Chocolate, yum.
Can unlocking the ultimate mysteries of the universe be far behind?
Does the unifying theory involve chocolate?
Does the unifying theory involve chocolate?
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Showing posts with label DNA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DNA. Show all posts
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Sweet Breakthrough In DNA Research
Forget the human genome. This is really important.
Chocolate, yum.
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Chocolate, yum.
Related articles by Zemanta
Monday, August 23, 2010
Quote of the Day: "A Cell full of Info-rich Molecules, in a Universe with Info-rich Laws"
Image via WikipediaInformation-rich molecules embedded in a universe filled with information-rich laws.
Sounds good to me.
In the beginning was the Word.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Sponge Bob's Your Uncle!
The news is out: sea sponges share almost 70 percent of human genes.
The world turns its lonely eyes to the Ball bounces, and asks: what does this mean?
It means we are a lot like sponges, a lot of your friends are probably sponges, and when you take a sponge bath, it is a meeting of minds. When you take a bath, you're probably putting the squeeze on grandma, so go easy.
A wet sponge -- 97.86% water; humans 97.86% water -- coincidence??!!
Ever seen a picture of a human brain -- sponge-like, eh? Humans are basically just sponges who grew arms, legs, eyes, etc. One cell at a time.™
We are not special. If we have rights, sponges have rights. One of the consumer rights of sponges is not to get soaked. If they over imbibe, they have the right as any of us to check in for treatment and dry out.
Never mistake a sponge for a chunk of swiss cheese. This is a big social faux-pas. It makes them mad. If you bite them, they sue. Plus, for some reason I've never understood, the Swiss get all cheesed about it, too.
Never call a certain relative "a perforated blob", as in, "you perforated blob!". It just hits too close to home. It makes 70% of their DNA tingle.
As for the rest of the story. Sponges got us to the 70% mark; throw in some time, environmental pressures, Mercedes appearing in your driveway (eyes, lungs, heart, ears, brain, liver, nose, etc. etc.), and...
Sponge Bob's Your Uncle!
see article at Uncommon Descent re: the ready-made tool kit.
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A complete genetic catalog of the sponge Amphimedon queenslandica suggests that the first animals already had a complex kit of genetic tools at their disposal. Sponges harbor between 18,000 and 30,000 genes — roughly the same number as humans, fruit flies, roundworms and other animals, an international team of researchers reports in the Aug. 5 Nature.
Comparison of the sponge’s genetic blueprints with those of other animals reveals that sponge genes are lined up in the same way as those of other animals. Analyses in the new study also support the idea that sponges form the base of the animal branch of the evolutionary tree, says April Hill, an evolutionary developmental biologist at the University of Richmond in Virginia who was not involved in the work. Sponge Genes Surprise
The world turns its lonely eyes to the Ball bounces, and asks: what does this mean?It means we are a lot like sponges, a lot of your friends are probably sponges, and when you take a sponge bath, it is a meeting of minds. When you take a bath, you're probably putting the squeeze on grandma, so go easy.
A wet sponge -- 97.86% water; humans 97.86% water -- coincidence??!!
Ever seen a picture of a human brain -- sponge-like, eh? Humans are basically just sponges who grew arms, legs, eyes, etc. One cell at a time.™
We are not special. If we have rights, sponges have rights. One of the consumer rights of sponges is not to get soaked. If they over imbibe, they have the right as any of us to check in for treatment and dry out.
Never mistake a sponge for a chunk of swiss cheese. This is a big social faux-pas. It makes them mad. If you bite them, they sue. Plus, for some reason I've never understood, the Swiss get all cheesed about it, too.
Never call a certain relative "a perforated blob", as in, "you perforated blob!". It just hits too close to home. It makes 70% of their DNA tingle.
As for the rest of the story. Sponges got us to the 70% mark; throw in some time, environmental pressures, Mercedes appearing in your driveway (eyes, lungs, heart, ears, brain, liver, nose, etc. etc.), and...
Sponge Bob's Your Uncle!
see article at Uncommon Descent re: the ready-made tool kit.
