apalazzo | June 30, 2006Well you guys have been pretty good at guessing the mystery campus. But in addition I'd like you to tell me the answer to the riddle/hint. (Last week no one really explained what the first part of the riddle meant - even after Bil posted an additional hint in the comment section.)
So here is this week's campus:
Click here for a larger image.
And the hint:
Should you obey your leaders?
I'll refrain from confirming a correct answer until the weekend.
apalazzo | June 30, 2006Every thought about how variable the expression of a particular gene is across an entire cell population?
That's what the Weissman lab described in a manuscript in a recent issue of Nature. Anytime you want to take on such a project - take my advice, you turn to yeast. The yeast field has created a library of strains, each containing a copy of GFP (Green fluorescent protein) fused to a particular gene within the genome. If you measure the fluorescence, you can quantify the level of protein expression. The next trick is to use flow cytometry to rapidly measure the brightness individual cells…
apalazzo | June 29, 2006First there was the Protein Synthesis Rap, now this ode to the animal kingdom. Enjoy.
apalazzo | June 28, 2006Here's a tale from the lab.
Today we had an interesting discussion. It started off with PBS and ended up on the topic of understanding the principles behind much of the protocols used in a lab.
It all started when a rotation student asked if there was a lab stock of PBS (phosphate buffered saline), a common buffer used in the lab. Another postdoc informed the student that there wasn't a lab stock and she did not have any at the moment. The student had to either get some from another lab member or make the solution from scratch. Five minutes latter he showed up with a small packet of powder,…
apalazzo | June 27, 2006I've got lab meeting in 5 mins. Here's some stuff I've read in the blog-o-sphere recently.
From Coturnix, DarkSide interviews Sean Carrol on DailyKos about the Big Bang, Dark Matter, Dark Energy and String Theory.
Next up ... Ode to the ... pocket protector? From M. William Lensch's blog:
The pocket protector was once an icon indicating a technical education, perhaps THE icon. They were tiny vinyl billboards not only proclaiming to the world that you knew important things but also which brand of reagents you preferred (my own vintage specimen says "STP", my dad was a mechanic).
The pocket…
apalazzo | June 26, 2006... Italy last minute penalty. Goal.
So was that "foul" worthy of a penalty shot? Was this a second game ruined by a bad ref? You tell me.
All I know is that this victory for Gli Azzurri, left a bad taste in my mouth.
apalazzo | June 26, 2006Just read this Abstract from PLoS:
Mammalian genes are highly heterogeneous with respect to their nucleotide composition, but the functional consequences of this heterogeneity are not clear. In the previous studies, weak positive or negative correlations have been found between the silent-site guanine and cytosine (GC) content and expression of mammalian genes. However, previous studies disregarded differences in the genomic context of genes, which could potentially obscure any correlation between GC content and expression. In the present work, we directly compared the expression of GC-rich…
apalazzo | June 24, 2006If you played for Brazil, what would your name be?
Go to BrazilName to find out.
apalazzo | June 24, 2006Call it part II of an ongoing miniseries. Or, if you prefer, one of many entries on happiness.
Lets think about technology for a moment. Here I am typing on this laptop. Ideas flow (misspelled and grammatically incorrect) from my brain to my fingers to the keyboard ... over a wireless network ... into the vast ethereal space (known as the internet) ... to your home/workplace/café.
So what good is any of it?
You exclaim ... that's preposterous. Technology is good.
You would then continue ... All these gadgets and gizmos, they're good on many fronts. They make us live longer, they help us to…
apalazzo | June 23, 2006Time for another Map that Campus.
I provide the aerial photo and a hint, you tell me the mystery Campus.
The first two mystery Campus were solved rather rapidly (and I suspect that this one will be as well). So here goes:
Click here for a larger image.
Alpha, beta
Yea, yea, yea
But a cannon
They took away
If you know the answer due to insider information, please wait a while before posting, thanks.
apalazzo | June 23, 2006Wow, what a tournament. A day after the US loss and I'm flabbergasted by the attention that the US team is getting. Soccer mania is spreading in the US, and I'm happy for it. It might be that unlike other areas (the Olympics, military might, world economic supremacy) soccer is hard. It's the happenin' party that the American public wants to attend, but just can't get invited to. It's that itch that is just a little too far to scratch. This is the sensation that turns bystanders into soccer nuts.
