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Erich Feldmeier

#complexity #evolution @biogarage Mit Sex die Informatik verbessern - 0 views

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    "Die Natur produziert die besten Lösungen: Keine Maschine klettert so wendig engste Rohre hinauf wie eine Ratte. Und eine effektivere Schmutzabwehr als bei der Lotusblüte gibt es kaum. Den Erfolg der Evolution in der Natur auf die Informatik übertragen, will nun ein internationales Team.. Denn obwohl Partner benötigt werden - und diese zu finden einen beträchtlichen Aufwand bedeutet -, scheint sich Sex zu lohnen, wie die Evolution beweist. Das Ergebnis der sexuellen Fortpflanzung - „die Lösung" - ist robuster, selbst bei veränderter Umgebung. Ob und wie sich dieser evolutionäre Prozess auf Algorithmen, die anders als in der Natur z. B. auch mehr als zwei „Partner" rekombinieren können, übertragen lässt, das wird Prof. Friedrich gemeinsam mit einem neuen Postdoktoranden in Jena untersuchen. Dabei ist ihm durchaus bewusst, dass die Natur viel zu komplex ist, um sie 1:1 zu übertragen"
Skeptical Debunker

The genetic footprint of natural selection - 0 views

  • During evolution, living species have adapted to environmental constraints according to the mechanism of natural selection; when a mutation that aids the survival (and reproduction) of an individual appears in the genome, it then spreads throughout the rest of the species until, after several hundreds or even thousands of generations, it is carried by all individuals. But does this selection, which occurs on a specific gene in the genome of a species, also occur on the same gene in neighboring species? On which set of genes has natural selection acted specifically in each species? Researchers in the Dynamique et Organisation des Génomes team at the Institut de Biologie of the Ecole Normale Supérieure (CNRS/ENS/INSERM) have studied the genome of humans and three other primate species (chimpanzee, orangutan and macaque) using bioinformatics tools. Their work consisted in comparing the entire genomes of each species in order to identify the genes having undergone selection during the past 200,000 years. The result was that a few hundred genes have recently undergone selection in each of these species. These include around 100 genes detected in man that are shared by two or three other species, which is twice as many as might be anticipated as a random phenomenon. Thus a not inconsiderable proportion of the genes involved in human adaptation are also present in the chimpanzee, orangutan or macaque, and sometimes in several species at the same time. Natural selection acts not only by distancing different species from each other when new traits appear. But by acting on the same gene, it can also give rise to the same trait in species that have already diverged, but still have a relatively similar genome. This study thus provides a clearer understanding of the group of genes that are specifically implicated in human evolution (during the past 200,000 years), as it allows the identification of those genes which did not undergo selection in another primate line. An example that has been confirmed by this study is the well-known case of the lactase gene that can metabolize lactose during adulthood (a clear advantage with the development of agriculture and animal husbandry). The researchers have also identified a group of genes involved in some neurological functions and in the development of muscles and skeleton.
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    A further step has been taken towards our understanding of natural selection. CNRS scientists working at the Institut de Biologie of the Ecole Normale Supérieure (CNRS/ENS/INSERM) have shown that humans, and some of their primate cousins, have a common genetic footprint, i.e. a set of genes which natural selection has often tended to act upon during the past 200,000 years. This study has also been able to isolate a group of genes that distinguish us from our cousins the great apes. Its findings are published in PloS Genetics (26 February 2010 issue).
anonymous

Genetic Modification Of Plants: A Natural Method! - 1 views

New qualities acquainted with harvest plants by genetic engineering can possibly build good yields, enhance horticultural practices, or add nourishing quality to items. Case in point, genetically m...

modified plants genetically crops microbial genetics science research Trivedi Effect the

started by anonymous on 02 Jan 15 no follow-up yet
thinkahol *

Curious mathematical law is rife in nature - physics-math - 14 October 2010 - New Scien... - 0 views

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    WHAT do earthquakes, spinning stellar remnants, bright space objects and a host of other natural phenomena have in common? Some of their properties conform to a curious and little known mathematical law, which could now find new uses.
Erich Feldmeier

