Organización Mundial de la Sanidad Animal (OIE) reportó reaparición de la encefalopatía espongiforme bovina (EEB) en una granja de la localidad de Ærøskøbing, en Dinamarca.

En el hato, de 116 bovinos se diagnosticó para un solo animal, el cual fue destruido de forma inmediata, incinerándolo y enterrando sus cenizas.
De acuerdo con la legislación de la Unión Europea, los animales en riesgo del mismo hato se identifican, se examinan, se analiza su alimentación y luego se sacrifican.
Según la OIE, el animal afectado nació antes de que se endureciera en los años 1997 y 2001 la prohibición relativa a la alimentación animal.

En 1990, por ejemplo, se prohibió alimentar a los rumiantes con harinas de carne y hueso de rumiante y en 1997, el veto se extendió a las harinas de carne y los huesos de mamíferos.
Para el primero de enero del 2001, la administración danesa de veterinaria y de alimentos introdujo una prohibición total de alimentar los animales criados o engordados para la producción de alimentos con proteínas animales transformadas, incluyendo las harinas de carne y hueso y harinas de pescado, entre otros componentes.
Según la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Agricultura y la Alimentación (FAO), los signos que presentan los animales afectados se clasifican en cuatro tipos de alteraciones: en el comportamiento, en la sensibilidad , en el peso y en la locomoción.

Desde 1989, la OIE ha reportado su aparición en 21 países europeos, siendo endémica en el Reino Unido; también se ha presentado en Canadá, Estados Unidos, Israel y Japón.
En Colombia nunca se ha reportado y con el fin de prevenirla, se expidió la Ley 914 que creó el llamado sistema nacional de identificación e información de ganado bovino.

Los dos últimos casos de la enfermedad de la vaca loca se presentaron en julio del 2006 en la provincia de Alberta, al Oeste de Canadá y -un año atrás y de forma simultánea- en los Estados Unidos y Suecia.

Más información en www.rlc.fao.org

http://www.portafolio.com.co/

Get ready to learn more about mitochondrial genetics than any other high school students in the US. Get ready to apply the concepts you’ve learned about mitochondrial function; to understand the relationships between molecules, organelles, cells, tissues and organisms. Get ready to apply your knowledge of the Central Dogma of Molecular biology learn more about the structure and function of DNA, RNA, and proteins. Get ready to learn how to interpret pedigrees and then construct patient pedigrees based on a family history. Get ready to use molecular biology techniques like restriction digests and gel electrophoresis to look for a point mutation in mitochondrial DNA. Get ready to put all the peices of evidence together to make a claim about mitochondrial diseases. (Oh yeah, and get ready for the cameras in 9th period.) (One more thing, I’ll have slides and protocols available in class.)

Monday (11/30): Pedigrees and Mitochondrial Genetics, Lab Day 1

Tuesday (12/1): Mitochondrial Diseases, and molecular diagnostics, Lab day 2

Wednesday (12/2): Diagnosis of a mitochondrial disease by gel analysis and pedigree construction (Lab due on Thursday 12/10/09)

Thursday (12/3): Begin Review for Semester Exam

Friday (12/4): Genetics Quiz (4o MCQ)

FINAL EXAM: WEDNESDAY, 12/9/09 (100 MCQ; 2 x 10 FRQ)

Los científicos han cuantificado esta fauna microbiana en la roca de basalto de origen volcánico que yace bajo el Pacífico en un área cercana a Hawai

Desde que se identificaron los llamados microorganismos extremófilos, aquellos capaces de sobrevivir en condiciones letales para la mayoría de seres vivos, los científicos saben que las fuentes termales del fondo marino son un hervidero de microorganismos. Pero fuera de estos puntos calientes, se creía que el lecho oceánico era un páramo sin vida.

Nada más lejos de la realidad. El trabajo de un grupo de investigadores de EEUU y Alemania demuestra, según publica Nature, que el suelo marino alberga una biodiversidad de microorganismos miles de veces mayor que las capas superiores de agua.

Los científicos han cuantificado esta fauna microbiana en la roca de basalto de origen volcánico que yace bajo el Pacífico en un área cercana a Hawai. El resultado, según los autores, es que la abundancia de microbios es mayor que en las fuentes termales y equivalente a la de un fértil suelo de granja.

La principal incógnita a resolver era de dónde obtenían la energía estos microorganismos, en un medio tan pobre en carbono orgánico. La respuesta es sorprendente: de las reacciones químicas con la roca. Literalmente, los microbios se comen la corteza terrestre. Para los autores, esto plantea la interesante posibilidad de que la vida en la Tierra tuviera su origen en las profundidades oceánicas.

http://www.publico.es/

This is insane. I have had an email from my friend about a village in southern India that is famous for having twins.

Kodinhi is a sleepy hamlet in Malappuram district of Kerala state in India, some 15 kms away from the University of Calicut.The village, located in Nannambra panchayat, should have remained as one of the rural, backward and Muslim dominated towns here.The village has now caught national and international attention by having a large birth-rate of twins.

The number of pairs of twins born on the soil of Kodinhi with a population of less than 15000 has now crossed the figure 200. The birth rate of twins is on a continuing note here. The surprising concentration of twins in this village has triggered off research by various individuals and institutions. The schools in the village and nearby places have dozens of pairs of twins studying for various classes, many of them identical and same sex.Many funny stories are doing rounds in the schools about the teachers finding it difficult to identify the twins.The local people too face similar piquant situation. The identity crisis is not confined to schools alone.There are also jocks that the newly-wed couples of Kodinhi often mistake their partners for the other twins of the pairs in the beginning of their conjugal life!

