Clipmarks | Biochemistry Clips

Alife, i.e. artificial life ahead

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 15:19:53 GMT

clipped by: balthazarus
clipper's remarks: "Just as 19th-century engineers studied the flight of birds and dreamed of being airborne, he says, so today's computer engineers marvel at the intelligence in all forms of life and contemplate the potential of more efficient computation."
It may be sooner that expected, are we ready for it? does it matter?
I think it does. I think we as a human society much put more effort in thinking the future ahead of us.

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

It's life, Jim, but not as we know it

Artificial life, often referred to as alife, is a very diverse field of study, encompassing simulations, computer models, robotics and biochemistry.

It's also a very esoteric community, but their work has proven, despite much controversy, to have many practical applications.

"The key aspects are production of a self-sustaining metabolism, a membrane to separate this metabolic system from its environment and an informational system, such as DNA, to support replication and heredity."

"Although we are not yet at the stage of creating a totally self-producing, self-reproducing, autonomous living cell, considerable advances have been made on individual aspects."

Venter has recently managed to insert artificially constructed chromosomes into existing living cells

Mark Bedau

has manufactured artificial vesicles - in effect, artificial cell walls

"The alife community has always been a place where [scientific] outsiders could gather

Tags: life, technology, biology, philosophy

William H Dietz

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 01:44:24 GMT

clipped by: yiduozhang

Clip Source: www.cdc.gov

Director, Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, NCCDPHP

William H. Dietz, MD, PhD, is the Director of the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity at the CDC. Prior to his appointment to the CDC, he was a Professor of Pediatrics at the Tuft′s University School of Medicine, and Director of Clinical Nutrition at the Floating Hospital of New England Medical Center Hospitals. He received his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1970 and a Ph.D. in Nutritional Biochemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Fergie Sims2Pack

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 03:32:19 GMT

clipped by: sdhklsd

Clip Source: www.rapidshare-megaupload-search-engine.com

Tags: fergie sims2pack

Transformers - The Nature of Alien Life

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 12:52:47 GMT

clipped by: Silkweaver
clipper's remarks: The driving factor is a pragmatic desire to improve mental capacity. Alien beings may have already reached a point in their evolution where, having exhausted the potential of their biological brains, they have taken the next logical step and opted for robotic brains equipped with artificial intelligence. This brain swap may not be as far off for humans as one might think. In only a few decades, the computer revolution here on Earth has produced supercomputers capable of performing more than a quadrillion calculations per second.

According to research by Hans Moravec, an artificial-intelligence expert at Carnegie Mellon University, that rate trumps the human brain’s estimated top speed of 100 trillion calculations per second. Some scientists speculate that in a few decades, an event called the technological singularity will occur, and machines armed with computer brains will become sentient and surpass human intelligence. Civilizations equipped with technology light-years ahead

Clip Source: kemo-d7.livejournal.com

The existence of a race of sentient alien robots might be
not just possible, but inevitable.

Daniel C. Dennett points out that we do not consider chemicals to be alive. Even self-replicating crystals and clever nanobots are not "living"; we consider them to be completely mechanical. Yet we are made of these non-living, "mechanical" chemicals. Not only are we made of robots, and we still consider ourselves to be valid conscious life, but the evolution of all life is from such mindless robots.

As life is based in biology, and biology in biochemistry, chemistry is based on the cold, non-living laws of physics.

Given the current pace of development, it is easy to imagine artificial life venturing out into the universe and leaving us fragile humans behind.

In fact, we might be living in a "post-biological universe" right now, in which intelligent extraterrestrials somewhere have exchanged organic brains for artificial ones.

Tags: ai, science fiction, alien life

VALENTOVA2004

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 18:04:32 GMT

clipped by: gabo84

Clip Source: reo.nii.ac.jp

Cell Biology and Toxicology 20 (2) p.109-120 March 2004

[ART0000318984]
DOI 10.1023/B:CBTO.0000027931.88957.80
The effect of Smallanthus sonchifolius leaf extracts on rat hepatic metabolism
Valentová K.¹ Moncion A.² de Waziers I.² and Ulrichová J.¹

	1.Institute of Medical Chemistry and Biochemistry, Palacký University, Olomouc, Czech Republic 2.INSERM U490, Laboratoire de Toxicologie Moléculaire, Université René Descartes, Paris, France

yacon

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:48:41 GMT

clipped by: gabo84

Clip Source: content.nejm.org

Free Full Text for: Peru | Get NEJM's E-Mail Table of Contents - FREE | Sign In as an Individual

J Agric Food Chem, September 19, 2007; 55(19): 7726-31.

