Lets Go back To Genes
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
My first paperHere is the link to my first paper. my paper This paper was the culmination of our year long effort. Though i have two more papers but those papers are in Proceedings of conference.One published in "Proceedings of Neural, Parallel & Scientific Computations" and other titled "Application Of Self Organizing Map – A Powerful Datamining Tool For Prioritization Of Malaria Endemic Zones In Arunachal Pradesh, India" in "Recent dvances in Biotechnology and Bioinformatics" yet this paper is very dear to me. Sharing it with you
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
CCMB succeeds with test tube deer projectA test tube fawn named Spotty will soon be the star attraction in the Nehru Zoological Park here. 'Spotty' was born on March 14 The Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology has completed the first successful artificial insemination (AI) in India on spotted dear by non-surgical vaginal insemination. With this, India has joined Australia and the United States, the only countries who have achieved the birth of live fawn using the same procedure. The other method of AI is surgical insemination where the uterus is opened up. This procedure, however, is not preferred by wild life biologists as the risk factors are more. Talking to media persons Director of CCMB Dr. Lalji Singh said: This success will form the basis for future attempts to increase the numbers of other endangered deers and other animals in our country. We requested the Central Zoo Authority to give us permission to use AI technique on endangered species but told us to prove the efficacy of this procedure on smaller animals to start with. Spotty is doing fine. Soon the general public will be able to see it in the Nehru Zoological Park.” In the present study taken up by three CCMB scientists, including Dr G. Umapathy, S.D. Sontakke and Anuradha Reddy, as many as three females were inseminated and after four and half months one of them animals was found to have conceived by ultrasonography. The conception was confirmed one-and-a-half months later.'Spotty' was born after an anxious eight-month wait. This effort was part of a long-term project of the Laboratory for the Conservation of Endangered Species (LaCONES), which is coming up in Attapur in Rangareddy district. The Rs 14 crore scientific facility will be ready by June. Though 'Spotty' may not create ripples like 'Dolly' did a few years ago, it is likely to serve as a shot in the arm for conservation efforts. "This could become a model for future attempts to increase the numbers of endangered species like the white-backed vulture, and the Asiatic lion,"Dr Singh said. Andhra Pradesh chief conservator of forests K S Rao said: "It's a big success for CCMB and a small step in the conservation of endangered species."Apart from CCMB, Nehru Zoological Park, the Central Zoo Authority and the Union and state departments of biotechnology took part in the project.
[Lalji Singh] [Center for Cellular and Molecular Biology] [Conservation of Endangered Species] [India]
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Change"It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change." - Charles Darwin
Monday, January 30, 2006
Anti-Malaria WatchAnti-Malaria Watch Forget all those bells and whistles you may want in a watch, there’s nothing quite like the “Malaria Monitor,” which promises to sound an alarm if it detects the malaria parasite in the wearer. Basically, instead of being able to go underwater or check your heart rate, this watch will prick your wrist four times a day with a tiny little needle and test your blood for malaria parasites. Not bad for a timepiece. If the parasite count is over 50, it will set off an alarm and—you’ll love this—flash a big, bright mosquito on the face of the watch. So if the mosquito is flashing, it’s time to take your pills (which promise to kill the disease in 48 hours). The watch will cost about $280, so it would have to be picked up by aid organizations and given out for free to be of any use to the people who really need something like this.
Friday, September 02, 2005
Chimpanzee genome unveiled
The genome of our closest living relative – the chimpanzee – has been released by an international consortium of scientists.
The chimp genome sequence, which consists of 2.8 billion pairs of DNA letters, will not only tell us much about chimps but a comparison with the human genome will also teach us a great deal about ourselves.
“The major accomplishment is that we now have a catalogue of the genetic differences between humans and chimps,” says lead author, Tarjei Mikkelsen of the Broad Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US.
In keeping with previous studies comparing much smaller portions of the chimp and human genomes, the new comparison shows incredible similarity between the genomes. The average number of protein-changing mutations per gene is just two, and 29% of human genes are absolutely identical. What is more, only a handful of genes present in humans are absent or partially deleted in chimps.
"No silver bullet"
But the degree of genome similarity alone is far from the whole story. For example, the mouse species Mus musculus and Mus spretus have genomes that differ from each other to a similar degree and yet they appear far more similar than chimps and humans.
Domestic dogs, however, vary wildly in appearance as a result of selective breeding and yet their genome sequences are 99.85% similar. So most of the differences between chimp and human genomes will turn out to be neither beneficial nor detrimental, in evolutionary terms.
The real challenge then will be finding the changes that played a major role in the evolution of chimps and humans since the two lineages split, 5 to 8 million years ago. Nothing obvious has leapt out of the initial analysis. “From this study, there’s no silver bullet of what makes chimps chimps and humans humans,” says Evan Eichler of the University of Washington at Seattle, US.
Rapid evolution
Comparing the two genomes has thrown up numerous candidates for what makes humans different though. One such set came by comparing 13,454 specific genes in the chimp and human genomes, looking for signs of rapid evolution. For each gene, the researchers compared the number of single letter mutations that alter the encoded protein versus silent mutations that have no effect.
Silent mutations are possible because most amino acids are coded by more than one 3 letter DNA ‘word’ - for example, proline is coded by CCU, CCC, CCA, and CCG, so a change at the third position makes no difference to the protein.
Comparing the two types of mutations allowed the team to spot genes that have had changes favoured by natural selection while taking into account the background mutation rate. And 585 of the genes studied in this set – many involved in immunity to infections and reproduction – had more protein-altering mutations than silent ones. Mikkelsen believes these will be a good place to look for genes that make humans different from chimps.