Related articles by Zemanta
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Quote of the Day: "A Fluke of Fortune Bordering on the Unbelievable"
Scientists, science publications, and a science-minded Ball blogger have praised a new book by Dr. Nick Lane, "Life Ascending: The Ten Great Inventions of Evolution". (Profile/Norton 2009).
Words used include "awe-inspiring", "exhilarating", and "should be read by all biology students and their professors".
A New Scientist reviewer says, "The first two chapters are the most coherent and convincing summaries of the dawn of life and of DNA that I have ever read."
A couple of quotes gleaned by Jonathan McLatchie of the Discovery Institute (boo, hiss!) relate to the issue of darwinian/theistic/intelligent design:
"Short of positing celestial design, the only way to explain optimization is via the workings of selection. If so, the code of life must have evolved."
Following this "must-have evolved" line of neo-darwinian inquiry to consider the origin of DNA biosynthesis, Dr. Lane concludes:
... in a fluke of fortune bordering on the unbelievable, it might be that both the bacteria and archaea emerged from the very same hydrothermal mound. Little else could explain the fact that they share the same genetic code, as well as many details of protein synthesis, but apparently only learnt to replicate their DNA later on, totally independently. For while DNA and the genetic code certainly evolved only once, DNA replication - the physical mechanism of inheritance in all living cells - apparently evolved twice."
When a book's best shot on the origin of DNA biosynthesis employs the phrase, "a fluke of fortune bordering on the unbelievable", and this book is given highest praise by the scientific community, isn't it reasonable to conclude that there is room to consider the adequacy of the mindless, purposeless, seamless chemical-biological darwinian scenario to adequately and fully explain the origins of life and species?
* * *
For the record, here are of the commendations found on Dr. Lane's website from scientists and science-related periodicals:
"What makes this such a great read is that Lane, a biochemist by training, does not simply rehash the standard evolutionary tales - unlike many books published recently. Instead, he is familiar with all the latest research and has made up his own mind about who is right. The result is an original and awe-inspiring account. The first two chapters are the most coherent and convincing summaries of the dawn of life and of DNA that I have ever read... This is an exhilarating tour of some of the most profound and important ideas in biology. Anyone interested in life should read it. Highly recommended." Michael Le Page, NEW SCIENTIST
"Excellent and imaginative... full of surprises... Life Ascending is a fascinating book for anyone interested in life and evolution." Lewis Wolpert, NATURE
"Lane is that particularly rare breed: a scientist who can not only offer a birds-eye view of an entire field but also tell you about his own very interesting ideas." Carl Zimmer, SCIENCE
"Comes closer to achieving [my dream popular science book] than any other book I have read... Bravo, Nick Lane! John Cheverton, THE BIOLOGIST
"Make no bones about it, this is an excellent book. It is great fun, readable, bubbling over with enthusiasm, and not afraid of controversial, even weird, ideas... Hopeless as a bedside book: you'd never sleep." Graham Cairns-Smith, CHEMISTRY WORLD
"A writer who's not afraid to think big - and think hard." Frank Wilczek, 2004 Nobel Laureate in Physics
"Nick Lane comes closer to achieving [my dream popular science book] than any other book I have read. From the first sentence he writes with a sense of wide-eyed wonder that (almost) always keeps its feet firmly on the facts... highly recommended as an update and tonic for any biologist who has lost touch with the subject’s excitement: bravo, Nick Lane!"John Cheverton, THE BIOLOGIST
"Extremely well written... It should be read by all biology students and their professors. I have just concluded reading it, and despite having studied biology for about six decades I have learnt a lot from it."Lars Olof Björn, INTEGRATIVE AND COMPARATIVE BIOLOGY
"Life Ascending really is beautifully written, and Lane has a true flair for scientific story telling... uttery gripping." Lewis Dartnell, ASTROBIOLOGY SOCIETY OF BRITAIN
And here's what journals and newspapers have said about it:
