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CultureLab-UK News
September 11, 2002CultureLab-UK News
Log on to the September edition of Culture Lab to read two fascinating new articles:
1. ‘What’s mine, is yours’ - Scientists are using the model of ‘open source’ software in the race to unpack the human genome.
2. Sshh! - Throw out your earmuffs! Noise reduction has just got a bit more sophisticated.
CultureLab-UK
- a guide to Style, Culture and Technology in the UK
http://www.culturelab-uk.com
September Issue
The key to unlocking the secrets of human life is slowly being revealed. Next year is the 30th anniversary of the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA by James Watson and Francis Crick at Cambridge University. But research into the human genome has accelerated rapidly in the last few years. We asked Robert Blincoe, former editor of The Register, to have a look at what`s behind the recent explosion in knowledge and research. Talking to Tim Hubbard from the pioneering Sanger Institute in Cambridge, Robert discovered that the collaborative approach takes its cues from developments in the computer software industry.
We also asked Kylie Northover, contributing feature writer for the South China Morning Post, to investigate a new `silence machine`. This amazing invention promises to eliminate specific unwanted noise. The `silence machine` will add immeasurably to our quality of life.
Even when the human genome sequence is eventually revealed it won`t solve the problem of noisy neighbours, low-flying aircraft and singing blackbirds who take centre stage at 6am. Whisper it. Peace and quiet!
British Council, The
Genome Current Events and Genome News RSSPlants display 'molecular amnesia'
Plant researchers from McGill University and the University of California, Berkeley, have announced a major breakthrough in a developmental process called epigenetics. They have demonstrated for the first time the reversal of what is called epigenetic silencing in plants.
Research in twins defines shared features of the human gut microbial communities: variations linked to obesity
Trillions of microbes make their home in the gut, where they help to break down and extract energy and nutrients from the food we eat. Yet, scientists have understood little about how this distinctive mix of microbes varies from one individual to the next.
Tool Helps Identify Gene Function in Soybeans, Could Lead to Better Crop Performance, say MU Researchers
In the race for bioengineered crops, sequencing the genome could be considered the first leg in a multi-leg relay.
Ice beetles impacted by climate change
In the summer of 1968, Dave Kavanaugh set off on a hike that would change the course of his life. As a second-year medical student at the University of Colorado, he had joined a climbing club with a few members of the biophysics department, and the group had set their sights on Gray's Peak-the ninth highest mountain in Colorado.
Stanford blood scanner detects even faint indicators of cancer
A team led by Stanford researchers has developed a prototype blood scanner that can find cancer markers in the bloodstream in early stages of the disease, potentially allowing for earlier treatment and dramatically improved chances of survival.
CSHL scientists discover a new way in which epigenetic information is inherited
Hereditary information flows from parents to offspring not just through DNA but also through the millions of proteins and other molecules that cling to it.
Solar-Powered Sea Slugs Live Like Plants
The lowly sea slug, "Elysia chlorotica," may not seem like the most exciting of creatures, but don't be fooled: it behaves like a plant and is solar-powered, says a Texas A&M University biologist who has been studying these tiny creatures for the past decade and, along with collaborators from several universities, has identified a possible cause of their ability to behave like plants.
Researchers recreate SARS virus, open door for potential defenses against future strains
Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Vanderbilt University Medical Center have synthetically reconstructed the bat variant of the SARS coronavirus (CoV) that caused the SARS epidemic of 2003.
Synthetic virus supports a bat origin for SARS
SARS - severe acute respiratory syndrome - alarmed the world five years ago as the first global pandemic of the 21st century. The coronavirus (SARS-CoV) that sickened more than 8,000 people - and killed nearly 800 of them - may have originated in bats, but the actual animal source is not known.
Researchers identify new leprosy bacterium
A new species of bacterium that causes leprosy has been identified through intensive genetic analysis of a pair of lethal infections, a research team reports in the December issue of the American Journal of Clinical Pathology.
