Artificial Cells, Simple Model For Complex Structure
February 23, 2009
A simple, chemical materials model may lead to a better understanding of the structure and organization of the cell according to a Penn State researcher.
“Cells are interesting because they show organization even at the level of the cytoplasm, and while it is thought to be important for cell functions, it is not always clear how this organization is achieved,” said Christine Keating, associate professor of chemistry. “We are taking a materials chemistry approach in developing simple experimental models for cytoplasm organization,” she told attendees at the 2009 Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Cytoplasm is the material that fills the cell and is crowded with very large molecules. It surrounds the organelles — tiny organs like mitochondria and the nucleus. Unlike organelles, the cytoplasm is a fundamental feature of all cells. Many important biochemical processes take place here, and so cytoplasm is interesting as a major player in cell function.
Fruit Flies Soar As Lab Model, Drug Screen For The Deadliest Of Human Brain Cancers
February 23, 2009
Fruit flies and humans share most of their genes, including 70 percent of all known human disease genes. Taking advantage of this remarkable evolutionary conservation, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies transformed the fruit fly into a laboratory model for an innovative study of gliomas, the most common malignant brain tumors.
“Gliomas are a devastating disease but we still know very little about the underlying disease process,” explains John B. Thomas, Ph.D., a professor in the Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory and senior author of the study, which is published in the current edition of the Public Library of Science Genetics. “We can now use the power of Drosophila genetics to uncover genes that drive these tumors and identify novel therapeutic targets, which will speed up the development of effective drugs.”
Blog Saturday
February 22, 2009
Jackson is very TALL and his wife is very SHORT. What are the chances of them having tall children if Jackson’s genotype is TT and his wife’s genotype is tt? Explain!
Blog Friday
February 22, 2009
Calli has the most beautiful wavy hair. Her mother has curly hair and her father has very straight hair. What can you tell me about the genes that produced wavy hair in Calli?
Blog Thursday
February 22, 2009
Keeley is homozygous recessive for playing a beautiful musical instrument that her teacher can’t pronounce. Her husband is homozygous dominant for not playing a beautiful instrument that Keeley’s teacher can’t pronounce. What are both Keeley and her husband’s phenotype and genotype? What is the possiblity of them having children that can play a beautiful instrument?
Blog Wednesday
February 22, 2009
Briana has the most amazing talents. She plays ice hockey on a boys team and is stronger than most of the boys on her team. She is very pretty, kind, and sweet until she gets on the ice. People everywhere has heard about her speed, accuracy, and ability to flip over people on the ice as she is the best scorer in the world. Scienctist have been trying to determine for years if her ability is genetic. So,
Blog Tuesday
February 22, 2009
Luke becomes a famous Tennis player and Julia is on five Olympic Teams. She receives so many Gold Metals in each event over a coarse of 12 years that they design a Platinum Metal just for her. They become so rich that they purchase Mrs. D. a whole dealership full of her favorite exotic cars. Anyway on with the story! We all know that both of your friends are really dynamic athletes—-Do you think that their ability is genetic or learned or both? Explain. This should be very interesting.
Blog Feb. 23
February 22, 2009
Chip, the world’s smartest scientist, has discovered an artifical hair color that will become permanent if applied to the hair. It is really amazing because if the formula is applied to the scalp then it would stop the hair from growing. So, Chip applies a light brown color to his hair. One year after discovering the product he gets married, he and his wife has a son two years later. Chip’s wife is homozygous recessive for blonde hair but Chip originally had black hair. Chipster Jr. is born with jet black hair. Chip’s wife is very confused about the hair color of Chipster. Since his wife does not know that Chip’s original hair is black—- how should Chip explain this reasoning to his wife?
Blogs for 2/22-27
February 22, 2009
Rapheal becomes this great musical artist and sells number hits. He is known by his fans to have a strong, solid, and loud voice. He received most of his practice in the halls of Hampton Cove. Anyway, during an audition he met the most beautiful petite lawyer that instantly fell in love with this grammy winning artist. After dating for a while, Rapheal wanted to ask her for a hand in marriage. But,
Hydrogen Fuel From Woodchips And Other Non-food Sources
February 17, 2009
Tomorrow’s fuel-cell vehicles may be powered by enzymes that consume cellulose from woodchips or grass and exhale hydrogen.
Researchers at Virginia Tech, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), and the University of Georgia have produced hydrogen gas pure enough to power a fuel cell by mixing 14 enzymes, one coenzyme, cellulosic materials from nonfood sources, and water heated to about 90 degrees (32 degrees Celsius).
The group announced three advances from their “one pot” process: 1) a novel combination of enzymes, 2) an increased hydrogen generation rate — to as fast as natural hydrogen fermentation, and 3) a chemical energy output greater than the chemical energy stored in sugars – the highest hydrogen yield reported from cellulosic materials. “In addition to converting the chemical energy from the sugar, the process also converts the low-temperature thermal energy into high-quality hydrogen energy – like Prometheus stealing fire,” said Percival Zhang, assistant professor of biological systems engineering in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech.