The mammoth birth rate of twins in the village still remains as a mystery coupled with curiosity for everyone. Research by scientific and biological teams has begun to unravel the mystery of the large scale birth of twins here.Recently, a national team of geneticists from the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology , Hyderabad visited the village for studies. Such high birth-rates of twins have not been reported from anywhere in the world, except certain places in Nigeria and Spain

The National Geographical Channel, the international news agency, Reuters and Khaleej Times of Saudi Arabia are also due to visit Kodinhi to record the interesting phenomena found here.

The genetic, biological,molecular, heriditary and climatic factors of the puzzling phenomena are the subject matter of the research on the multiple births at Kodinhi . It’s interesting to note that the women married off from Kodinhi, and also women married to the men in Kodinhi,  have been giving birth to twins. The oldest known twins of the village are now 59 year old Kunhikadiya and Alavi ( female and male respectively). There were also instances of the birth of triplets.

While the strange and wonderful phenomina of extra-ordinary concentration of twin births in this village continues, an in-depth study on the various factors to find out its causes has become highly essential.

In 2008 alone, 15 pairs of twins were born out of 300 healthy deliveries, and this rate is increasing every year.

Unos 350 expertos de 50 países están reunidos en México para acordar un nuevo sistema de identificación de especies.

Los científicos podrán identificar a especies de plantas y animales con un código de barras de ADN.

Se trata de un código de barras de ADN que dará a cada planta y animal del planeta un huella genética única.

La tecnología -promovida por el Consorcio del Código de Barras de la Vida (CBOL) que reúne a diversas instituciones científicas- ya está siendo aplicada en varios campos, desde la investigación médica y agrícola hasta la conservación de especies en extinción y prevención de delitos como contrabando y comercio ilegal de especies.

“El código de barras es una estrategia que se está experimentando desde 2003″ dijo a BBC Ciencia el doctor Alejandro Zaldivar investigador de la colección nacional de insectos del Instituto de Biología de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) y uno de los organizadores de la conferencia.

“El método tradicional para identificar a las especies del planeta consiste en analizar la morfología de los animales o plantas. Pero como la biodiversidad global es enorme muchas veces este método no ha sido práctico”, dice el científico.

Rápido y preciso

“El código de barras es una herramienta que nos permite acelerar el proceso de identificación de especies. Porque con la secuencia de un pequeño fragmento del ADN del ejemplar podemos saber de qué especie se trata”, agrega.

Los expertos reunidos en México, en el tercer congreso internacional del Proyecto, están discutiendo las aplicaciones más recientes de la tecnología y formas de establecer un sistema de monitoreo de especies más confiable.

Tal como señala el doctor Zaldivar, los científicos mexicanos están involucrados en una red para establecer los códigos de barras de grupos taxonómicos clave, como árboles, hongos, abejas e insectos acuáticos.

La tarea de los investigadores en esta “nueva ciencia” es, en animales, secuenciar una pequeña región del ADN en la mitocondria, una estructura ubicada fuera del núcleo en las células de animales multicelulares.

Una vez que se extrae la información, se agrega a la base de datos global del Proyecto Internacional del Código de Barras de la Vida que puede ser consultada por científicos en todo el mundo.

Los científicos acordaron en 2003 elegir ese fragmento específico del ADN porque contiene información importante que permite diferenciar a las especies, incluso las estrechamente relacionadas.

Identificación de plantas

La técnica permitirá identificar el origen de la madera y prevenir su comercio ilegal.

Ahora en la reunión de México se espera llegar a un acuerdo similar sobre cómo utilizar esta tecnología en la identificación de plantas, algo que hasta ahora no ha funcionado.

Para obtener un código de barras de ADN de las plantas, los científicos tienen que identificar primero una región que ofrezca -como en el caso de los animales- información importante para identificar a especies cercanas.

Además tiene que ser fácil de procesar y estar disponible en material degradado.

Hasta ahora se han estudiado siete códigos de barras potenciales, y se han seleccionado dos posibilidades que serán presentadas en el congreso.

Según los investigadores, un acuerdo sobre la mejor forma de identificar a especies de plantas permitirá, entre otras aplicaciones, establecer normas contra el comercio ilegal de madera y lograr una mejor regulación de la medicina herbolaria.

La madera que se extrae de forma ilegal a menudo es procesada en la fabricación de mobiliario antes de ser enviada al extranjero, lo cual dificulta mucho el análisis de su origen.

Con un código de barras de ADN, dicen los científicos, se podrá establecer de forma rápida y precisa si la madera proviene de una fuente legítima.

La tecnología también podrá conducir a un uso mucho más efectivo de recursos cuando se trata de enfrentar problemas como pestes o propagación de enfermedades en cultivos.

Con un código de barras ya no será necesario esperar a que un botánico especialista examine la muestra para poder obtener una identificación precisa de la especie.

