two years, I enrolled in the chemistry graduate program at Portland State University. I’ve been working on the cannabis vaporizer toxicology project since its inception in January 2017 in Dr. Strongin’s lab. We’ll be back at 1pm EDT (10am PDT, 5pm UTC) to start answering your questions. We’re online now, taking your questions -acs signed off -acs

Hi Reddit! I’m Dr Sarah Malik, a dark matter researcher at Imperial College London in the United Kingdom. In October 2015 I was awarded a grant from the Royal Society to carry out research on producing and detecting dark matter using the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. I find it fascinating that more than 80% of matter in the Universe is invisible to us, it doesn’t emit or reflect radiation. This is what we call “dark matter”. We know it exists because it exerts a gravitational force on ordinary matter, playing a critical role in holding together galaxies and shaping the Universe as a whole. There’s reason to believe that it comprises particles that have mass, are electrically neutral and don’t decay; beyond that, we have little understanding of dark matter. How many types of dark matter particles are there? What types of forces do they exert on each other and on the ordinary matter particles? My current research aims to address these very questions. Discovering what 80% of matter in the Universe is made of will play a significant role in defining the future direction of particle physics and cosmology and mark an extraordinary development in our understanding of the world around us. I will be back at 2pm ET to answer you questions, ask me anything! Proof: https://royalsociety.org/people/sarah-malik-7571/ http://lpc.fnal.gov/fellows/Sarah_Alam_Malik.shtml To learn more about me and my research, follow me on Twitter (@SarahAlamMalik https://twitter.com/SarahAlamMalik). You can also see me talk about dark matter at the 2015 Blackett Colloquium (https://youtu.be/BHa65maMIFk), and on the Guardian ‘Big Unknowns’ podcast (from 16:36) (https://www.theguardian.com/science/audio/2016/nov/22/big-unknowns-what-is-dark-matter-science-weekly-podcast). Update Happy Dark Matter Day everyone! I’ll be live for the next hour or so answering as many of your excellent questions as I can. Update That’s me signing off now. Thanks so much for your questions and contributions. I’ll be checking back in from time to time, so feel free to keep the conversation going. Happy Dark Matter Day!

That’s a wrap! Thanks for all the great questions today. Don’t forget to check out #DarkMatterDay tomorrow via http://www.darkmatterday.com. I’m Dan McKinsey and am here to answer your questions about dark matter, the mysterious stuff that makes up an estimated 85 percent of all matter in the universe, and about how we search for it. My research, before with LUX and now with LUX-ZEPLIN, the next generation of dark matter particle detectors that is under construction at an underground research facility in South Dakota, centers on non-accelerator particle physics, particle astrophysics, and low-temperature physics. In particular, I work on the development, construction, and operation of new detectors using liquid forms of noble gases like xeon, which are useful in looking for physics beyond the Standard Model. Applications for this research include the search for dark matter interactions with ordinary matter, searches for a process known as neutrinoless double beta decay that can help us understand the matter-antimatter imbalance in the universe, and the measurement of the low-energy solar neutrino flux. This talk is one of dozens of events that are related to Dark Matter Day, an international celebration of the search for the unseen on October 31st. Dan McKinsey’s Bio http://physics.berkeley.edu/people/faculty/Daniel-McKinsey Dark Matter Day - http://www.darkmatterday.com Ask Symmetry - How is the Force like dark matter? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foTNIwSidjc Next-Gen Dark Matter Detector in a Race to Finish Line http://newscenter.lbl.gov/2017/02/13/next-gen-dark-matter-detector-race-finish-line/ Dark Matter day is Approaching… but Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark http://bit.ly/lbnl-dmd-reddit Berkeley Lab - http://bit.ly/lbnl-reddit

Hi Reddit! I’m David Moreau and I’m a cognitive neuroscientist in the department of Psychology at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. My research focuses on the dynamics and plasticity of cognitive function, that is, how the brain changes and adapts to its environment. Before moving to Auckland in 2014, I’ve worked at Princeton University, New Jersey, where I developed, tested and validated the idea of combining physical and cognitive demands to elicit improvements in brain function. This type of intervention, blending brain training and physical exercise, allows preserving the ecological components of naturalistic activities, and has ramifications both for clinical (e.g. children with neurodevelopmental disorders, adults with dementia and patients in post-stroke recovery) and non-clinical populations. I’m here to answer questions about a recent paper my group published in the journal eLife (https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.25062), where we showed that short, intense bursts of exercise can induce meaningful improvements in brain function, or queries related to anything in my area of expertise more broadly. I’ll start answering questions at 3pm EST. AMA!

