tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65590394002080110812012-02-09T17:49:53.050-08:00Mad Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087699884361361548noreply@blogger.comBlogger311100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6559039400208011081.post-53038016903931107352008-08-05T12:10:00.000-07:002008-08-05T12:51:42.724-07:00

My previous post was about the fact that C.elegans were sensitive to UV light. What made this more interesting was the protein that was discovered as responsible for this special character. Conventional studies in these nematodes by Stacey L. Edwards, Kenneth G. Miller, and colleagues allowed them to identify a protein as being behind this interesting property. They called it, lite-1. Curiously,

Mad Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087699884361361548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6559039400208011081.post-37710479555306199342008-08-03T09:55:00.000-07:002008-08-03T10:28:13.830-07:00

Many of the ground breaking discoveries in molecular developmental biology were made with the help of simple organisms that can be grown in laboratories with ease. Caenorhabditis elegans is one among them. Measuring about a millimeter in length, these organisms had been a good friend for molecular biologists and neuroscientists for decades. One reason why a common man may find this kind of round

Mad Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087699884361361548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6559039400208011081.post-14401651521032208062008-03-13T10:15:00.000-07:002008-07-28T08:05:32.593-07:00

Bacteria are some of the marvelous creations of nature. They are known for their adaptability. The humble Escherichia coli that we find in almost all the microbiology and molecular biology labs continues to surprise us with its ingenius ways of handling problems.Under extreme stress, bacterial cells are known to take many steps to protect themselves. Abraham Minsky of the Weizmann Institute of

Mad Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087699884361361548noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6559039400208011081.post-43434567985052103892008-02-29T10:52:00.000-08:002008-02-29T11:04:50.401-08:00

DNA carries all information a living organism requires for survival. Reading this information can be made much easier if you can get these 2nm wide polymer strand stretched and untangled. Researchers at Purdue University have done just that.They have precisely placed strands of DNA on a silicon chip and then stretched out the strands so that their encoded information might be read more clearly.

Mad Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087699884361361548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6559039400208011081.post-3399575904758157692007-08-22T10:39:00.000-07:002007-08-22T10:46:20.486-07:00

About 4 million years ago, humans had split from apes. At this time, Chimpanzees had to go through some tough times. They were infected with a virus. Scientists discovered this when they found traces of this virus in the DNA of Chimps. This meant that this virus, called PtERV1, infected the Chimp population. Interestingly, the traces of the virus were not found in human genome. Emerman and his

Mad Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087699884361361548noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6559039400208011081.post-19749004079221318552007-08-06T10:51:00.000-07:002007-08-06T11:19:07.278-07:00

Science knows no boundaries!Here are a few websites that offer free access to some journals on the world wide web!!!Current ScienceBioMedCentralDirectory of Open Access JournalsFree Medical JournalsHigh Wire PressPhysNet - Physics related free-access journalsIf you know any other such useful websites, please do add those links as comments...

Mad Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087699884361361548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6559039400208011081.post-55282879814827701892007-07-29T10:04:00.000-07:002007-07-29T10:26:27.636-07:00

Ethanol (the alcohol) is one of the most talked about alternative for the fossil fuels. For thousands of years, alcohol has been produced from yeast. This way of using biological cells to make alcohol is not generally considered non-viable. Thats because we spend more energy than what we get.Carbon Nano Tubes (CNTs) are tiny tubes made only of carbon atoms. These are too tiny that the properties

Mad Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087699884361361548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6559039400208011081.post-56093514742793749412007-07-02T10:14:00.000-07:002007-07-02T11:21:36.322-07:00

You probably know that DNA carries the most invaluable information, without which the mere existence of life is impossible. Have you ever wondered whether DNA can be used to store more than just the genetic information? If you had thought of it before, you are not alone(!!!!!!).A group of Japanese Molecular Biologists in Institute for Advanced Biosciences at Keio University decided to (nearly)

Mad Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087699884361361548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6559039400208011081.post-83439308452274209902007-05-28T13:02:00.000-07:002007-05-28T13:15:58.479-07:00

The active components of the cone snail venom are a group of neurotoxins called conotoxins. These are usually 12 to 30 aminoacid residues long. The peptides are highly constrained due to high density of disulphide bonds. Although conserved structures are present in these peptides there are also subtle differences. These differences are responsible for the high toxicity and high specificity.