El Proyecto Internacional de Código de Barras de la Vida planea catalogar cinco millones de especímenes de 500.000 especies en los próximos cinco años.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/

Avui estem contents, sí senyor. Qui ha dit que publicar en revistes d’accés obert resta visibilitat? Ens complau difondre la notícia de que un article publicat per membres del grup de recerca de teràpia anticancerosa del Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular de la nostra Facultat, dirigit pel catedràtic Dr. Ciudad, és l’article més vist (2733 accessos a dia d’avui), el number one, de tots els publicats per membres de la UB a BioMed Central en els darrers 12 mesos (i el més vist els darrers 30 dies, amb 804 accessos), i això que només fa 2 mesos que s’ha publicat! Es tracta de:

Elisabet Selga, Carlota Oleaga, Sara Ramírez, M. Cristina de Almagro,Véronique Noé and Carlos J. Ciudad. Networking of differentially expressed genes in human cancer cells resistant to methotrexate. Genome Med 2009, 1:83 (4 September 2009).

Felicitem doblement als autors, per la repercusió del seu treball i per confiar en la publicació en accés obert! I us recordem d’altres entrades al bloc sobre el tema de l’accés obert (open access).

An article was published in the scientific magazine “Nature” called “Cells go fractal” on September 4th. The article reported on the findings of research done at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) as it was published at the ‘2009 European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) conference’ held in Amsterdam.

Experiments done by Sebastien Huet and Aurélien Bancaud in a research group led by Jan Ellenberg at the EMBL in Heidelberg, Germany, tracked the movement of molecules within cells, this was then compared the pattern of movement against mathematical models. It was found that, large molecules moved according to the same rules as small molecules, suggesting that their environment was therefor fractal.

The researches were able to track the behaviour of the cells by means of injecting live mouse cells in a lab dish with fluorescent molecules. They were able to track the molecules with this special type of imaging in microbiology called fluorescence microsopy. The study focused on how cells can keep track of gene activity or gene expression through chromatins in the cell nucleus.  Basically this process takes place to ensure the right molecules interact with each other at the right time and in the right place in the cells. Huet and Bancaud found that the molecules moved as if they were having to navigate obstacles (but there are no barriers, as they exist in other parts of the cell) to navigate around in the cell nucleus. When the team looked at the behaviour of different sized molecules, they saw that large molecules were obstructed to the same degree as small molecules in the cell nucleus.

It was furthermore discovered by studying how proteins, bound to different kinds of chromatin (namely Euchromatin and Heterochromatin), moved around in the cells and found that the different types of chromatin were fractal in different ways. Meaning molecules behaved differently for each type of chromatin with its own distinct fractal characteristics. All this information could be used to learn exactly how cells use a fractal structure to change the behaviour of proteins to change particular DNA sequences and skip whole other parts of the DNA sequence. It’s also expected that with insight into these fractal structures researches can learn how to better target certain areas of DNA for study or perhaps in the future even for new types of treatment for disease.

Links:
http://www.nature.com/news/2009/090904/full/news.2009.880.html
http://www.nature.com/
http://fractuality.wordpress.com/files/2009/10/cells-go-fractal.pdf

http://www.embl.de/
http://www.embo.org/

http://www.embl.de/research/units/cbb/ellenberg/members/index.php?s_personId=4421
http://www.embl.de/ExternalInfo/ellenberg/homepage/bancaud.html
http://www.embl.de/research/units/cbb/ellenberg/members/index.php?s_personId=939
http://www.embl.de/ExternalInfo/ellenberg/homepage/labmembers.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microbiology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell_(biology)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molecule
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluorescence_microscopy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_expression
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell_nucleus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromatin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euchromatin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heterochromatin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protein
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNA_sequence

PCR, all those enzymes, transformation, the Central Dogma, operons, you know it…you love it. Well, I hope you know it and I hope you love it. It’s time see what you know.

Following the exam on Thursday we’ll move into our last unit of the year: Classic Genetics. Here’s the catch, before it’s all over we’ll be investigating mitchondria and the electron transport chain again…and we’ll use the tools of molecular biology to learn something very interesting about mitochondrial genetics. I hope you enjoy your time in my little web.

Monday (9Nov09): Point mutations, SNPs, and Practice using the genetic code.

Tuesday (10Nov09): An introduction to the chromosmal basis of inheritance (will not be on Thursday’s exam).

Wednesday (11Nov09): Veteran’s Day. No School.

Thursday (12Nov09): Molecular Biology summative assessment. 50 MCQ; 10 pt FRQ. (pGLO labs — bacterial transformation — due)

Friday (13Nov09): Meiosis Simulation

Monday (16Nov09): Mendel, genes and 1st set of genetics problems

Europa y Estados Unidos ya han aprobado el primer fármaco de este tipo

A cien kilómetros de Buenos Aires (Argentina) pasta una familia de vacas única en el mundo, porque sus ubres producen medicamentos. Se trata de animales a los que se ha introducido el gen humano necesario para generar la hormona del crecimiento.

Según sus criadores, una sola vaca es capaz de producir suficientes hormonas para abastecer a toda América Latina, y lo haría a un precio mucho menor que los métodos actuales.

El fármaco va a comenzar a probarse en niños que padecen enanismo y, si todo sale bien, llegará al mercado en dos años, señala a Público Andrés Bercovich, gerente de I+D de Biosidus. Esta empresa argentina clona y cría las vacas transgénicas, a las que han bautizado como dinastía Pampa.

El proyecto no es el más avanzado. A Pampa y sus descendientes se les han adelantado unas cabras transgénicas que generan una proteína anticoagulante en sus ubres.

