Monthly Archives: March 2010

Recent discovery of a food allergy candidate gene on chromosome 5q22.1

By mdunn | Published: March 9, 2010
Allergies are a broad category of disorders that all have one common trait, immune reactions to normally non-harmful substances. They are chronic diseases (ranked 5th on the list among chronic diseases in the US) that can dramatically degrade the lifestyle of those affected depending on the degree of severity. About 55% of the population has an [...]
Posted in Biology, Cell Biology, Genetics, Microbiology | 5809 Comments

Mitochondria, Efficient Energy Production with Dangerous Side Effects?

By mdunn | Published: March 5, 2010
Scientists from Harvard Teaching Medical Hospital have discovered that Mitochondria respond to trauma by creating patient inflammation and a response not unlike bacterial infection. Best known as the energy producing powerhouses of the cell (being home of the Citric Acid Cycle and oxidative phosphorylation), Mitochondria have long been recognized as ancient symbiots – not originally [...]
Posted in Biology, Cell Biology, Evolutionary Biology, Health & Medicine | 4476 Comments

Rime of the Pleistocene Mariner (and Other Oddities in Cognitive Evolution)

By cyoungbull | Published: March 3, 2010
The patterns of social behavior are predicated upon biological patterns which are themselves driven by environmental and physical patterns. Sometimes though, Nature throws us for a loop and things are discovered which seem to defy our perceptions of evolution.  Examples of ideas, organisms and phenomena that stand out as temporal oddities are all around us. Many [...]
Posted in AntiScience, Cognitive Evolution | 3265 Comments

What a long strange trip it’s been: Paul Davies’ New Book and Hadronistry Coined

By cyoungbull | Published: March 2, 2010
Our recent post on the shadow biosphere attracted a lot of attention, including from Dr. Paul Davies himself.  We’ve been talking to Dr. Davies now and were happy to learn that he has just published a new book on the implications of shadow life for the search for extra-terrestrial beings. Here’s what Dr. Davies had [...]
Posted in Astrobiology | Tagged , , , , | 5521 Comments