We're talking about how potential misuses of advances in life sciences research raise concerns about national security threats and about mechanisms that would allow researchers to manage the dissemination of the results of research while mitigating the potential for harm. We helped write a report on the subject for the National Academies I'm Arturo Casadevall, Professor and Chair in the W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland. My research focuses on how microbes cause disease and how hosts can protect themselves against those microbes. And I'm Claire Fraser, Director of the Institute for Genome Sciences and a Professor of Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. My research focuses on the role that the human gut microbiome plays in health and certain diseases. We will be back at 1 pm ET to answer your questions, ask us anything!

Hello! We are scientists and engineers working at NASA Goddard, and leading the current testing on the James Webb Space Telescope in NASA Johnson’s historic Chamber A. Why is this testing notable? Chamber A is a giant thermal vacuum chamber, and our telescope is undergoing a ~100 day, end-to-end test at extremely cold temperatures, in a space-like vacuum inside of it. We’ll answer questions about why Webb has to perform in extreme cold, why NASA built a giant, infrared telescope, and what cryogenic testing is all about. We’ll be online for an hour or so on Thursday October 19th, at 1pm ET for questions, and we will be checking back in periodically after the Q&A for other questions. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (Webb) is the world’s premier space telescope of the next decade. It will delve deeper into our solar system, look beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and help us to learn more about the universe and our place in it. Webb is an international collaboration among NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). Answering your questions: Mark Voyton: Optical Telescope Element and Integrated Science Instrument Module Manager Juli Lander: Deputy Optical Telescope Element and Integrated Science Instrument Module Manager Randy Kimble: Integration & Test Project Scientist Lee Feinberg: Optical Telescope Element Manager & Optical Telescope Element and Integrated Science Instrument Module Technical Lead. ETA: We are about done for today - but we’ll check back in tomorrow. Thanks so much for all the excellent questions, we had a great time!

ACS AMA Hi Reddit! Darla Henderson and Marshall Brennan here from ACS Publications! We are responsible for ChemRxiv a preprint server for chemistry launched in fully functioning beta form with strategic input from the American Chemical Society (ACS), the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), and the German Chemical Society (GDCh) as a community-led project. ChemRxiv allows researchers to post their early manuscripts – and all of the source data – online ahead of submission to a journal in order to facilitate discussion and feedback on the work prior to formal publication. ChemRxiv is taking a “data first” approach to preprints, and allows a wide (and growing!) array of different file types to be viewed and interacted with right from the browser. In the past six weeks, ChemRxiv has already helped to disseminate more than 82 preprint manuscripts and revisions prior to peer review on every subject from computational chemical theory to natural product synthesis. We believe that preprints accelerate research, increase transparency, and level the playing field for researchers across career stages and geography – and we’re looking to continue developing ChemRxiv in a way that best meets the community’s needs and expectations of such a tool. Darla Henderson, PhD: I am the Publisher and Asst. Director of Open Access in the Global Journals Development team of ACS Publications. I am responsible for the strategic and financial oversight of ACS’ open access programs and journals, and also co-conceived and oversaw the development of ChemRxiv. I joined ACS in 2008, where initially I oversaw the general and multidisciplinary chemistry journals portfolio, including JACS, and launched new journals such as ACS Catalysis. This followed a stint in book publishing at John Wiley & Sons. I have a PhD in organic/biological chemistry from Duke University. I previously co-hosted an AUA on “Open Access Chemistry” in early 2016 https://redd.it/42r7xk Marshall Brennan, PhD: I am the Publishing Manager at ChemRxiv; I oversee the day-to-day development and quality control of ChemRxiv. I earned my PhD from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign before undertaking a postdoctoral fellowship at UT Austin. I spent a year and a half as an editor for Nature Chemistry before moving to the ACS to work on ChemRxiv. Ask us anything about preprint servers! We’ll be back at 1pm EDT (10am PDT, 5pm UTC) to start answering your questions.