El producto es el primer medicamento producido en animales transgénicos que consigue pasar todos los trámites de aprobación, primero en Europa y, a principios de este año, en EEUU.

Se trata de un paso clave para un sector aún muy cuestionado que promete traer fármacos más fáciles y baratos de producir.

Usar organismos transgénicos para obtener medicamentos no es nada nuevo. Muchos productos actuales como la insulina que se inyectan los diabéticos se genera en grandes plantas que usan bacterias transgénicas.

La tecnología está completamente asentada y la usan las grandes empresas farmacéuticas. Pero estas fábricas necesitan estar completamente esterilizadas y en condiciones muy estables para asegurarse de que el producto es viable y seguro.

Las vacas como Pampa podrían evitan gran parte del coste. En lugar de un laboratorio completamente esterilizado, sus criadores sólo necesitan un prado en el que los animales puedan pastar.

Después se les ordeña como a cualquier vaca y se separa la hormona de crecimiento de su leche. “El precio de producción es 10 veces más bajo”, comenta Bercovich. “Con 30 o 40 vacas podríamos cubrir toda la demanda del mundo”, añade.

Las cabras pueden producir la misma cantidad de fármacos que una factoría convencional por un coste 10 veces menor, explica Thomas Newberry, vicepresidente de la empresa estadounidense GTC Biotherapeutics.

Se trata de un paso clave para un sector aún muy cuestionado

La compañía tiene 250 cabras en su granja del Estado de Massachusetts, que producen antitrombina alfa. Esta proteína humana se usa para evitar los coágulos en la sangre en personas que, por una enfermedad hereditaria, no son capaces de producirla por sí mismas. Newberry destaca que su producto es más puro que el que se obtiene por el método habitual.

Opina que los animales permiten hacer lo mismo que hizo Henry Ford con los coches. “No los inventó, pero creó la cadena de producción para que todo el mundo pudiera permitirse comprar uno”, comenta.

Pocas ventas

El producto de Newberry ATryn lleva aprobado en Europa desde 2006. Reconoce que, hasta ahora, “no se ha vendido mucho” y señala que su empresa está buscando un nuevo representante. Cree que el medicamento no será un superventas, pues está indicado para una enfermedad rara.

Sin embargo, dice que, en el futuro, podría servir para evitar la coagulación de la sangre y la inflamación en enfermos de sepsis, operaciones quirúrgicas y partos complicados, lo que aumentaría sus ventas. Actualmente la antitrombina se extrae sólo de plasma humano, con lo que la oferta fluctúa mucho, señala Newberry. Las cabras transgénicas ofrecerían una fuente inagotable del producto.

“Tengo muchas dudas de que las proteínas que se producen en una vaca sean más rentables que las que producen los métodos convencionales”, opina José Luis García, presidente de la Asociación Española de Biotecnología. Resalta que los animales están expuestos a enfermedades e infecciones. Además, es difícil asegurar la homogeneidad del fármaco.

También tendrán que hacer frente al posible rechazo que ya generan los cultivos transgénicos en algunos consumidores, advierte Armand Sánchez, del Área de Producción Animal de la Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona. “Cambiar la percepción del público no es fácil”, concluye.

http://www.publico.es/

Our Exam on Molecular Biology (Ch. 16-19) is scheduled for Thursday, November 12. 45 MCQ, 10 pt FRQ. Come well prepared and relaxed.

—RAR

My eyes were bigger than my brain. I had big ideas about knocking out two big molecular biology labs last week. It turns out we can succesfully exectute and understanf one big laboratory activity a week.

This week we will get into one my favorite labs in the curriculum, DNA mediated transformation. That’s a fancy way of saying we’re gonna stick a jelly fish gene into E. coli and induce them to glow green. The mechanics of this lab are quite simple, but the science behind it complicated and fascinating . Come prepared to work, take notes and think. I’m looking forward to it.

Monday (11/2/09): PCR of PV92 Labs Due.

Monday (11/2/09): Transformation of E. coli with pGLO plasmid, Day 1

Tuesday (11/3/09): data collection for transformation lab (introduction to operons)

Wednesday (11/4/09): More Central Dogma Lectures: Mutations, and microbial genetics, more on Operons

Thursday (11/5/09): Thursday: 45 minuteswork day on pGLO lab, mutation assignment, 45 Minutes: operon models, eukaryotic genomes

Thursday (11/5/09): Ken Miller speaks at UAB Honors House: “Teaching Evolution in America”7pm, Open to the public

Friday (11/6/09) Review of chapters 16-19

HEADS UP: Molecular Biology Exam: Thursday (11/12/09)

One reason I have been lame in the blogging department is that I have been working on the LavaAmp™ project.  After SciFoo camp last year, I was asked by Joseph Jackson and Guido Nuñez-Mujica if I  could help them licences this device from Texas A&M.

Guido is from Venezuela and is most interested in infectious disease testng in 3rd world, remote applications.  This is a talk Guido gave at Google shortly before SciFoo camp:

After nearly a year of negotiating with the TAMU tech transfer office (some day I’ll blog about University Tech Transfer offices stifling Innovation and commercialization) in the past 6 weeks we recruited Rob Carlson and Rik Wehbring from Biodesic and a the engineering prototype is built.

