A computer program which helps breed gerbils with specific traits has been developed by a student who is presenting his work at the Esat Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition.
The "Gerbil Genome Generator" was created by Tommy Williams (15), a fourth-year student at Mount Temple Comprehensive, Malahide Road, Dublin, who says an understanding of genetics is not needed to use it, "but it helps".
His program concentrates on the gerbils' coats: their type, colour, intensity of colour, pattern and levels of gold and yellow in the coat. Each feature is based on a specific sequence of genes at loci, the points along the animal's genome.
The characteristics of the parent gerbils' coats are chosen by the user, after which the program analyses how their sets of genes will interact, and provides a description of the future gerbil's genome.
The program can be adapted to help breed mice, rats and guinea pigs, Tommy says.
A study by Co Louth students has shown that everybody doodles, and their often absentminded scribblings reveal much about them. Though some deny it, they doodle in some form, according to Donna Lawless (16) and Emma Cassidy (15), fifth-year students of Our Lady's College, Greenhills. They questioned people and analysed doodles on the front page of students' homework journals.
The girls conclude doodling does not reflect artistic ability. As students get older, their drawings became more complex and abstract. Gender differences in doodles were also found. Boys' sketchings were more confident (stronger lines) and egotistical (names in huge print).