Hi Reddit! My name is Phil Sharpe and I am here today with a few of my colleagues from Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and the Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN). This is Nuclear Science Week, so we thought it would be great to start a conversation about the future of advanced nuclear energy, including reactor designs, fuel types, industry engagement, and some of the ideal uses for advanced nuclear systems. Commercial nuclear power currently provides nearly 60 percent of the U.S. emission-free power, according to the Nuclear Energy Institute. INL is the U.S. Department of Energy’s lead nuclear energy laboratory. INL experts are developing, testing and demonstrating new fuels and materials, reactor systems, advanced nuclear energy system applications, plant monitoring and safety systems, and waste management options. The scientists participating in today’s AMA: Phil Sharpe​​, Ph.D., director of Nuclear Systems Design & Analysis Rita Baranwal, Ph.D., director of the Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN)​ ​Hans Gougar​, Ph.D., director of the Advanced Reactor Technology Technical Development Office at INL George Griffith​, Ph.D., INL Manager for Small Modular Reactor Deployment​ ​Brenden Heidrich, Ph.D., Chief Irradiation Scientist, the Nuclear Science User Facilities (NSUF)​ Some fodder for discussion: • The Potential for Disruptive Innovations in Nuclear Power - http://pubs.cnl.ca/doi/full/10.12943/ANR.2014.00033 • What Will Advanced Nuclear Power Plants Cost? - https://www.eenews.net/assets/2017/07/25/document_gw_07.pdf • Advanced Test Reactor Options Study - https://art.inl.gov/INL%20ART%20TDO%20Documents/Advanced%20Demonstration%20and%20Test%20%20Reactor%20Options%20Study/ADTR_Options_Study_Rev3.pdf • Global Nexus Initiative Reports on nuclear energy – http://globalnexusinitiative.org/category/results/reports/ We’ll be back at 11 a.m. EST (9 a.m. MST) to answer your questions, ask us anything!

Nice to virtually meet you, Reddit. I’m Dr. Gary Brunette, Travelers’ Health Branch Chief at CDC. Hi, I’m Dr. Jeff Nemhauser, Chief Medical Officer with CDC’s Travelers’ Health Branch. I’m Dr. Ali Walker, Epidemiologist with CDC Travelers’ Health Branch. Zika virus (or Zika) is still a risk in many parts of the world. Zika is spread primarily through mosquito bites, but it can also spread through sex. A pregnant woman can pass Zika to her fetus, which can cause serious birth defects. Many people infected with Zika won’t have symptoms or will only have mild symptoms. For this reason, if you travel to an area with risk of Zika, you can be infected with Zika and not know it. Guys: You can pass Zika to your partner through sex, even months after infection. This means Zika is a concern not only for women who are pregnant or may become pregnant, but also for their partners who’ve been in areas with risk of Zika. If you travel to an area with risk of Zika, there are steps you should take to prevent getting Zika and passing it to your partner – especially if she is pregnant or may become pregnant. We are here to answer your questions and concerns and to clear up any confusion about how you can protect yourself and the ones you love against Zika, both during and after travel. Ask us anything! We’ll be back at 1:00 p.m. and will do our best to answer as many of your questions as possible! Additional Resources: · Visit our page for men and Zika: https://www.cdc.gov/zika/men/index.html · Zika travel information page: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/page/zika-travel-information · Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @CDCTravel! EDIT: We’re out of time, but we’d like to thank you all for your participation and your thoughtful questions. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @CDCTravel and like our page on Facebook! Thanks r/Science!

Hi reddit, My name is Michael Inzlicht and I am a professor at The University of Toronto. My research focuses on the topic of self-control and the related concepts of cognitive control and executive function. I recently published a study titled, “A pre-registered naturalistic observation of within domain mental fatigue and domain-general depletion of self-control” in PLOS ONE. In this paper, we monitored over 16,000 students as they engaged in voluntary learning on an online program to examine the impact of time-of-day and within-task fatigue on participation and performance. Contrary to models of self-control that suggest that self-control is domain general and runs out, we did not find that task engagement decreased at the end of the day. These findings join others (e.g., http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0147770) that cast doubt on the notion that self-control is based on some finite resource that diminishes with use. I will be answering your questions at 1pm ET. Ask me Anything! Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @minzlicht!

ACS AMA Hello Reddit! My name is Warren Chan, and I am currently Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering at The University of Toronto. I also serve as Associate Editor of ACS Nano. I am very much looking forward to my first time participating in Reddit. I obtained my B.S. from University of Illinois in 1996 and a PhD from Indiana University in 2001, both in Chemistry. Then I did my post-doctoral work at the University of California-San Diego in Biomedical Engineering and I joined the faculty at the University of Toronto in 2002 at the Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering. I am interested in developing nanotechnology for diagnosing and treating cancer and infectious diseases. As a chemist, I learned how to make and design nanomaterials and as I started my independent career, I wanted to focus on applying these materials to the medical field. My interest can span two domains: (a) outside of the body, I am interested in developing handheld nanotechnology devices that can identify biomarkers and link them to diseases. These devices can also measure these biomarkers with a single drop of blood. (b) inside the body, I am interested in figuring out how to deliver nanoparticles to the diseased site. I think the biggest challenge of using nanotechnology is to be able to deliver enough of the medical agent to the site of action. I work with engineers, chemists, biologists, and clinicians to solve these problems. I would like forward to our discussion. Ask me anything about bionanotechnology! I’ll be back at 11am EDT (8am PDT, 3pm UTC) to start answering your questions. It has been awesome chatting with everybody on nanotechnology! I am signing off! Have an awesome day!