Mad Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087699884361361548noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6559039400208011081.post-19627060861653393872007-05-27T15:02:00.000-07:002007-05-27T15:29:22.983-07:00

These amazing creatures are not only found in the deepest parts of the oceans but also on the shores. While the shell of the snail lets it camouflage and wait for the prey, its siphon provided with numerous chemosensors detects the prey that happens to linger dangerously close. The proboscis containing what is probably the most efficient hypodermic needle of nature loaded with the most potent

Mad Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087699884361361548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6559039400208011081.post-81971206352461299962007-05-26T13:37:00.000-07:002007-05-26T14:07:33.511-07:00

Have you ever wondered how those lazy small snails catch their prey?Well, here is how they do...Cone snails are some of the most amazing creatures in the world of marine animals. Very little is known about them. They have a mind-blowing variety of toxins. These toxins are usually about 12 to 30 amino acid residues long with unusually large numbers of disulphide bridges. The toxins are so diverse

Mad Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087699884361361548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6559039400208011081.post-451756432807310382007-05-24T12:18:00.000-07:002007-05-24T12:52:32.958-07:00

Diptheria toxin is a protein secreted by Corynebacterium diphtheriae.The protein has three domains - A, B and T. The B domain is believed to be responsible for recognizing the cell surface receptors. The toxin is found to show affinity for heparin binding epidermal like growth factor like precursors, which are found on the cell surface. T domain aids the protein to gain entry into the cell. The A

Mad Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087699884361361548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6559039400208011081.post-18326939550856770462007-05-23T13:45:00.000-07:002007-05-23T13:57:35.628-07:00

Alexander Litvinenko was assasinated in london recently. He was poisoned by radioactive Polonium 210. Alexander Litvinenko had earlier accused the Kremblin of involvement in the death of about 300 people in Russia in 1999. This is not the first time Russia stands accused of silencing its critics abroad through assassination. In 1978, Georgi Markov, a communist defector was killed by a tiny pellet

Mad Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087699884361361548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6559039400208011081.post-7181306411324952542007-05-17T12:05:00.000-07:002007-05-17T12:16:17.655-07:00

Here is another video on translation. Its amazing how a process can be viewed by different people in different ways. Well, as long as their imagination adds beauty to the actual process, I am thankful to the creator.

Mad Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087699884361361548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6559039400208011081.post-58222963812226109202007-05-16T11:19:00.002-07:002007-05-16T11:33:27.125-07:00

At John Hopkins, researchers have developed a nanoparticle as a new biosensor to treat damaged retinal cells. Biosensor detects oxidative stress inside the cells. It responds by regulating therapeutic gene expression. This reduces the damage caused by the free radicals. Biosensor has an outer lipid layer. This layer also has some targeting proteins. These proteins recognize the endothelial cells

Mad Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087699884361361548noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6559039400208011081.post-2237421404127086602007-05-14T10:23:00.000-07:002007-05-15T11:55:51.825-07:00

If there is one change i want to bring about in the indian society, it would be to eliminate family system.

Mad Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087699884361361548noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6559039400208011081.post-69705946160256296872007-05-12T13:41:00.000-07:002007-05-12T13:45:18.759-07:00

What an amazing video!!! This is one of the most spectacular videos I have come across that shows Life so beautifully that you just can't help but fall in love with it!Oh yes! I'm talking about life inside the cells!!!!

Mad Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087699884361361548noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6559039400208011081.post-59549062113261045942007-05-10T10:32:00.000-07:002007-05-10T10:50:40.427-07:00

Luck!!!!! How strange it is!!! You try very hard to convince yourself that it does not exist. But, its simply not possible for you to ignore its apparent presence in every aspect of your life. Or so your lazy 'self' tends to believe.I find myself in a state where I am just too desperate to get lucky. In definite need of some good luck... Why would one need luck??? As far as my understanding goes,

Mad Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087699884361361548noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6559039400208011081.post-55042799347730699812007-05-09T12:56:00.000-07:002007-05-09T13:02:04.711-07:00

Here is something I found on you tube! An interesting way of looking at the process of translation. Especially the aminoacyl tRNAs enter the ribosomes... Post transcriptional modifications were not given here. However, its a great piece of animation.

Mad Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087699884361361548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6559039400208011081.post-55464129066316934492007-05-08T12:14:00.000-07:002007-05-08T12:45:45.006-07:00

Butterflies are probably the most beautiful creatures on earth. Those colorful wings captivates you with its beauty. Have you ever thought whether those magical patterns are formed by true colors??? In fact, these clever insects trick you into believing that their wings possess true colors. The wings have what can be called biophotonic crystals that scatter light in some intriguing ways.

