Showing posts with label DNA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DNA. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
The Genographic Project
Very cool science happening over at National Geographic as they try to find answers to how we're all related as humans and how we have migrated over the millennia to come to populate and dominate the earth as a species. And you can be a participant by submitting your DNA information to help the study and to learn a little about when your ancient ancestors came from. Tests run about $100, but might be a great gift for that hard to shop for person in your family.
The Genographic Project Website
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Origins of Life on Earth & Beyond
Origins of Life on Earth and Beyond - Daily Galaxy 11/8/11
Exciting progress on the abiogenesis front by the Harvard Origins of Life Initiative (I love that the acronym is HOLI). Figuring out how life got started is one of the most perplexing but also most exciting questions out there. We know genesis accounts in holy books are not accurate or feasible or even remotely possible, and with modern advances in science we are really getting a feel for how simple life is put together with amino acids, RNA, DNA and proteins. Reverse engineering life has hit a wall in experimentation, but new techniques in building life from scratch are starting to take hold and make some sense, especially with what we know was present in the early earth and what we see as abundant in the universe. Complex chemistry under the right conditions seems to steer us towards cell creation and self-replication, and eventually to mutations that can be advantageous evolutionarily. These are the basic functions of life and if it can be proven that life can be created in this way, then it is conceivable that life can arise from non-life very simply and possibly is a common occurrence through the universe.
This will undoubtedly have profound implications for the human race and for man-made religions that are still struggling to keep up with advances in evolution, climate science and other hot topics that science can now better explain. Finding that life can be created like this will dramatically decrease our importance in the grand scheme of the cosmos and religious people are fearful of that fact, because for them, the universe was "created" with us in mind. If we find out we are truly just a bi-product of complex chemical reactions in an indifferent cosmos, that happened coagulate on a planet not too close and not too far from its stable star and managed to not go extinct for a reasonable period of time enough to evolve more complex on that fragile planet, this will truly open our eyes. I'm really looking forward to reading Prof. Krauss' book coming out next year "A Universe From Nothing".
Harvard Origins of Life Initiative
Exciting progress on the abiogenesis front by the Harvard Origins of Life Initiative (I love that the acronym is HOLI). Figuring out how life got started is one of the most perplexing but also most exciting questions out there. We know genesis accounts in holy books are not accurate or feasible or even remotely possible, and with modern advances in science we are really getting a feel for how simple life is put together with amino acids, RNA, DNA and proteins. Reverse engineering life has hit a wall in experimentation, but new techniques in building life from scratch are starting to take hold and make some sense, especially with what we know was present in the early earth and what we see as abundant in the universe. Complex chemistry under the right conditions seems to steer us towards cell creation and self-replication, and eventually to mutations that can be advantageous evolutionarily. These are the basic functions of life and if it can be proven that life can be created in this way, then it is conceivable that life can arise from non-life very simply and possibly is a common occurrence through the universe.
This will undoubtedly have profound implications for the human race and for man-made religions that are still struggling to keep up with advances in evolution, climate science and other hot topics that science can now better explain. Finding that life can be created like this will dramatically decrease our importance in the grand scheme of the cosmos and religious people are fearful of that fact, because for them, the universe was "created" with us in mind. If we find out we are truly just a bi-product of complex chemical reactions in an indifferent cosmos, that happened coagulate on a planet not too close and not too far from its stable star and managed to not go extinct for a reasonable period of time enough to evolve more complex on that fragile planet, this will truly open our eyes. I'm really looking forward to reading Prof. Krauss' book coming out next year "A Universe From Nothing".
Harvard Origins of Life Initiative
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Logical DNA
New Genetic Circuit Detects Cancerous Cells and Forces Them To Commit Suicide
Very exciting breakthrough here in the fight against cancer. Scientists have developed a computer-like DNA-based logic circuit that can fight cancer cells in the body. By going through a series of logic operations like AND and NOT, these biological computers can sort out which cells are cancerous and apply a kill switch for them to self-terminate. This is a long way off from working in a human body (many kinks have to be sorted out), but the potential for these biocomputers to save human lives in this manner is staggering. This begs the question, are we becoming more like computers? Or are computers becoming more like us?