"This is a science book that doesn't cheat: the structure is logical, the writing is witty, and the hard questions are tackled head on." Tim Radford, THE GUARDIAN
"Wonderful... Lane does a masterful job... an elegant, fully satisfying whole." Starred Review, PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"A clever concept is carried through with a clarity and enthusiasm that belies the sophistication of the science.." GUARDIAN SUMMER READING
"It will blow your bloody mind… A series of lucid and logical explanations of the sublime intricacies and mechanics of biological evolution… blissful epiphanies on every page.” Giles Broadbent, WHARF
"An amazing scientist." Don Braben, TIMES HIGHER EDUCATION
"Nick Lane's examination of the brilliance of evolution isn't as thunderous as Richard Dawkins' last book but in a strange way that makes it all the more fascinating… Lane provides a thought-provoking account of how inspirational life really is." SHORTLIST MAGAZINE
"The book is, in the tradition of the best science writing, an ommateum (a compound vision) of the interconnectedness of everything in the world, as befits a poet who just happens to be extremely well-versed in physics, geology, and biochemistry. Lane tells a scientists tale in a way that adds to his reader’s sense of radical amazement.... It is literate and witty and one of my favorite science books of the past few years." Wayne Mones, AUDUBON MAGAZINE
"Ambitious and stimulating... Captures the excitement of science in action, with its mysteries, questions and conflicts... exhilarating." Margaret Quamme, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH (Ohio)
"Lane lays out processes of dizzying complexity in smooth, nimble prose." KIRKUS REVIEWS
"Ambitious... a fascinating and provocative scientific book for the layperson." LIBRARY JOURNAL
"Explores many of the most important questions in biology... Nick Lane is clear and concise in his writing, delivering concepts and ideas with ease and enthusiasm." HOW IT WORKS
"With clarity and vigor... Lane smoothly pulls in evidence to show how the critical components and mechanisms of complex life could have developed." NEW YORK TIMES
"This is a science book that doesn't cheat: the structure is logical, the writing is witty, and the hard questions are tackled head on." Tim Radford, THE GUARDIAN
"Comes closer to achieving [my dream popular science book] than any other book I have read... Bravo, Nick Lane! John Cheverton, THE BIOLOGIST
"An amazing scientist." Don Braben, TIMES HIGHER EDUCATION
"With clarity and vigor... Lane smoothly pulls in evidence from genetics, proteomics, paleontology and geophysics to show how the critical components and mechanisms of complex life could have developed. Peter Dizikes NEW YORK TIMES
Words used include "awe-inspiring", "exhilarating", and "should be read by all biology students and their professors".
A New Scientist reviewer says, "The first two chapters are the most coherent and convincing summaries of the dawn of life and of DNA that I have ever read."
A couple of quotes gleaned by Jonathan McLatchie of the Discovery Institute (boo, hiss!) relate to the issue of darwinian/theistic/intelligent design:
"Short of positing celestial design, the only way to explain optimization is via the workings of selection. If so, the code of life must have evolved."
Following this "must-have evolved" line of neo-darwinian inquiry to consider the origin of DNA biosynthesis, Dr. Lane concludes:
... in a fluke of fortune bordering on the unbelievable, it might be that both the bacteria and archaea emerged from the very same hydrothermal mound. Little else could explain the fact that they share the same genetic code, as well as many details of protein synthesis, but apparently only learnt to replicate their DNA later on, totally independently. For while DNA and the genetic code certainly evolved only once, DNA replication - the physical mechanism of inheritance in all living cells - apparently evolved twice."
When a book's best shot on the origin of DNA biosynthesis employs the phrase, "a fluke of fortune bordering on the unbelievable", and this book is given highest praise by the scientific community, isn't it reasonable to conclude that there is room to consider the adequacy of the mindless, purposeless, seamless chemical-biological darwinian scenario to adequately and fully explain the origins of life and species?