Mad Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087699884361361548noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6559039400208011081.post-14696855232118054652007-05-07T09:50:00.001-07:002007-05-07T10:18:03.494-07:00

Interesting!!!! Its interesting that I was not able to sign into this site...Anyways, this gives me a perfect opportunity to test something! Posting through email. Let me see if it works.... Now, coming to the actual post...Viroids were discovered very recently but they are believed to be present here on earth for as long as life itself! This was because of the fact that some of them exhibit

Mad Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087699884361361548noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6559039400208011081.post-43869310590820433972007-05-05T12:53:00.000-07:002007-05-05T14:04:32.228-07:00

Viroids are strange infectious agents. Intriguing and very interesting! These are nothing but a piece (often a small one) of circular single stranded RNA. These viroids are just 250 to 500 bases long. What makes it interesting is the fact that they like prions defy the concept of cellular organisation! These RNAs replicate by Rolling circle model of replication.They are capable of infecting cells

Mad Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087699884361361548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6559039400208011081.post-60115626461508155652007-05-04T12:36:00.000-07:002007-05-04T12:54:03.298-07:00

Hi there! Here is something you will definitely like. The concept of RNA interference is explained in this video, I found in YouTube, very beautifully!!!!

Mad Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087699884361361548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6559039400208011081.post-31125244397951231662007-05-03T12:47:00.000-07:002007-05-03T12:49:15.970-07:00

If there is something in this world that never ceases to fascinate me is DNA. Especially, the fact that 6 ft of DNA is coiled into a compartment thats less than 3micrometre diameter. I found this amazing video on youtube. Enjoy!!!!!!

Mad Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087699884361361548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6559039400208011081.post-83660605876563244372007-04-20T11:48:00.000-07:002007-04-20T12:01:19.234-07:00

Its not a new word. Its not a new feeling. Yet, it always takes you to a new level. You try to avoid it. But you know very well it will never let you run away from it.Disappointments in my life has been as frequent as pot holes in Indian roads. But like a typical motorist, one tends to ignore it and move on. Sometimes, it shakes you up so hard, you need some time to realize that life is not over

Mad Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087699884361361548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6559039400208011081.post-73171885530372947562007-02-13T09:56:00.001-08:002007-02-13T10:04:52.063-08:00

Why should one force himself to live in a way the society wants him to live????? Is it not possible to break out of the society????? If that means living alone in an deserted island with no contact to outside world, when am I going to find that island????????

Mad Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087699884361361548noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6559039400208011081.post-35564292400906461232007-02-12T10:04:00.000-08:002007-02-11T10:28:27.529-08:00

In the early 1950's, New Guinea witnessed an epidemic. It was called 'Kuru' - laughing death. The individuals suffering from this disease laughed for no apparent reasons. Such a laughter indicated death.In New Guinea, the Fore tribe were severely affected. So much so that their tribe was driven close to extinction because of this disease KURU which literally means 'trembling with fear'. It is a

Mad Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087699884361361548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6559039400208011081.post-74300733266050682542007-02-11T10:13:00.000-08:002007-02-10T09:19:39.795-08:00

If there is anything that fascinates thats science. Especially, the human body. How complex is this machine????? It has been more than 10,000 years (since we started living a life that is different from other animals on the planet), still we are no where close to proclaim that our understanding of the magnificently complex 'human body' is complete.Nature had always eluded human

Mad Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087699884361361548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6559039400208011081.post-27110556502153509182007-02-10T09:16:00.000-08:002007-02-09T09:43:46.635-08:00

I attended the University of Madras’ Sesquicentennial Year Commemoration lecture. The security was impressive. When I saw police men in large numbers outside the university I had no clue which VVIP is going to come there. I was stopped by the security outside the university’s entrance. In spite of showing my ID card, he did not allow me in because I could not tell him exactly why I was there

Mad Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087699884361361548noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6559039400208011081.post-59196713464814576822007-02-09T09:41:00.000-08:002007-02-07T11:57:22.497-08:00

Hi everyone! Let me take you through the first 21 years of my life in the following few lines. I was born in Chennai, a city you’ll find near the southern tip of India on the world map. When I was born, it was called Madras. The first few years of life were as unadventurous as it is now. I had to go through the ordeal of adjusting to a new school environment only once, that too when I was 12 or

Mad Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087699884361361548noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6559039400208011081.post-13789459182529913532007-02-07T10:59:00.000-08:002007-02-07T11:17:16.934-08:00

Oh, you are in my first blog.Is blogging an alternative to the most unrestricted freedom - thinking????????Well, let me look at this a little closer. Is it possible for me to blog everything that comes to my mind? Especially, when its about those I interact with everyday, those who affect my life in many ways and those who are likely to visit this page and read this?It sounds outrageous.

Mad Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087699884361361548noreply@blogger.com0