Ilseung Cho, Martin Blaser wissenschaft.de - Gewichtige Folgen - 0 views

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    "Es ist möglich, dass eine frühzeitige Exposition gegenüber Antibiotika den Stoffwechsel von Kindern umprogrammiert, sodass Übergewicht im späteren Leben entstehen kann", sagt Co-Autor Martin Blaser von der New York University School of Medicine. Er betont, dass noch weitere Forschung nötig sei, um diese Theorie zu bestätigen. Klar sei aber bereits: Alles was die Darmflora beeinflussen kann, sollte vorsichtig behandelt werden. Ilseung Cho (New York University School of Medicine) et al.: Nature, doi:10.1038/nature11400"
thinkahol *

What the science of human nature can teach us : The New Yorker - 5 views

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    How the new sciences of human nature can help make sense of a life.
Erich Feldmeier

Jeremy Ginsberg: Grippe, Detecting influenza epidemics using search engine query data :... - 0 views

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    "Seasonal influenza epidemics are a major public health concern, causing tens of millions of respiratory illnesses and 250,000 to 500,000 deaths worldwide each year1. In addition to seasonal influenza, a new strain of influenza virus against which no previous immunity exists and that demonstrates human-to-human transmission could result in a pandemic with millions of fatalities2. Early detection of disease activity, when followed by a rapid response, can reduce the impact of both seasonal and pandemic influenza3, 4. One way to improve early detection is to monitor health-seeking behaviour in the form of queries to online search engines, which are submitted by millions of users around the world each day. Here we present a method of analysing large numbers of Google search queries to track influenza-like illness in a population."
thinkahol *

YouTube - The Known Universe by AMNH - 0 views

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    The Known Universe takes viewers from the Himalayas through our atmosphere and the inky black of space to the afterglow of the Big Bang. Every star, planet, and quasar seen in the film is possible because of the world's most complete four-dimensional map of the universe, the Digital Universe Atlas that is maintained and updated by astrophysicists at the American Museum of Natural History. The new film, created by the Museum,  is part of an exhibition, Visions of the Cosmos: From the Milky Ocean to an Evolving Universe, at the Rubin Museum of Art in Manhattan through May 2010.     Data: Digital Universe, American Museum of Natural History  http://www.haydenplanetarium.org/universe/    Visualization Software:  Uniview by SCISS    Director: Carter Emmart  Curator: Ben R. Oppenheimer  Producer: Michael Hoffman  Executive Producer: Ro Kinzler  Co-Executive Producer: Martin Brauen  Manager, Digital Universe Atlas: Brian Abbott    Music: Suke Cerulo    For more information visit http://www.amnh.org
Walid Damouny

Women's Natural Scent More Seductive Than Perfume : Discovery News - 0 views

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    "THE GIST: * Men can detect a woman's natural scent at an unconscious level. * In an experimental study, testosterone levels were higher in men who smelled an ovulating woman's T-shirt. * This research is one of the first papers to show a link between testosterone levels and a scented stimulus. "
thinkahol *

Does sexual equality change porn? - Pornography - Salon.com - 0 views

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    In what may feel like a flashback to the porn wars of the '60s, a new study investigates the link between a country's relative gender equality and the degree of female "empowerment" in the X-rated entertainment it consumes. Researchers at the University of Hawaii focused on three countries in particular: Norway, the United States and Japan, which are respectively ranked 1st, 15th and (yikes) 54th on the United Nations' Gender Empowerment Measure (GEM). To simplify their analysis, their library of smut was limited to explicit photographs of women "from mainstream pornographic magazines and Internet websites, as well as from the portfolios of the most popular porn stars from each nation." Then they set out to evaluate each image on both a disempowerment and an empowerment scale, using respective measures like whether the woman is "bound and dominated" by "leashes, collars, gags, or handcuffs" or "whether she has a natural looking body." Their hypothesis was that societies with greater gender equity will consume pornography that has more representations of "empowered women" and less of "disempowered women." It turned out the former was true, but, contradictory as it may sound, the latter was not. "While Norwegian pornography offers a wider variety of body types -- conforming less to a societal ideal that is disempowering to the average woman -- there are still many images that do not promote a healthy respect for women," the researchers explain. In other words, Norwegian porn showed more signs of female empowerment, but X-rated images in all three countries equally depicted women in demeaning positions and scenarios. This, the researchers surmise, "suggests that empowerment and disempowerment within pornography are potentially different constructs." So, gender equality is accompanied by sexual interest in a broader range of beauty types but not a decrease in porn's infantilization of females, use of dominating fetish gear on women or any of the other characteristics th
Erich Feldmeier