A more technical description from Robs blog post:

“The LavaAmp is based on the convective PCR thermocycler demonstrated by Agrawal et al, which has been licensed from Texas A&M University to Gahaga.  Under contract from Gahaga, Biodesic reduced the material costs and power consumption of the device.  We started by switching from the aluminum block heaters in the original device (expensive) to thin film heaters printed on plastic.  A photo of the engineering prototype is below (inset shows a cell phone for scale).  PCR reagents, as in the original demonstration, are contained in a PFTE loop slid over the heater core.  Only one loop is shown for demonstration purposes, though clearly the capacity is much larger.”

So we’re off and running.  Joseph is out at BilPil in San Diego this weekend with the device and hoping to get a little mention in at iGEM Jamboree in Boston, although it’s hard to be in two places at once.

A bit more from Synthesis:  ”The existing prototype has three independently controllable heating zones that can reach 100C.  The device can be powered either by a USB connection or an AC adapter (or batteries, if desired).  The USB connection is primarily used for power, but is also used to program the temperature setpoints for each zone.  The design is intended to accommodate additional measurement capability such as real-time fluorescence monitoring.

We searched hard for the right materials to form the heaters and thin film conductive inks are a definite win.  They heat very quickly and have almost zero thermal mass.  The prototype, for example, uses approximately 2W whereas the battery-operated device in the original publication used around 6W.

What we have produced is an engineering prototype to demonstrate materials and controls — the form factor will certainly be different in production.  It may look something like a soda can, though I think we could probably fit the whole thing inside a 100ml centrifuge tube.”

And Attila over at PIMM also beat me to the blog punch.

I need to put together the press release and finish plans for BioBeers on Friday,  put more marketing material in our Business Plan and write up a new proposal for amniotic tissue skin grafts this morning.  Gaining momentum…..

Congratulations on successfully performing PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) on your PV92 genes. I was impressed with your ability to focus on the task and work together to successfully complete the lab.

The images of the gel can be found on my Sharepoint site under AP Biology Lab data. At least I think that’s the name of the folder. The file is called PV92 gels (creative, I know), and there are two slides in the file. Find your section and your group’s gel.

We will do a quick analysis of these gels in class tomorrow, but you will need to label your gel and fill out all the appropriate information in the table in your lab packet. Just so you know, these are 1% agarose gels, electrophoresed at 130V for 25 minutes (AM) and electrophoresed at 100V for 30 minutes (PM). For all gels the Molecular Weight Marker (MWM) has the following sized DNA fragments: 1000, 700, 500, 300, 100. All measurements in base pairs (bp). By the way…it looks like the 100 bp bands ran off the gels. It doesn’t matter,  we got the information we needed.

By Bruce Alberts, Alexander Johnson, Julian Lewis, Martin Raff, Keith Roberts, Peter Walter

Molecular Biology of the Cell is the classic in-depth text reference in cell biology. By extracting the fundamental concepts from this enormous and ever-growing field, the authors tell the story of cell biology, and create a coherent framework through which non-expert readers may approach the subject. Written in clear and concise language, and beautifully illustrated, the book is enjoyable to read, and it provides a clear sense of the excitement of modern biology.

Molecular Biology of the Cell sets forth the current understanding of cell biology (completely updated as of Autumn 2001), and it explores the intriguing implications and possibilities of the great deal that remains unknown.

The hallmark features of previous editions continue in the Fourth Edition. The book is designed with a clean and open, single-column layout. The art program maintains a completely consistent format and style, and includes over 1,600 photographs, electron micrographs, and original drawings by the authors. Clear and concise concept headings introduce each section. Every chapter contains extensive references. Most important, every chapter has been subjected to a rigorous, collaborative revision process where, in addition to incorporating comments from expert reviewers, each co-author reads and reviews the other authors’ prose. The result is a truly integrated work with a single authorial voice.

Publisher:   Garland
Number Of Pages:   1616
Publication Date:   2002-03

Note: This book is for non-commercial purpose only. If you like it, please purchase it.

http://www.mediafire.com/?dmhzm4tzqjg
http://www.easy-share.com/1908185677/Alberts.Molecular.Biology.Of.The.Cell-Havesoftwares.Most.Wanted’s.Blog.zip
http://rapidshare.com/files/295325323/Alberts.Molecular.Biology.Of.The.Cell-Havesoftwares.Most.Wanted_s.Blog.zip

Request: Benefited Users can pray for, well-being of my friend Hemamani Deepa.

This is a big week for us. We’ll be in lab-mode and workshop-mode most of the week. Get ready to uncover the more interesting aspects of DNA replication, Protein synthesis, DNA transformation, and how genetics and the environment combine to influence gene expression. (It’s kind of like that whole “nature versus nurture” thing, except that we’re dealing with E. coli and jellyfish genes and not a couple of surgically separated conjoined twins placed in foster care ot something ridiculous like that. Yeah, it’s Sunday night.)

Monday: PCR Round 1: Cell and DNA Isolation, Set Up PCR Reactions
Tuesday: (45/45): PCR Round 2: Run Gels (I will transfer PCR products to new tube with loading dye)
Wednesday: PCR Round 3: Analyze PV92 PCR products/Intro to Central Dogma Of Molecular Biology
Thursday: pGLO Round 1: Transform Cells with CaCl, plate in optimal environment
Friday: Analyze plates, check for glowing
Monday: Figure out what the heck happened during the transformation and during growth on each plate.