Homing in
But comparing genome sequences can only tell scientists so much. Now begins the methodical job of homing in on the promising parts of the sequence and identifying the differences that count.
“This is best viewed as an exciting starting point,” says Simon Fisher at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics at Oxford University, US. “In the same way that knowledge of our own genome sequence has not automatically led to a full understanding of human biology, so the decoding of other primate genomes will not, by itself, reveal exactly what sets us apart.”
But he admits: “Coming face to face with the details of evolution is really spectacular.”
Journal reference: Nature (vol 437, p69)
The genome of our closest living relative – the chimpanzee – has been released by an international consortium of scientists.
The chimp genome sequence, which consists of 2.8 billion pairs of DNA letters, will not only tell us much about chimps but a comparison with the human genome will also teach us a great deal about ourselves.
“The major accomplishment is that we now have a catalogue of the genetic differences between humans and chimps,” says lead author, Tarjei Mikkelsen of the Broad Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US.
In keeping with previous studies comparing much smaller portions of the chimp and human genomes, the new comparison shows incredible similarity between the genomes. The average number of protein-changing mutations per gene is just two, and 29% of human genes are absolutely identical. What is more, only a handful of genes present in humans are absent or partially deleted in chimps.
"No silver bullet"
But the degree of genome similarity alone is far from the whole story. For example, the mouse species Mus musculus and Mus spretus have genomes that differ from each other to a similar degree and yet they appear far more similar than chimps and humans.
Domestic dogs, however, vary wildly in appearance as a result of selective breeding and yet their genome sequences are 99.85% similar. So most of the differences between chimp and human genomes will turn out to be neither beneficial nor detrimental, in evolutionary terms.
The real challenge then will be finding the changes that played a major role in the evolution of chimps and humans since the two lineages split, 5 to 8 million years ago. Nothing obvious has leapt out of the initial analysis. “From this study, there’s no silver bullet of what makes chimps chimps and humans humans,” says Evan Eichler of the University of Washington at Seattle, US.
Rapid evolution
Comparing the two genomes has thrown up numerous candidates for what makes humans different though. One such set came by comparing 13,454 specific genes in the chimp and human genomes, looking for signs of rapid evolution. For each gene, the researchers compared the number of single letter mutations that alter the encoded protein versus silent mutations that have no effect.
Silent mutations are possible because most amino acids are coded by more than one 3 letter DNA ‘word’ - for example, proline is coded by CCU, CCC, CCA, and CCG, so a change at the third position makes no difference to the protein.
Comparing the two types of mutations allowed the team to spot genes that have had changes favoured by natural selection while taking into account the background mutation rate. And 585 of the genes studied in this set – many involved in immunity to infections and reproduction – had more protein-altering mutations than silent ones. Mikkelsen believes these will be a good place to look for genes that make humans different from chimps.
Homing in
But comparing genome sequences can only tell scientists so much. Now begins the methodical job of homing in on the promising parts of the sequence and identifying the differences that count.
“This is best viewed as an exciting starting point,” says Simon Fisher at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics at Oxford University, US. “In the same way that knowledge of our own genome sequence has not automatically led to a full understanding of human biology, so the decoding of other primate genomes will not, by itself, reveal exactly what sets us apart.”
But he admits: “Coming face to face with the details of evolution is really spectacular.”
Journal reference: Nature
Saturday, July 30, 2005
Time to celebrate........
FOR PROMOTING PEACE: M.S. Swaminathan (second from right), Chairman, MSSRF, receiving the Hiroshima Peace Award instituted by Chugoku Soka Gakkai, in Hiroshima recently.
M.S. Swaminathan, Chairman of the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, was given the Hiroshima Peace Award, instituted by Chugoku Soka Gakkai, Hiroshima, in recognition of his "outstanding contribution to world peace based on his noble commitment to humanism." The citation described Prof. Swaminathan as the "father of Indian modern agriculture and father of economic ecology," who had relieved millions of people of hunger not only in India but also throughout Asia.
Its a time for celebration for us, Indians . Though it is just another feather in Dr.Swaminathan's cap, it is a true recognition to his contribution towards fight against hunger.Dr. M.S. Swaminathan " Father of Indian Green revolution combined all the great components of a revolutionary: vision, dedication, energy and follow-through to remove our ""ship-to-mouth" existence" .
A peace prize to an agriculture Scientist????Yes, he fought a war, a war millions of asian were fighting against starvation and changed the history.
Another news to rejoice........
Indian scientist Modadugu V. Gupta has been awarded the 2005 World Food Prize for his work to improve nutrition for over one million people through the expansion of aquaculture and fish farming in South and South-east Asia. He is the sixth Indian to receive the coveted prize.
So its raining awards..........
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Dard ka Rishta..............
There once was an oyster whose story I tell,
Who found that some sand had got into his shell.
It was only a grain, but it gave him great pain,
For oysters have feelings although they're so plain.
Now, did he berate the harsh workings of fate,
That had brought him to such a deplorable state?
Did he curse at the government, cry for election,
And claim that the sea should have given protection?
No -- he said to himself as he lay on a shell,
Since I cannot remove it, I shall try to improve it.
Now the years have rolled around, as the years always do,
And he came to his Ultimate Destiny -- stew.
And the small grain of sand that had bothered him so,
Was a beautiful pearl all richly aglow.
Now the tale has a moral, for isn't it grand,
What an oyster can do with a morsel of sand?
What couldn't we do if we'd only begin,
With some of the things that get under our skin
