blogo-links

@yokofakun: Test your knowledge about Darwin & Evolution (In French) doc: http://tinyurl.com/mnek9m ( via Nouvel Obs http://tinyurl.com/laml8s )

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@sciencesetdemoc: Revue2web: Génétiquement pro-OGM http://tinyurl.com/njgtcb

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@rubp: RT @tweetmeme BioData Product Blog – Carbon Dioxide Affects Fish Ear Structure http://bit.ly/ToOA1 #biodata

Related: Elevated CO2 Enhances Otolith Growth in Young Fish
David M. Checkley, Jr., Andrew G. Dickson, Motomitsu Takahashi, J. Adam Radich, Nadine Eisenkolb, Rebecca Asch

A large fraction of the carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere by human activity enters the sea, causing ocean acidification. We show that otoliths (aragonite ear bones) of young fish grown under high CO2 (low pH) conditions are larger than normal, contrary to expectation. We hypothesize that CO2 moves freely through the epithelium around the otoliths in young fish, accelerating otolith growth while the local pH is controlled. This is the converse of the effect commonly reported for structural biominerals.

Science 26 June 2009, Vol. 324. no. 5935, p. 1683, doi: 10.1126/science.1169806

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Researchers discover new fluorescent silicon nanoparticles

Researchers in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Leicester have developed a new synthesis method, which has led them to the discovery of fluorescent silicon nanoparticles and may ultimately help track the uptake of drugs by the body’s cells.

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Early Cell Fate Decisions of Human Embryonic Stem Cells and Mouse Epiblast Stem Cells Are Controlled by the Same Signalling Pathways.

Early Cell Fate Decisions of Human Embryonic Stem Cells and Mouse Epiblast Stem Cells Are Controlled by the Same Signalling Pathways.

Vallier L, Touboul T, Chng Z, Brimpari M, Hannan N, et al. (2009)

PLoS ONE 4(6): e6082. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0006082

The Hedgehog Signaling Pathway: Where Did It Come From?

The Hedgehog Signaling Pathway: Where Did It Come From?

Hausmann G, von Mering C, Basler K, 2009.

PLoS Biol 7(6): e1000146. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1000146

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Complex body plans require sophisticated cell–cell signaling pathways. How these pathways evolved is often not very well understood. Here, we argue that the Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway may have arisen from systems that were originally designed for the transport and homeostasis of certain bacterial sterol analogs—the hopanoids. We propose a possible scenario for the evolution of Hh signaling and discuss how evolutionary considerations can shed light on the mysterious communication between the membrane-bound Hh transducers Patched (Ptc) and Smoothened (Smo).

Controlling transgene expression in subcutaneous implants using a skin lotion containing the apple metabolite phloretin

Controlling transgene expression in subcutaneous implants using a skin lotion containing the apple metabolite phloretin

Marc Gitzinger, Christian Kemmer, Marie Daoud El-Baba, Wilfried Webera, and Martin Fussenegger

Published online before print June 22, 2009, doi: 10.1073/pnas.0901501106

influenza – graph

Changes in reporting requirements for pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus infection

16 JULY 2009 | GENEVA — As the 2009 pandemic evolves, the data needed for risk assessment, both within affected countries and at the global level, are also changing.

Body-swapping robot

robot’s teleportation of some kind

not habit forming

blogo-links

@dpodolsky: Teenage baby lacks master ageing gene: http://is.gd/1ecjd #genetics Lucky one. Or – what do you think?

Not lucky one, being stuck at age 11 months is not the most fortunate condition.

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Grrr. Once again, we’ve got a caricature of the atheist position: who among us claims perfect self-knowledge and flawless rationality? We’re human beings, last I looked. However, to imply that we can therefore have no license to criticize irrationality is to claim that no one can say anything ever against foolishness. It’s an abdication of intellectual responsibility.
[I may not be perfectly rational, but my magic invisible monkeys are!]

Where invisible monkeys ecotope is at least revealed.

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Mr Jambier, 45 rue de Bolivot

Selfless, Cold and Composed