* * *
"What makes this such a great read is that Lane, a biochemist by training, does not simply rehash the standard evolutionary tales - unlike many books published recently. Instead, he is familiar with all the latest research and has made up his own mind about who is right. The result is an original and awe-inspiring account. The first two chapters are the most coherent and convincing summaries of the dawn of life and of DNA that I have ever read... This is an exhilarating tour of some of the most profound and important ideas in biology. Anyone interested in life should read it. Highly recommended." Michael Le Page, NEW SCIENTIST
"Excellent and imaginative... full of surprises... Life Ascending is a fascinating book for anyone interested in life and evolution." Lewis Wolpert, NATURE
"Lane is that particularly rare breed: a scientist who can not only offer a birds-eye view of an entire field but also tell you about his own very interesting ideas." Carl Zimmer, SCIENCE
"Comes closer to achieving [my dream popular science book] than any other book I have read... Bravo, Nick Lane! John Cheverton, THE BIOLOGIST
"Make no bones about it, this is an excellent book. It is great fun, readable, bubbling over with enthusiasm, and not afraid of controversial, even weird, ideas... Hopeless as a bedside book: you'd never sleep." Graham Cairns-Smith, CHEMISTRY WORLD
"A writer who's not afraid to think big - and think hard." Frank Wilczek, 2004 Nobel Laureate in Physics
"Nick Lane comes closer to achieving [my dream popular science book] than any other book I have read. From the first sentence he writes with a sense of wide-eyed wonder that (almost) always keeps its feet firmly on the facts... highly recommended as an update and tonic for any biologist who has lost touch with the subject’s excitement: bravo, Nick Lane!"John Cheverton, THE BIOLOGIST
"Extremely well written... It should be read by all biology students and their professors. I have just concluded reading it, and despite having studied biology for about six decades I have learnt a lot from it."Lars Olof Björn, INTEGRATIVE AND COMPARATIVE BIOLOGY
"Life Ascending really is beautifully written, and Lane has a true flair for scientific story telling... uttery gripping." Lewis Dartnell, ASTROBIOLOGY SOCIETY OF BRITAIN
And here's what journals and newspapers have said about it:
"This is a science book that doesn't cheat: the structure is logical, the writing is witty, and the hard questions are tackled head on." Tim Radford, THE GUARDIAN
"Wonderful... Lane does a masterful job... an elegant, fully satisfying whole." Starred Review, PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"A clever concept is carried through with a clarity and enthusiasm that belies the sophistication of the science.." GUARDIAN SUMMER READING
"It will blow your bloody mind… A series of lucid and logical explanations of the sublime intricacies and mechanics of biological evolution… blissful epiphanies on every page.” Giles Broadbent, WHARF
"An amazing scientist." Don Braben, TIMES HIGHER EDUCATION
"Nick Lane's examination of the brilliance of evolution isn't as thunderous as Richard Dawkins' last book but in a strange way that makes it all the more fascinating… Lane provides a thought-provoking account of how inspirational life really is." SHORTLIST MAGAZINE
"The book is, in the tradition of the best science writing, an ommateum (a compound vision) of the interconnectedness of everything in the world, as befits a poet who just happens to be extremely well-versed in physics, geology, and biochemistry. Lane tells a scientists tale in a way that adds to his reader’s sense of radical amazement.... It is literate and witty and one of my favorite science books of the past few years." Wayne Mones, AUDUBON MAGAZINE
"Ambitious and stimulating... Captures the excitement of science in action, with its mysteries, questions and conflicts... exhilarating." Margaret Quamme, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH (Ohio)
"Lane lays out processes of dizzying complexity in smooth, nimble prose." KIRKUS REVIEWS
"Ambitious... a fascinating and provocative scientific book for the layperson." LIBRARY JOURNAL
"Explores many of the most important questions in biology... Nick Lane is clear and concise in his writing, delivering concepts and ideas with ease and enthusiasm." HOW IT WORKS
"With clarity and vigor... Lane smoothly pulls in evidence to show how the critical components and mechanisms of complex life could have developed." NEW YORK TIMES
"This is a science book that doesn't cheat: the structure is logical, the writing is witty, and the hard questions are tackled head on." Tim Radford, THE GUARDIAN
"Comes closer to achieving [my dream popular science book] than any other book I have read... Bravo, Nick Lane! John Cheverton, THE BIOLOGIST
"An amazing scientist." Don Braben, TIMES HIGHER EDUCATION
"With clarity and vigor... Lane smoothly pulls in evidence from genetics, proteomics, paleontology and geophysics to show how the critical components and mechanisms of complex life could have developed. Peter Dizikes NEW YORK TIMES
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