Maiz seguro?

CULIACÁN, SINALOA, MEXICO.- Con el objetivo de que en Sinaloa se inicie con la siembra de maíz transgénico en su fase experimental, la Secretaría de Agricultura, Ganadería, Desarrollo Rural, Pesca y Alimentación entregó nueve permisos a dos empresas.
Francisco Javier Escobar Chávez, secretario técnico de la delegación de Sagarpa, detalló que la empresa Monsanto, así como Dow Agroscience/Pioneer, son las que obtuvieron estos nueve permisos de siembra transgénica.
Detalló que los permisos que Sagarpa entregó a las 2 empresas son para la siembra de maíz transgénico en Los Mochis, Guasave, Culiacán y Navolato.
Cada lote donde habrá de hacerse el experimento, enfatizó, medirá 8 mil metros cuadrados.
Escobar Chávez, manifestó que en este procedimiento se trabajará en tres fases, siendo la primera la experimentación, en segundo término la aceptación, y por último, la validación de haber salido todo bien.
Dejó claro que sólo las casas comerciales con permiso puede experimentar el maíz transgénico en Sinaloa.
“Ningún productor puede sembrar este material, sólo las empresas a las que se les está dando el permiso”.
A su vez, José Antonio Garzón Tiznado, profesor investigador del doctorado regional en Biotecnología de la Facultad de Ciencias Químico Biológicas de la UAS y quien coordinará a un grupo de investigadores, detalló que tentativamente la primera quincena de noviembre inicie en la entidad la siembra de maíz transgénico.
El maíz que se sembrará, detalló, será resistente a insectos y herbicidas.
No es posible, mencionó, que con argumentos tan faltos de peso, como decir que habrá daños a la salud, se detenga todo un proceso de investigación y desarrollo en un país.
“Qué extraño es que la gente esté en contra de la experimentación y de la investigación…, yo creo que nadie en sus cinco sentidos estaría en contra de hacer investigación”.
Garzón Tiznado señaló que se analizarán varios aspectos, uno de ellos, el comportamiento del gen, es decir, si la planta se comporta como cualquier otra de maíz.
Otro aspecto, prosiguió, cuál es la resistencia que representa la planta con respecto a la presencia de diferentes grupos de insectos.
“Luego tenemos que revisar cuál es el impacto que esos transgenes tienen sobre la fauna benéfica que normalmente existe en la naturaleza, si no se van a aplicar insecticidas estamos esperando que la fauna benéfica se incremente”.

¿Qué es el maíz transgénico?

Es el maíz al que se le introducen artificialmente características biológicas nuevas provenientes de otras especies de plantas, animales o bacterias para que adquiera capacidades inusitadas como la resistencia al uso de herbicidas, es decir, que la propia planta adquiera la propiedad para matar insectos que la atacan, entre otros.

Avanza reforma a Ley
de Bioenergéticos

A través de un comunicado, el Senador de la República, Mario López Valdez, afirmó que la Comisión de Agricultura en el Senado, en días pasados aprobó la iniciativa que presentó en marzo del año pasado para reformar el artículo 24 de la Ley de Promoción y Desarrollo de Bioenergéticos, el cual permite que entidades como Sinaloa, con un superávit en la producción de maíz, se puedan utilizar en la producción de etanol.

http://www.noroeste.com.mx/

Campilobacter

Aunque todavía es necesario seguir investigando, el uso específico de bacteriófagos en las granjas para reducir el número de Campylobacter que entra en la cadena alimentaria podría ser una estrategia de intervención potencialmente útil. La selección de los más apropiados y la optimización de dosis son factores clave para conseguir el éxito de la terapia de fagos.

Un estudio llevado a cabo por investigadores de la Universidad de Nottingham en el Reino Unido investigaron el valor terapéutico de fagos CP220 de Campylobacter para la reducción de estas bacterias en las heces y en intestino delgado y grueso de pollos infectados experimentalmente. La gastroenteritis bacteriana es causada, con frecuencia, por Campylobacter jejuni y Campylobacter coli, siendo en muchos casos atribuida al manejo y consumo de carne de pollo. Estas bacterias pueden aislarse de más del 80% de los pollos criados para carne después del sacrificio. Este hecho puede suponer un significativo riesgo para la seguridad alimentaria si se consume carne de pollo poco hecha o si se produce contaminación cruzada de otros alimentos mientras se prepara el pollo.
Los bacteriófagos son predadores naturales de bacterias. Pueden ser agentes antibacterianos efectivos debido a su especificidad frente a algunas especies bacterianas y la falta de impacto sobre otra flora. El uso específico de fagos para reducir el número de Campylobacter que entra en la cadena alimentaria a nivel de la granja podría, por tanto, ser una estrategia de intervención potencialmente útil. La selección de los fagos más apropiados y la optimización de dosis son factores clave para conseguir el éxito de la terapia de fagos.

Bacteriofagos

El fago CP220 se administró a pollos infectados con C. jejuni y C. coli. Se observaron descensos de log 2 ufc/g en C. jejuni en heces después de 48 horas de la terapia con fagos a una dosis de log 7 ufc. La incidencia de resistencia de fases fue del 2%. Se necesitó una dosis de log 9ufc de CP220 para lograr un reducción similar de C. coli. La terapia de fagos podría ser una potencial medida de control biológico para lograr la reducción de Campylobacter en las granjas de pollos.

http://albeitar.portalveterinaria.com/

Lawrence Krauss gives a talk on our current picture of the universe, how it will end, and how it could have come from nothing. Krauss is the author of many bestselling books on Physics and Cosmology, including “The Physics of Star Trek.”

