A conceptualization of the universe as a nonrandom entity in light of a universal particular established from certain descriptive properties of space, but randomly behaving at all perspectives, is proposed as a outline for the interpretation of nature. This view enables the construction of a natural ethic in which many of the orderly conducts of science become exposed as inductive, falling short of being logically sound and valid, result in false interpretations and a permissiveness with...

In this set of lectures, Jeremy Nathans explores the molecular mechanisms within the retina that mediate the first steps in vision. The first lecture focuses on the structure of the light sensing receptors, the intracellular signals that are triggered by light absorption, and the ways in which the retina extracts information from a complex scene. For further information see: http://www.ascb.org/ibioseminars/Nathans/nathans1a.cfm

By looking at the light from distant galaxies and having well-established calibration methods, astrophysics can make hypotheses about the history of our universe. Do we have similar "rulers" in biology that could allow us to reconstruct the remote past and the evolution of species on this planet? The answer is likely "yes" and the clues are undoubtedly contained in the many whole genome sequences that are now available for inspection. However, it is critical to evaluate the assumptions that...

Ninety percent of the cells humans carry are microbes. Only a few of the bacteria we encounter are pathogenic and can cause disease. Pathogens possess the inherent ability to cross anatomic barriers or breach other host defenses that limit the microbes that make up our normal flora. A significant part of human evolution has gone into developing ways to thwart microbial intrusion. In turn, microbes have come up with clever ways to avoid and circumvent host defenses but human — microbe...

There are more than 5000 species of single-celled eukaryotes in the biological phylum known as the Apicomplexa, including the parasites responsible for malaria, neurological birth defects, and opportunistic infections associated with HIV/AIDS. These ancient protozoa provide a unique window into the evolution of subcellular organelles that have long fascinated cell biologists. Familiar features help to elucidate the origins, functions and design parameters for the secretory pathway,...

Two dimensional graphs of an egg generated from an equation containing sines and cosines, solutions for periods of revolution involving the golden number, based on a solution of an equation of the form: K (*) F(theta) = 1/K (*) F(1/theta) + C R= [(sin(theta) +2*cos(theta))^2 + (2* (cos ( phi) )^2] ^(0.5) delta velocity= Ra*sin(theta) delta c = Ra*cos(theta) Ra= [(delta c)^2 + (delta v)^2)]^.5 Energy total = (mass)*[(0.5) (delta...

A talk at the GME (Genomes, Medicine and Environment) Conference in 2007 by Jonathan A. Eisen. The talk is about the creation of "A Genomic Encyclopedia of Bacteria and Archaea - GEBA"

"The Genetic Response to Snowball Earth: Role of HSP90 in the Cambrian Explosion" Download this paper at the following web address: http://repositories.cdlib.org/postprints/2103 The events that shaped the Cambrian explosion from 545 to 530 Ma, when multicellular animals suddenly appeared in the fossil record, are not fully understood. It is likely that the evolution of new transcription factors and other signal transduction proteins that regulated developmental networks was important...

Understanding the molecular mechanisms responsible for the regulation of the transcriptome present in eukaryotic cells is one of the most challenging tasks in the postgenomic era. In this regard, alternative splicing (AS) is a key phenomenon contributing to the production of different mature transcripts from the same primary RNA sequence. As a plethora of different transcript forms is available in databases, a first step to uncover the biology that drives AS is to identify the different...

The proteasome is a multisubunit structure that degrades proteins. Protein degradation is an essential component of regulation because proteins can become misfolded, damaged, or unnecessary. Proteasomes and their homologues vary greatly in complexity: from HslV (heat shock locus v), which is encoded by 1 gene in bacteria, to the eukaryotic 20S proteasome, which is encoded by more than 14 genes. Despite this variation in complexity, all the proteasomes are composed of homologous subunits. We...