So the US lost. Unlike most commentators (especially ESPN - get rid of those jerks and get real…
apalazzo | June 22, 2006For those of you not in the biomedical sciences, you may not be aware of the coming crises. Right now aspiring postdocs and new independent investigators are involved in a war of attrition when it comes to funding.
How did this happen?
Well as the NIH budget grew in the 1990s, PIs simply used the funding to hire more postdocs. Postdoc salaries were (and are) obscenely low and thus many Americans refused to enter science. However, the supply of potential postdocs was (and is) high due to the large number of foreigners in science. This is the reason that much of the scientific establishment in…
apalazzo | June 21, 2006Flipping through the latest issue of Cell:
Ujwal Sheth from Roy Parker's lab details the molecular mechanism that targets RNAs with premature stop codons to processing-bodies (or p-bodies) via the non-sense mediated decay (NMD) pathway. P-bodies are dense cytoplasmic granule-like structures that serve as sites of mRNA storage/degradation. P-bodies contain decapping enzymes, RNAses, and many other proteins of unkown function. In this paper the authors demonstrate that the NMD component, and RNA helicase, Upf1p, targets aberrant mRNA to granules. Upf1p's ATPase activity is then required to…
apalazzo | June 21, 2006Over the last month, many things have been happening in the world of scientific publishing. Nature is trying something new, and they are having a public debate about how to alter the review process. PLoS is pushing ahead with a new type of publishing platform, PLoS ONE. And they are blogging about it. Now Cell has started an online comment section. Similar to ArXiv.org that displays trackbacks, and to the suggestion left at Nature's peer review blog that articles should be publicly debate both before and after they have been published, Cell is providing a public posting area so that…
apalazzo | June 19, 2006I got this email from AAAS, and I thought I'd pass it along:
Dear Colleague,
We're now taking you behind the scenes of Science , presenting the authors of life science research papers in Science Online Seminars -- our compelling new online audio/slideshow feature.
Now Showing on a Computer Near You
Every other week, the editors of Science select an author of a breakthrough paper to discuss the application of his or her research and/or the methods and protocol.
You'll meet leading scientists whose cutting-edge papers have made Science the premier scientific journal. You'll hear thought-…
apalazzo | June 19, 2006Time for another Map That Campus.
And here is today's campus:
Click here to view a larger version
And the hint:
DNA, DNA
[A]=[T], [C]=[G]
Add some lipids
And slip it into cells
So what is the mystery campus?
Previously: Map that Campus I
apalazzo | June 18, 2006As you can tell I'm taking a World Cup induced vacation from writing about science. Not that I don't love science, but it's too hot, I don't have time to work+blog+read science+watch the World Cup.
What to write about? Immigration, Guantanamo, Father's Day, the Italian soccer team, war?
Hmm ... well I have a good story for you then.
Picture it, North Africa, World War Two. My grandfather, who was drafted by the Italian army, was a chauffeur for the Fascists. Like many Italian peasants, my grandfather didn't want to be there, especially the Italian army. This organization was famous for its…
apalazzo | June 17, 2006Well if some Americans say soccer is boring, it's because they clearly weren't watch today's games.
This group which was called by some the group of death (I guess all disputes about this title are resolved after today's games).
So here the wrap up:
Ghana vs. Czech Rep.
The Czechs (rank #2 by FIFA) went into the game as clear favorites, while the Ghanaians who have been called the Brazilians of Africa played well but failed to score against Italy in their last match. What happened? It was a near slaughter. The Ghanaians have incredible individual talent, but unlike in their previous game (and…
apalazzo | June 17, 2006OK I know, I'm usually good about keeping my blog focused on Science, Biology etc...
There has been quite an interesting debate going on at several blogs/sites about peer review and challenges to the conventional methods of publishing.
But for those Soccer Maniacs (or Futbolistas) here's my take on the first round of the World Cup:
Biggest Surprise: The lack of any big surprises. It would seem like all the traditional powers in soccer are winning all their games. Of all the smaller countries, Ghana, the Ivory Coast and Trinidad & Tobago have played great soccer. What is impressive with…
apalazzo | June 15, 2006(Inspired by the now abandoned Scavengeroogle)
I've been so busy with work and the World Cup, I just can't perform any intensive intellectual activity, so instead I'll let you do the work ... so here it is ... Map that Campus.
How does this work?
I'll show you a satellite photo (courtesy of Google Maps) and give you a hint. You tell me what the mystery campus is.
So here is Campus #1:
(We'll start off easy)
Click here to view a larger version
This one's close to home
But not far enough
I'll try to post a new one every couple of days ... good luck.