Below are some links to the animations I use in class to teach DNA replication and protein synthesis. I know there are newer, more visually stimulating ones out there. If you come across them, send me the links as a comment or as an email, and I will add them to the list.

DNA Replication Animations (From McGraw-Hill)

Protein Synthesis Animations (From McGraw-Hill)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jtmOZaIvS0&feature=related (from Mr. Shresta. Thanks, Kevin)[embed]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jtmOZaIvS0&feature=related[/embed]

Unlike in the time of Thomas Jefferson, when “Creator”, “religion” and “church” represented three distinct ideas, “religion” today is a very loaded term.  It is entirely inaccurate, as Bill Maher and other atheists often do, to lump belief in God, organized religion and the evil that adherents of a particular religion engage in, together under a common term and then, to place the blame there for humanity’s problems.

For example, Jesus is very clearly not the founder of Christianity or anything remotely like it, nor is it any more fair to blame Jesus for what people do in his name, than it is to blame Copernicus and Isaac Newton for Hiroshima.  The same applies in varying degrees to Buddha, Confucius, Zarathustra and certain other so-called “founders” of various religions.  There is no greater critic of fundamentalist religion or religious hypocrisy in history than Jesus, nor is there any greater advocate for personal, local and global peace.

Like religion, science and education are historically intimately entwined with war and human oppression on a massive scale, tracing back from ever more effective designs for ancient war chariots, DaVinci’s war-machine inventions and, on up through the Manhattan Project, the modern-day military industrial complex and ever worse weapons of mass destruction.  The American, French, Russian and several other revolutions were fomented by so-called “enlightened” intellectuals.

It is correct to say religion is a tool often used to foment war and human oppression and, it’s just as fair to point out science and education are often used for the same purpose.  However, it is not accurate to pretend either one is a root “cause” of human aggression. Believers in God and scientists both often leave a positive legacy and, many of history’s most revered individuals demonstrated a profound personal belief in God.  Jesus correctly singled out religious hypocrisy, rather than belief in God, as having a significant negative societal impact.

Since the invention of printing, which helped break the societal stranglehold of organized religion, justification for war has more and more been shifted away from religious to other excuses.  In a so-called “post-Enlightenment Age”, wars are now often fought in the name of democracy, freedom, communism, socialism, anarchism and even human rights.  Those who blame belief in God for war, rather than placing the blame for war where it squarely belongs, on individual human beings making their own poor choices, are plainly liars.

According to Jesus and some New Testament authors and, according to ALL known scientific and historical evidence, the root cause of humanity’s problems is sin, causing individual human frustration, greed and aggression, resulting in negative choices being made by individual human beings.  Families, tribes, cities, states, nations, armies, religions, political parties, corporations, unions, educational institutions, professional scientists and all other “groupings” of human beings, are made up of individual people, each making their own individual choices.

It would be refreshing if modern educators and people like Bill Maher, Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens could grow up just a little and, begin placing the blame for humanity’s problems where it belongs, squarely on our own self-contradicting shoulders. Perhaps then, a modern species in grave peril of losing it’s own commonly shared global habitat, could begin to have a little more unbiased and accurate understanding of where Jesus and the authors of the Bible are actually coming from.

Were the American, French, Russian and Chinese revolutions, WWI, WWII, Vietnam and Iraq, among hundreds of other wars from the 20th Century forward, caused more by belief in God, organized religion, intellectual idealism, nationalism or just plain old common human greed, as ALL wars can invariably be traced back to?  Does belief in God really cause war?  You decide.

Link to footnotes and documentation for the above article

Many intellectuals claim some of what Jesus taught was first said by other people and, Jesus himself might be the first to agree.  Human rights, morality and ethics are clearly based on a shared human conscience, something the authors of the Bible, Thomas Jefferson and the historical evidence all strongly agree concerning and, something the ACLU, Richard Dawkins and many other ivory tower pedagogues apparently, have entirely overlooked.

Unlike many modern educators, Jesus is not about stroking his own ego by pushing his own private vision and agenda.  Rather, Jesus is about promoting the “best” idea that will best help humanity.  Thus, if an idea was already the best, Jesus used it, if it could be improved upon, he improved on it and, if he had a better idea, he taught that instead.

This is a far more advanced and “enlightened” concept of education than we find in this so-called “post-Enlightenment” age, where various “pop” pundits are out to make it big on best seller lists by pushing “their” supposedly “new” ideas.  As the Bible says, “there is nothing new under the sun.”  Regardless of how we change and re-arrange terminology, violence, human oppression, suffering, sorrow and, the solution for alleviating and eliminating them remains the same.

We live in an age of extreme soapbox bias, an age of defending various political, intellectual, religious and other “sides”, rather than an age centered on a search for what is really true and, what actually might be the best idea.  Modern education is divided into distinct categories like “science”, “history” and, “religion”, as if we can divide up reality and expect to have any idea what is actually true.  We conveniently place Jesus in “religion” category and thus, our children entirely lose out on the best ideas in human history.