Very exciting breakthrough here in the fight against cancer. Scientists have developed a computer-like DNA-based logic circuit that can fight cancer cells in the body. By going through a series of logic operations like AND and NOT, these biological computers can sort out which cells are cancerous and apply a kill switch for them to self-terminate. This is a long way off from working in a human body (many kinks have to be sorted out), but the potential for these biocomputers to save human lives in this manner is staggering. This begs the question, are we becoming more like computers? Or are computers becoming more like us?
Friday, August 12, 2011
Man Creates New Building Block
This Worm is the First Animal Engineered to Produce Biological Blocks Not Found in Nature
In another stunning advancement in modern science, researchers at Camridge claim they've created a worm with artificial information embedded in its DNA sequence. The result is the creation of an entirely new and man-made amino acid never before seen in the real world. It won't be long before we are creating all sorts of new biology with this unbelievable knowledge of the building blocks of life. It is powerful and scary at the same time. We truly live in an amazing time with scientists unlocking more of nature's secrets faster than ever before. We are really beginning to understand life and chemistry and material science on truly fundamental levels and this will usher in a new age of creation never before seen. wild!
In another stunning advancement in modern science, researchers at Camridge claim they've created a worm with artificial information embedded in its DNA sequence. The result is the creation of an entirely new and man-made amino acid never before seen in the real world. It won't be long before we are creating all sorts of new biology with this unbelievable knowledge of the building blocks of life. It is powerful and scary at the same time. We truly live in an amazing time with scientists unlocking more of nature's secrets faster than ever before. We are really beginning to understand life and chemistry and material science on truly fundamental levels and this will usher in a new age of creation never before seen. wild!
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Young Frankenstein
'It's Alive! It's Alive!' Maybe Right Here On Earth
It's extraordinary to think how close humans are to creating life. Our understanding of RNA, DNA, amino acids and the basic building blocks of life are all coming together in the laboratories of modern day Dr. Frankensteins. I am hopeful that we will one day soon show how life can arise from certain combinations of chemicals, elements and forces to show that abiogenesis is a natural process and is something that can occur commonly in nature and the universe.
It's extraordinary to think how close humans are to creating life. Our understanding of RNA, DNA, amino acids and the basic building blocks of life are all coming together in the laboratories of modern day Dr. Frankensteins. I am hopeful that we will one day soon show how life can arise from certain combinations of chemicals, elements and forces to show that abiogenesis is a natural process and is something that can occur commonly in nature and the universe.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Part Cave Man
Neanderthals Had Sex With Humans, DNA Says
In a new finding, 9% of modern humans everywhere besides Africa may be part Neanderthal. It had been previously theorized that after early man left africa that homo sapiens and homo neanderthalenis started to interbreed, but with modern day discoveries and scientific advancement, we are now able to sequence the DNA from people all over the globe and compare it with fossils that are being unearthed to get a more clear picture of where we came from. Very interesting findings that some neanderthals are thought to have had light skin and red hair. I wonder what other features may have been passed on through. Exciting to think about the history of man and just how far we've come in a few thousand years!
In a new finding, 9% of modern humans everywhere besides Africa may be part Neanderthal. It had been previously theorized that after early man left africa that homo sapiens and homo neanderthalenis started to interbreed, but with modern day discoveries and scientific advancement, we are now able to sequence the DNA from people all over the globe and compare it with fossils that are being unearthed to get a more clear picture of where we came from. Very interesting findings that some neanderthals are thought to have had light skin and red hair. I wonder what other features may have been passed on through. Exciting to think about the history of man and just how far we've come in a few thousand years!
Friday, June 3, 2011
Biochemical Device Can Calculate Square Root
Computer Circuit Assembled From 74 DNA Molecules
Will wonders never cease? A breakthrough like this has some serious potential to create mini biological computers to treat disease and battle cancer, fight aging and so many other possibilities. Plus, it's just really freakin cool!
Will wonders never cease? A breakthrough like this has some serious potential to create mini biological computers to treat disease and battle cancer, fight aging and so many other possibilities. Plus, it's just really freakin cool!
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