More Genome Current Events and Genome News Articles
 | Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters (P.S.) by Matt Ridley The genome's been mapped. But what does it mean? Arguably the most significant scientific discovery of the new century, the mapping of the twenty-three pairs of chromosomes that make up the human genome raises almost as many questions as it answers. Questions that will profoundly impact the way we think about disease, about longevity, and about free will. Questions that will affect the rest... |
 | Genetic Entropy & the Mystery of the Genome by John C Sanford Dr. John Sanford, a retired Cornell Professor, shows in "Genetic Entropy and the Mystery of the Genome" that the "Primary Axiom" is false. The Primary Axiom is the foundational evolutionary premise -- that life is merely the result of mutations and natural selection. In addition to showing compelling theoretical evidence that whole genomes must in fact degenerate over time, this book strongly... |
 | Medical Firsts: From Hippocrates to the Human Genome by Robert E. Adler An exploration of medical discoveries-from the ancient Greeks to the present "Always help, or at least do no harm." Following this simple yet revolutionary idea, Hippocrates laid the foundation for modern medicine over two millennia ago. From the Hippocratic Oath to the human genome, from Pasteur's germ theory to the worldwide eradication of smallpox, Medical Firsts brings to life 2,500 years... |
 | Genetics: From Genes to Genomes (3rd Edition Study Guide) by Leland Hartwell, Leroy Hood, Michael L. Goldberg, Ann E. Reynolds, Lee M. Silver, Ruth C. Veres Genetics: From Genes to Genomes is a cutting-edge, introductory genetics text authored by an unparalleled author team, including Nobel Prize winner, Leland Hartwell. The Second Edition continues to build upon the integration of Mendelian and molecular principles, providing students with the links between early genetics understanding and the new molecular discoveries that have changed the way... |
 | The Genome War: How Craig Venter Tried to Capture the Code of Life and Save the World by James Shreeve The long-awaited story of the science, the business, the politics, the intrigue behind the scenes of the most ferocious competition in the history of modern science—the race to map the human genome.On May 10, 1998, biologist Craig Venter, director of the Institute for Genomic Research, announced that he was forming a private company that within three years would unravel the complete genetic... |
 | Short Guide to the Human Genome by Stewart Scherer How many genes are in the human genome? Which genes are commonly associated with genetic diseases? How many mobile elements, simple sequence repeats, or protein kinases are encoded in the genome? What are the largest genes and proteins? How similar are human proteins to those of mouse, yeast, or bacteria? Although the human genome has been sequenced, it often can be surprisingly difficult to... |
 | The Origins of Genome Architecture by Michael Lynch The availability of genomic blueprints for hundreds of species has led to a transformation in biology, encouraging the proliferation of adaptive arguments for the evolution of genomic features, yet often sacrificing simpler, more compelling explanations. This textbook explains why the details matter and presents an explanatory framework for how the architectural diversity of eukarotic genomes and... |
 | Welcome to the Genome: A User's Guide to the Genetic Past, Present, and Future by Rob DeSalle, Michael Yudell, American Museum of Natural History A thrilling "user's guide" to the genomics era Welcome to the genome, the miraculous blueprint of your DNA, coiled tight as a spring in the nucleus of each cell of your body. If unwound, the DNA from just one cell, while only a molecule in width, would stretch six feet in length! The information stored in its double helix structure - three billion bits worth - could fill 142 Manhattan... |
 | Acquiring Genomes: The Theory of the Origins of the Species by Lynn Margulis, Dorion Sagan From one of the great iconoclasts of modern biology, Lynn Margulis, a groundbreaking new theory of the origins of species. How do new species evolve? Although Darwin identified inherited variation as the creative force in evolution, he never formally speculated where it comes from. His successors thought that new species arise from the gradual accumulation of random mutations of DNA. But... |
 | The Global Genome: Biotechnology, Politics, and Culture (Leonardo Books) by Eugene Thacker In the age of global biotechnology, DNA can exist as biological material in a test tube, as a sequence in a computer database, and as economically valuable information in a patent. In The Global Genome, Eugene Thacker asks us to consider the relationship of these three entities and argues that—by their existence and their interrelationships—they are fundamentally redefining the notion of... |
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