Jesus taught that treating other people like we want them to treat us is the sum of all wisdom; does Richard Dawkins have a better foundation for human rights?  Jesus implied the more we know what is true, the more free we will become; does Richard Dawkins have a better foundation for education?  According to Jesus, a common grass flower is better clothed than Solomon was; does Richard Dawkins have a better foundation for environmental awareness?

Jesus taught the way to honor God is to love our neighbor as ourselves; does Richard Dawkins have a better foundation for morality and ethics?  Jesus taught the way to achieve peace is to put away our swords and spread peace and goodwill, rather than like scientists, create more and bigger swords, which is the Greek, Roman, American and world civilization history method of “securing the peace”.  Does Richard Dawkins have a better idea?

Why do modern scientists, after 10,000 years of moral education to the contrary, continue to create weapons of mass destruction?  In a post-Enlightenment age of atheism, science and wonder, why does war and the poor still remain with us, as Jesus predicted they would?

Richard Dawkins implies Jesus was delusional.  Is he smarter than Jesus?  Is anybody smarter than Jesus?  You decide.

Link to footnotes and documentation for the above article

No one knows for certain who designed Stonehenge or the pyramids of Egypt or, exactly how they were constructed.  Yet, no archaeologist or historian has ever proposed they appeared on their own, without input from designers or builders.

Such universal assumption is the most likely conclusion given the known evidence and, much of what science “believes” is based on similar assumptions.  Even though people can create things that can repair and even create other things by themselves, all known evidence indicates no finite living being or object can exist without a creator.

Descartes first principle of philosophy, science and reason states: “Accept nothing as true that is not self-evident”.  The history of science tracing prior to ancient Greece on into the present, is a history of the most likely conclusion based on the current known evidence.

Just as all evidence indicates for every action there is a re-action, likewise all evidence indicates nothing can be in motion by it’s own volition.  All known evidence indicates a universe filled with “zillions” of complex parts within ever greater complexity of parts and, containing intelligent finite beings of conscience and conscious awareness, requires Creative Intelligence.  Thus, the correct postulate of true science is “Eternal Creator(s)” until proven otherwise.

Pretending that “science” is somehow different than belief in God is an obvious lie. Just as scientists “believe” in black holes and invisible light based on mirrored evidence, much more so, mirrored evidence of a Creator(s) is overwhelmingly self-evident.  And, just as if someone claims the earth is cube-shaped or, A2 + B2 doesn’t equal C2, the burden of proof remains on atheists, because all known evidence indicates the opposite conclusion.

According to Jesus, as well as many historical scientists and sages of note, basic to wisdom, education and survival itself, is to attempt to sort out what’s actually true, from whatever fiction the cultures and religions we are born into claim is true.  As Jesus implied, if we don’t know what’s true, we have no hope of being free.

Believing the earth is square doesn’t change the reality of the shape of the earth.  What is true about the earth remains the same, regardless of what we believe or, fail to believe.  Whether we label it “science”, “religion” or something else, what is actually true remains the same.

Someone can’t just assume a steel ball and feather will fall at the same rate of speed and call it a “scientific theory”, without significant supporting evidence.  There is nothing more unscientific and irrational than pretending there is no God, because all known evidence indicates the opposite conclusion.

If someone says they don’t know if there’s a God, perhaps they just need to get out and smell the roses once in a while.  However, if someone says there is no Creator, they are by all scientific and other rational default, plainly a liar, because there is no evidence to support such an absurd position.

Is atheism scientific?  You decide.

Link to footnotes and documentation for the above article

Two American Alligators (Photo/Matthew Field)

Oh alligator love, it’s not as fickle as you might think. Get on a gator’s good side and you may just have found a friend for life, if you’re another alligator of course.

In a study that combines field science with molecular biology, researchers from the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory found that alligators were surprisingly loyal partners and akin to birds in their mating habits. The discovery offers new insights into evolutionary links and behavior of crocodilians, birds and dinosaurs – and certainly, at least where one science writer is concerned, proving there is a lot more going on behind those alligator eyes than a cold reptilian stare.

Researchers trapped and re-trapped alligators at Louisiana’s Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge, 76,000 acres of alligator dream real estate bordering the Gulf of Mexico. “Given how incredibly open and dense the alligator population is at RWR, we didn’t expect to find fidelity,” said researcher Stacey Lance. “I don’t think any of us expected that the same pair of alligators that bred together in 1997 would still be breeding together in 2005 and may still be producing nests together to this day.”

Crocodilians have already proven to be more invested in the care of their offspring than most other reptiles, actively nurturing young and defending nests. Crocodiles are even known as considerate egg-layers. As a female drops the egg, she will blindly catch it with a hind leg before it hits the ground and gently place it in the nest. But up until now alligators were thought to be polygamous, mating with several different partners and leading to many fathers for a single nest.

After ten years of following alligators at the refuge, scientists Lance, Travis Glenn, Ruth Elsey and Tracey Tuberville discovered that 70 percent of female alligators stick with who they like. Even if they have multiple partners, the same bachelors get picked year after year, regardless of whether females encounter a new slew of potential suitors.

The study marks the first time fidelity has been observed in any crocodilian species. “In this study, by combining molecular techniques with field studies, we were able to figure something out about a species that we never would have known otherwise,” said Lance. “Hopefully future studies will also lead to some unexpected and equally fascinating results.”

Results of the study were published in the October 7 issue of Molecular Ecology.