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More Proof That Smoking Leads to Small-Cell Lung Cancer
In a Nature article published earlier this week, UK and US researchers have provided more proof that smoking has a direct effect on the development of small-cell lung cancer. This study describes 22,910 somatic mutations characterized by massively parallel sequencing technology (including 134 in highly important exon coding regions) in the small-cell lung cancer cell [...]
Posted in Biology, Cell Biology, Genetics, Genomics, Health & Medicine Also tagged Cancer, Genetics, Genomics, Lung Cancer, Mutations, Nature 3398 Comments
Visualize the Unbelievably Small Scale of the Cell (and other Biological Structures)
Single cells are small. Really, REALLY small. When you read that a suspended cell is approximately 10-15 microns in diameter it all seems fine and well; you’ll write it down or take note of it, then move along. However, if you stop to think about how small 10-15 microns is, it begins to baffle your [...]
Posted in Cell Biology, Genetics, Microbiology, Web Resources Also tagged Genetics, Microbiology, Web Resources 2199 Comments
BioImage of the Week #2
The BioImage for this week comes to us from GPMatthews’ personal website. The site contains a large collection of fascinating images and articles, particularly on the pages that contain images of diatoms. These unicellular organisms are like biology’s snowflakes and often offer some of the most interesting and complex patterns that can be visualized under [...]
Posted in BioImage of the Week, Cell Biology, Microbiology, Microscopy Also tagged Dark Field, Diatom, Microbiology, Microscopy 2590 Comments
Great Video Depicting Transcription and Translation
This video, part of a PBS production titled DNA: The Secret of Life, depicts the process of transcription and translation, or in other terms, making mRNA from DNA and proteins from mRNA. The video shows the biologically correct molecules, which sets it apart from most other videos depicting the same process and gives it a [...]
Neurons May Be Up To 50% More Efficient Than Previously Thought
A recent publication in Nature has suggested that rather than being only 30% efficient, neurons, the workhorse cells of our brains, may be acting at up to 70-80% efficiency. This has heavy implications, considering that neurons consume approximately 20% of our body’s consumed energy. The question must now be asked: what exactly are those little [...]
Posted in Cell Biology, Health & Medicine, Microbiology Also tagged Biology, Nature, Neurons 719 Comments
36 Beautiful and Amazing Biology-themed T-Shirts
What better way to celebrate your love of biology than to wear it proudly for everyone to see? Here is a collection of 36 beautiful, clever, and hilarious biology-themed t-shirts. The rest of the shirts after the break.
Posted in Biology, Cell Biology, Evolutionary Biology, Genetics, Lists, Microbiology, Microscopy Also tagged AntiScience, Biology, Creationism, Evolutionary Biology, Genetics, Intelligent Design, Microbiology, Microscopy, T-Shirts 3143 Comments
Cancer Motility Mechanisms Observed
A new study out of Harvard Medical suggests that cancer cells have an intrinsic ability to mechanistically move through channels such as blood vessels as they make their way through the body and leave tumors. The study, published in Integrative Biology, uses a variety of microchannels and chemicals to treat the cells to a different [...]
Posted in Cell Biology, Microbiology Also tagged Integrative Biology, Microbiology, Microfluidics 995 Comments
Discoverer of Leptin Describes its Effect on Appetite Via Seratonin
Leptin nixes appetite through serotonin Read the original Cell paper
Mitochondrial gene replacement in primate offspring and embryonic stem cells
Researchers at the Oregon National Primate Research Center have successfully replaced damaged and diseased mitochondria (and, likewise, their mtDNA) with healthy mitochondria with no apparent side effects in Macaca mulatta. This has strong implications for future treatment and prevention of mitochondrial DNA associated diseases. Original Publication in Nature : Mitochondrial gene replacement in primate offspring [...]
Posted in Biology, Cell Biology, Genetics, Health & Medicine Also tagged Disease, Genetics, Health, Medicine, Mitochondria, Nature 2234 Comments
Forget World of Warcraft… CellCraft: a Fantastic and Informational Cell Biology Flash Game