Jun
02
2011
02
2011
DNA logic gates calculate square root using 130 different molecules
Biological systems have caught the attention of computer scientists, who have been turning everything from RNA molecules to entire bacterial colonies into logic gates. ...
May
31
2011
31
2011
Finally, a real scientific controversy: arsenic in DNA
We spend so much time discussing manufactured controversies about science that it's a bit refreshing to be able to report on a real one. ...
Apr
12
2011
12
2011
DNA unlikely to explode in the presence of cellphone radiation
In recent years, people have claimed to suffer from a rather odd disorder. It takes the form of electrosensitivity, and its victims complain of ...
Apr
07
2011
07
2011
Nanoparticles successfully take down MRSA bacteria
Traditional antibiotics like doxycyclin and vancomycin—the kind that many bacteria can now resist because of their overuse—work by getting inside the bacterial cell and ...
Apr
07
2011
07
2011
RNA duplicating RNA, a step closer to the origin of life
According to the “RNA world” model of life's origin, RNA performed all of the operations that are essential to life. RNA alone passed on ...
Mar
31
2011
31
2011
Mutations in tumor suppressor take other genes down with them
p53 is a potent tumor suppressor. Its job is to scan along DNA, identify mutations that might cause cancer, and then halt cell ...
Dec
29
2010
29
2010
Is there a limit on the number of proteins a cell can use?
The first genomes sequenced came from bacteria. These models of compact efficiency typically stuffed about 3,000 genes into a genome that was only a ...
Dec
13
2010
13
2010
Researchers turn bacterial colonies into logic gates
For the past several years, researchers have been creating living logic gates, using the genetic on and off switches we've discovered in the biochemical ...
Nov
01
2010
01
2010
Women don’t sense pain in the same way men do
Are there differences between the male and female brains? That's a rather loaded question, and one that has generally been asked in terms ...
Oct
21
2010
21
2010
Finding the genes that make a human stem cell
Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) have been touted for their potential ability to cure, or at least help, many human diseases. That is ...
Oct
18
2010
18
2010
Chemical origami used to create a DNA Möbius strip
Researchers at Arizona State University have recently used origami to fold DNA into a Möbius strip. Why? Because its frickin' cool, that’s ...
Oct
06
2010
06
2010
Increasing the body’s (but not brain’s) cannabinoids dulls pain
Just as the discovery of the opiate receptors hijacked by cocaine gave us insight into the presence and roles of endogenous opiates, the cannabinoid ...
Sep
27
2010
27
2010
Electronics zap DNA into pores to read its sequence
The second generation of DNA sequencing machines have now taken over the market, and their high throughput is producing new genomes at a staggering ...
Sep
13
2010
13
2010
Comet impact shockwave may have planted seeds of life on Earth
Stanley Miller performed some of the most famous origin of life experiments, showing that the chemicals thought to be present in the early Earth's ...
Sep
07
2010
07
2010
Bacterial light-harvesting proteins make a regenerating solar cell
Photovoltaic cells are becoming cheaper and more efficient each year, but there are still some questions regarding their long-term sustainability. ...
Aug
31
2010
31
2010
Cannibal bacteria could lead to new antibiotics
We tend to think of bacteria as engaging in chemical warfare only when they attack us, wreaking havoc on our cells. But the ...
The Protomen - Rock Music and Mega Man Combined.
An Irrelevant Take on the Zombie Goodness of the Walking Dead
Halloween Fear Fest - Mega Shark VS Giant Octopus
Amnesia: The Dark Descent will induce heart problems.
Redline - 7 Years in the making and damn, it looks good.