wissenschaft.de - Aktives Leben in der Tiefe, Meeresbiologie - 0 views

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    "14.06.2013 - Biologie, Geowissenschaften William Orsi (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole) et al., Nature, doi: 10.1038/nature12230 Aktives Leben in der Tiefe RNA-Analyse liefert ersten umfassenden Überblick über Aktivität, Ernährung und Bewegungsformen in der tiefen Biosphäre"
Erich Feldmeier

Stephen Giovannoni: wissenschaft.de - Mikroskopischer Weltkrieg - 0 views

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    ""Die Viren scheinen genauso häufig zu sein wie die SAR1-Bakterien selbst", sagte Giovannoni. Sie töten ständig Unmengen von ihnen. Offenbar sind die SAR11-Bakterien aber in der Lage, sich an die Bedrohung anzupassen und dadurch ihre Population stabil zu halten, sagen die Forscher. Es gibt also demnach ein ständiges Wettrüsten zwischen den Meeresbakterien und ihren viralen Feinden. Das Wissen über dieses Zusammenspiel sei ein wichtiges Puzzleteil beim Verständnis der Stoffkreisläufe im Ozean. Das Gleichgewicht im Kampf zwischen SAR11-Bakterien und Pelagiphagen beeinflusst letztendlich alles Leben auf unserem Planeten, resümieren die Wissenschaftler. Stephen Giovannoni (Oregon State University) et al.: Nature, doi:10.1038/nature11921 "
Charles Daney

How to Measure What We Don't Know - 0 views

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    James Crutchfield, Physics Professor at the University of California at Davis, and graduate students Christopher Ellison and John Mahoney, have developed the analogy of scientists as cryptologists who are trying to glean hidden information from Nature. As they explain, "Nature speaks for herself only through the data she willingly gives up." To build good models, scientists must use the correct "codebook" in order to decrypt the information hidden in observations and so decode the structure embedded in Nature's processes.
anonymous

Organic Farming - A Future Concept To Sustainable Agriculture - 0 views

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    Organic farming is basically called natural farming it helps in fixing nitrogen content in the soil due to which fertility is enhanced naturally without any side effects. trivedi foundation is a scientific research organization that is engaged in the study of existing farming methods and techniques.
thinkahol *

Mind-reading scan identifies simple thoughts - health - 26 May 2011 - New Scientist - 3 views

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    A new new brain imaging system that can identify a subject's simple thoughts may lead to clearer diagnoses for Alzheimer's disease or schizophrenia - as well as possibly paving the way for reading people's minds. Michael Greicius at Stanford University in California and colleagues used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to identify patterns of brain activity associated with different mental states. He asked 14 volunteers to do one of four tasks: sing songs silently to themselves; recall the events of the day; count backwards in threes; or simply relax. Participants were given a 10-minute period during which they had to do this. For the rest of that time they were free to think about whatever they liked. The participants' brains were scanned for the entire 10 minutes, and the patterns of connectivity associated with each task were teased out by computer algorithms that compared scans from several volunteers doing the same task. This differs from previous experiments, in which the subjects were required to perform mental activities at specific times and the scans were then compared with brain activity when they were at rest. Greicius reasons his method encourages "natural" brain activity more like that which occurs in normal thought.
thinkahol *