Induction of glucokinase mRNA by dietary phenolic compounds in rat liver cells in vitro.

K Valentova, NT Truong, A Moncion, I de Waziers, and J Ulrichova

Department of Medical Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University, Hnevotínská 3, 775 15 Olomouc, Czech Republic. kata.valentova@email.cz

journal valentova

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:43:01 GMT

clipped by: gabo84

Clip Source: content.nejm.org

Free Full Text for: Peru | Get NEJM's E-Mail Table of Contents - FREE | Sign In as an Individual

J Agric Food Chem, September 19, 2007; 55(19): 7726-31.

Induction of glucokinase mRNA by dietary phenolic compounds in rat liver cells in vitro.

K Valentova, NT Truong, A Moncion, I de Waziers, and J Ulrichova

Department of Medical Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University, Hnevotínská 3, 775 15 Olomouc, Czech Republic. kata.valentova@email.cz

Breakthrough in Solar Energy: Scientists mimic plants' energy storage system

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 22:58:24 GMT

clipped by: Silkweaver
clipper's remarks: 'GIANT LEAP' FOR CLEAN ENERGY

Sunlight has the greatest potential of any power source to solve the world's energy problems, said Nocera. In one hour, enough sunlight strikes the Earth to provide the entire planet's energy needs for one year.

James Barber, a leader in the study of photosynthesis who was not involved in this research, called the discovery by Nocera and Kanan a "giant leap" toward generating clean, carbon-free energy on a massive scale.

"This is a major discovery with enormous implications for the future prosperity of humankind," said Barber, the Ernst Chain Professor of Biochemistry at Imperial College London. "The importance of their discovery cannot be overstated since it opens up the door for developing new technologies for energy production thus reducing our dependence for fossil fuels and addressing the global climate change problem."

Clip Source: www.physorg.com

In a revolutionary leap that could transform solar power from a marginal, boutique alternative into a mainstream energy source, MIT researchers have overcome a major barrier to large-scale solar power: storing energy for use when the sun doesn't shine.

Until now, solar power has been a daytime-only energy source, because storing extra solar energy for later use is prohibitively expensive and grossly inefficient. With today's announcement, MIT researchers have hit upon a simple, inexpensive, highly efficient process for storing solar energy.

Requiring nothing but abundant, non-toxic natural materials, this discovery could unlock the most potent, carbon-free energy source of all: the sun.

Inspired by the photosynthesis performed by plants

have developed an unprecedented process that will allow the sun's energy to be used to split water into hydrogen and oxygen gases.

may be recombined inside a fuel cell, creating carbon-free electricity to power your house or your electric car, day or night

Tags: energy, solar energy, photosynthesis

warning over blood taking method...

Sun, 27 Jul 2008 10:01:00 GMT

clipped by: mugofcoffee
clipper's remarks: interesting research...

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

People who take blood have been warned not to get the patient to tightly clench their fist during the procedure.

UK researchers who examined 200,000 blood test results found clenching then relaxing the fist could raise potassium levels, potentially confusing results.

Raised potassium levels can indicate kidney or heart problems, the Annals of Clinical Biochemistry study said.

A UK expert said clenching was an outdated practice and staff taking blood should not ask patients to do so.

Vanessa Thurlow, a biochemistry expert and co-author of the report, first noticed a problem when GPs were questioning test results for a small number of patients.

When she retested them, their potassium levels were normal - but they had all started to clench their fists before the test.

Her study looks at 200,000 results from blood tests requested by GPs between 2002 and 2005. The updated training was offered in September 2003.

