Killer viruses lurking in permafrost? Probably not, but here’s what they can teach us…
Should the discovery of an infectious virus in the permafrost worry us? Scientists have uncovered a so-called ‘giant virus’ in permafrost that has melted as a result of progressive climate change. The virus, Pithovirus sibericum, was isolated from melted samples of Siberian permafrost and was able to infect amoebas even after being frozen for thousands of years. Could ancient human pathogens also be uncovered and … Continue reading Killer viruses lurking in permafrost? Probably not, but here’s what they can teach us…
The Flash Name Change: Signal to Noise
Hello new and former readers! My name is Tyler J. Ford. I’ve been an editor for this newsletter for almost four years and recently took over as Editor-in-Chief for Jamie Schafer who will be graduating very soon (Congrats to Jamie!). We’ll be making a bunch of exciting changes to the newsletter over the next couple of weeks and I’d like to tell you about … Continue reading The Flash Name Change: Signal to Noise
Why ‘3-parent babies?’ DNA from Mom and Dad. Healthy mitochondria from another.
Mitochondria provide the energy for cells, but unlike DNA, they are only inherited from our mothers through their eggs. Defective mitochondria cause diseases which are incurable in adulthood. However, they are treatable before conception with “cytoplasmic transfer,” where defective mitochondria are swapped out for healthy ones. Continue reading Why ‘3-parent babies?’ DNA from Mom and Dad. Healthy mitochondria from another.
Bacterial Genes Reveal Course of Infection
Figure 1 ~ Bacteria infecting your body continue to evolve as they reproduce. [Image credit: CDC/ Judith Noble-Wang, Ph.D. http://phil.cdc.gov/phil/details.asp?pid=8669] Like most of the trillions of bacteria that surround us, growing on doorknobs or floating in the breeze, Burkholderia dolosa poses no risk to healthy people. Yet in the mid-1990’s, an outbreak of B. dolosa killed half of the thirty-nine cystic … Continue reading Bacterial Genes Reveal Course of Infection
Putting Your DNA to the Test: How much of what it says is true?
Who am I? This is a fundamental question that philosophers and anthropologists have been trying to answer for generations. With the discovery of DNA and the development of technologies to investigate genetic information, people have begun to probe the mystery of identity using biological tools. The ability to read a person’s DNA has helped scientific researchers and medical practitioners to determine an individual’s ancestry, as … Continue reading Putting Your DNA to the Test: How much of what it says is true?
Zebrafish embryo
Close-up of a live ~5 hour-old zebrafish embryo. Individual cells are distinguishable, as well as nuclei, visible as circles within each cell. At this developmental stage, cells are actively moving and dividing, and their fates have not yet been specified. Cells are roughly 10 microns in diameter. See this Flash article for more info on zebrafish: http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2012/issue120/ Continue reading Zebrafish embryo
Zebrafish embryo development
After only 24 hours of development, this live zebrafish embryo already has eyes, muscles, blood, and many other tissue types. See this Flash article for more info on zebrafish: http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2012/issue120/ Continue reading Zebrafish embryo development
Zebrafish embryo cells
Cells in a ~5 hour-old zebrafish embryo. The cell membranes are labeled in red. The green dots are clumps of a signaling protein called FGF8 that has been fused to a green fluorescent protein. See this Flash article for more info on zebrafish: http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2012/issue120/ Continue reading Zebrafish embryo cells
Crochet nucleosome
DNA doesn’t just float freely inside a cell; in eukaryotes, it is organized into successively more complicated structures to form chromatin. Nucleosomes are the most fundamental unit of DNA packaging in eukaryotes. They’re composed of an octamer of histone proteins (purple), about 150 base pairs of DNA (gold), and additional factors not shown here (such as the histone protein H1). This rendition is crocheted out … Continue reading Crochet nucleosome
Intelligence Inspired by Nature
Have you ever wondered what inspires the creation of new products like Velcro, or paint that remains dirt-free [1]? Peeking into the secrets of nature has inspired countless technological applications such as these. Responsive, adaptive, and functional, these “smart” materials are becoming more and more pervasive in our society. And yet, still, “smart” objects cannot compare to the proficiency found in nature. With billions of … Continue reading Intelligence Inspired by Nature