High-dose opiates could crack chronic pain : Nature News & Comment - 0 views

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    Has a cheap and effective treatment for chronic pain been lying under clinicians' noses for decades? Researchers have found that a very high dose of an opiate drug that uses the same painkilling pathways as morphine can reset the nerve signals associated with continuous pain - at least in rats. If confirmed in humans, the procedure could reduce or eliminate the months or years that millions of patients spend on pain-managing prescription drugs. The results of the study are described today in Science1.
Charles Daney

The Great Beyond: Alzheimer's genes identified - 0 views

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    Three new genes associated with Alzheimer's have been discovered, to the delight of researchers in the field. In two papers published in Nature Genetics, two teams describe how they compared the genomes of sufferers to healthy controls to identify potential gene variations leading to the disease.
thinkahol *

Natural brain state is primed to learn - life - 19 August 2011 - New Scientist - 0 views

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    Apply the electrodes... Externally modulating the brain's activity can boost its performance. The easiest way to manipulate the brain is through transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), which involves applying electrodes directly to the head to influence neuron activity with an electric current. Roi Cohen Kadosh's team at the University of Oxford showed last year that targeting tDCS at the brain's right parietal lobe can boost a person's arithmetic ability - the effects were still apparent six months after the tDCS session (newscientist.com/article/dn19679). More recently, Richard Chi and Allan Snyder at the University of Sydney, Australia, demonstrated that tDCS can improve a person's insight. The pair applied tDCS to volunteers' anterior frontal lobes - regions known to play a role in how we perceive the world - and found the participants were three times as likely as normal to complete a problem-solving task (newscientist.com/article/dn20080). Brain stimulation can also boost a person's learning abilities, according to Agnes Flöel's team at the University of Münster in Germany. Twenty minutes of tDCS to a part of the brain called the left perisylvian area was enough to speed up and improve language learning in a group of 19 volunteers (Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, DOI: 10.1162/jocn.2008.20098). Using the same technique to stimulate the brain's motor cortex, meanwhile, can enhance a person's ability to learn a movement-based skill (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0805413106).
anonymous

Improve Crop Yield In A Natural Way! - 0 views

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    Natural ways to increase agricultural production pave way for prevention of soil and environment also. The Trivedi effect which is a whole new phenomenon was founded by Mahendra Kumar Trivedi, who is also the founder of Trivedi Global Inc.
Mike Chelen

RNA world easier to make : Nature News - 0 views

  • John Sutherland and his colleagues from the University of Manchester, UK
  • ribonucleotide
  • building block of RNA
  • ...29 more annotations...
  • Donna Blackmond, a chemist at Imperial College London.
  • strong evidence for the RNA world
  • 'RNA world' hypothesis, which suggests that life began when RNA, a polymer related to DNA that can duplicate itself and catalyse reactions
  • chemists had thought the subunits would probably assemble themselves first, then join to form a ribonucleotide
  • three distinct parts: a ribose sugar, a phosphate group and a base
  • RNA polymer is a string of ribonucleotides
  • efforts to connect ribose and base together have met with frustrating failure
  • researchers have now managed to synthesise
  • ribonucleotides
  • remedy is to avoid producing separate ribose-sugar and base subunits
  • makes a molecule whose scaffolding contains a bond that will
  • be the key ribose-base connection
  • atoms are then added around this skeleton
  • final connection is to add a phosphate group
  • influences the entire synthesis
  • acting as a catalyst, it guides small organic molecules into making the right connections
  • What we have ended up with is molecular choreography
  • objectors to the RNA-world theory say the RNA molecule as a whole is too complex to be created using early-Earth geochemistry
  • flaw is in the logic — that this experimental control by researchers in a modern laboratory could have been available on the early Earth
  • Robert Shapiro, a chemist at New York University
  • early-Earth scenarios
  • heating molecules in water, evaporating them and irradiating them with ultraviolet light
  • results showing that they can string nucleotides together
  • ultimate goal is to get a living system (RNA) emerging from a one-pot experiment
  • need to know what the constraints on the conditions are first
  • Shapiro sides with
  • another theory of life's origins
  • because RNA is too complex to emerge from small molecules, simpler metabolic processes
  • eventually catalysed the formation of RNA and DNA
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