Enzymes made to order

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 01:18:43 GMT

clipped by: Silkweaver
clipper's remarks: Making enzymes is a tricky business. Even the names of the techniques sound mind-boggling, with the process involving a mix of 'quantum mechanical computation', 'advanced protein engineering' and 'directed evolution'.

while naturally occurring enzymes speed reaction rates by many billion (or even trillion) fold, the synthetic enzymes gave more conservative boosts – around 100,000 fold.

"The acceleration [achieved] is really rather modest by comparison to Nature," admits Houk – but it's still incredibly exciting

Clip Source: www.cosmosmagazine.com

In a world first, scientists have managed to synthesise entirely new functional enzymes that could pave the way to reactions not seen in the natural world.

As far as proteins go, enzymes are darn hard workers. They play a key role in almost all chemical reactions occurring in nature, from cell division and replication to digestion

Acting as 'catalysts', their job is to assist otherwise lethargic reactions occur at much faster, biologically useful speeds

Scientists have been able to modify existing enzymes for use in everything from baking bread and brewing beer, to the development of novel cleaning products

For the first time, we have been able to computationally design [and create] enzymes from scratch

These enzymes are capable of dealing with substances for which no naturally occurring enzymes have evolved

in principle, the technique could be used to produce enzymes capable of "accelerating any desired reaction at all"

Tags: biochemistry, synthetic enzymes

Test

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 03:50:33 GMT

clipped by: thetott

Clip Source: webhost.bridgew.edu

Introduction to Protein Structure

This presentation is designed to be used as an adjunct to traditional lectures not as a replacement. I suspect that it will be most useful as a review of the material. The material is covered at a level suitable for a first course in biochemistry and the undergraduate level. Please contact me if you have another viewpoint!.

Fisiologia Vegetal

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 13:01:04 GMT

clipped by: hiragana

Clip Source: algunoslibros.blogspot.com

Fisiologia y Qca. Biologica Vegetal

Plant Physiology - Taiz, Zeiger, 3ra ed. - Link

Plant Biochemistry - Hans, Heldt, 3ra ed. - Link

Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 19:10:09 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: There's something about zombie caterpillars that just makes my day.

Clip Source: www.popsci.com

The Voodoo Wasp

Not content with laying its eggs inside a caterpillar's body, a parasitic wasp then turns the host into a zombie babysitter

Let's hope the Glyptapanteles wasp continues to find caterpillars tastier than humans — otherwise mankind might be in some trouble. As if laying 80 eggs inside of a caterpillar's body weren't bad enough, a new study published by the Public Library of Science details how the wasp larvae then take over the mind of the caterpillar, turning it into a zombie-like bodyguard.

Although the exact biochemistry used by the wasp larvae to transform an otherwise benign caterpillar into a Manchurian Candidate-like slave remains unknown, the researchers did show that the presence of a zombie caterpillar guardian performing "violent head-swings" significantly increased the survivability of the pupae.

Tags: biology, science, zombies, parasites

Science Direct - Get updates on science

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 15:14:39 GMT

clipped by: skwirlinator
clipper's remarks: Pick a subject and they will email you when there is an update or a breakthru

Clip Source: www.sciencedirect.com

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Tags: science direct, science, technology, email updates, subjects

Problem-based learning (PBL) in a biochemistry course

Mon, 26 May 2008 04:15:25 GMT

clipped by: enbar
clipper's remarks: Hal White of the University of Delaware (a major center for developing PBL strategies) gives an informal introduction to his style of using current and classic research to develop the "problems" that his students will tackle in the classroom.

Clip Source: www.udel.edu

ABOUT TEACHING -- #47

A Newsletter of the Center for Teaching Effectiveness
January 1995

"CREATING PROBLEMS" FOR PBL

Hal White

Invariably students do not understand an article when they first read it. Initially they must define learning issues -- words, concepts, procedures, etc., that they will need to learn about before they can understand the article. Defining one's ignorance is a most important first step in problem-based learning. During the first day of group discussion, students share their learning issues and attempt to resolve them. Those that remain at the end of class become group learning issues that are ranked in order of their perceived importance and assigned to group members to look up before the next class. After several iterations of this process, students demonstrate their understanding by completing a specific assignment such as: Write a 200-word abstract of the article.

Tags: academe, teaching, pedagogy, problem_based_learning, sotl, science, howto