Some of the base pairs in a given genome are strung together into templates that code for proteins or RNA molecules. These are the classic “genes.” Other base pairs probably have little or no function. Among the DNA that is not in classic gene-templates, however, there is a lot of important information, including “control regions.”How much of each “type” of DNA exists in a particular genome varies. A recent study suggests that the currently used methods for scanning DNA for regulatory sequences may systematically m miss more than half of that information. Continue reading More”Junk”DNA is Not
Yearly Archives: 2007
War on Christmas Training Manual
What are the Christmas Wars?:
In his infamous tract “The International Jew,” Henry Ford wrote “The whole record of the Jewish opposition to Christmas, Easter and other Christian festivals, and their opposition to certain patriotic songs, shows the venom and directness of [their] attack.” The John Birch Society complained that the “Godless UN” was conspiring against Christmas. Today, conservatives claim that secularists and liberals are trying to replace Christmas. The enemy changes, but it’s still the same conspiracy story.
Foot soldiers in the war on Chrismas, you must read this! Especially if you ever want a promotion.
Texas Profs Weight In on Intelligent Design
want us to believe that their “theory” is part of science, but of course, it is really a form of creationism, and has no place in Texas schools. This position is shared by more than 100 professors in Texas, who have weighted in on this debate:
“Intelligent design is a religious idea that deserves no place in the science classroom,” said assistant professor Daniel Bolnick from his lab on the University of Texas campus. “I really just want to communicate to the state board that we’re keeping an eye on the quality of evolution education, and that there’s no justification for watering it down.”[source]
Continue reading Texas Profs Weight In on Intelligent Design
Bookman Saves the Day
All I Want for Christmas is a Good Science Education
The Florida Citizens for Science asks:
Since the holiday season is upon us, why not spread an educational message along with your Christmas cheer?
Fibonacci Curves = God
This could be the proof of god:The assertion made by the “Does God Exist” people is that a pattern must be designed, and that patterns don’t occur in nature. But it is possible that there is another way to look at this. Continue reading Fibonacci Curves = God
Florida Creationist Pressure Mounting
This from the National Center for Science Education:
As Florida continues to consider the draft of a new set of state science standards, there are reports about mounting creationist lobbying against the inclusion of evolution and for the inclusion of creationism. Writing in the Miami Herald (December 9, 2007), Fred Grimm summarized: “For the past 11 years, the biology curriculum in Florida schools has ignored the one great organizing principle of biological science. Darwin’s theory was blackballed, never mind that his work has been bolstered by 148 years of scientific inquiry. … Or so it seemed until last week, when board member Donna Callaway, a former middle school principal from Leon County, said she opposed this Godless evolution stuff.”
Golden Compass Review Repressed by Catholic Church
This just in:
Days after its publication, a largely positive review of The Golden Compass that appeared in Catholic newspapers across the country was retracted this week by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
The bishops, who could not be reached for comment, offered no explanation for the decision. But Catholic groups, including the conservative Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, have urged moviegoers to boycott the film, saying the film and the book on which it is based are anti-Catholic.
Continue reading Golden Compass Review Repressed by Catholic Church
Student identifies enormous new dinosaur
Fossils representing on of one of the largest meat-eating dinosaurs known, the African Carcharodontosaurus iguidensis, were identified by Steve Brusatte, a student working at the University of Bristol. The fossils were originally located in Niger.Carcharodontosaurus iguidensis, a new species, was about 13 to 14 meters long, with a skull about 1.75 meters long. It is said that its teeth were the size of bananas. So think about that next time you are eating a banana.Bits and pieces of this dinosaur genus have been previously located, some of those fossils (from Egypt) having been destroyed during the bombing of Munich in 1944. The new material is sufficiently different form these earlier finds that it is being considered as a new species. The new material includes bits of the skull and some neck vertebrae.[source]
Ohio School District: WTF????
This is an amazing story, and unfortunately, it is probably being repeated again and again across the country. It begins with a parent who does not want his daugther exposed to science, which is pretty common, but leads to a startling revelation about the local school board. Startling, but I’m afraid, probably not at all uncommon either. Continue reading Ohio School District: WTF????
Reprogramming Adult Cells to Cure Sickle-Cell
MIT researchers have successfully treated mice with sickle-cell anemia in a process that begins by directly reprogramming the mice’s own cells to an embryonic-stem-cell-like state, without the use of eggs.This is the first proof-of-principle of therapeutic application in mice of directly reprogrammed induced pluripotent stem (IPS) cells, which recently have been derived in mice as well as humans.”This demonstrates that IPS cells have the same potential for therapy as embryonic stem cells, without the ethical and practical issues raised in creating embryonic stem cells,” said MIT biology professor Rudolf Jaenisch, a member of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research.[Source]
Microsoft Infuriated
Proposed legislation that would mandate the use of the Open Document Format (ODF) across the entire Dutch government has infuriated Microsoft. A group promoting open standards sees no threat, however, and has invited Microsoft to join its ranks.On Wednesday the Dutch parliament will discuss a plan to mandate use of the Open Document Format (ODF) at government agencies. The proposal is part of a wider plan to increase the sustainability of information and innovation, while lowering costs through the reuse of data.
The Wood Spider … stoned
This is a good one for your 8th grade biology class…… or maybe not…
Islands Going Under
There are still mysteries
Try this: Starting at home, drive, run, ski, or walk about fifty thousand feet. That would be about ten miles, or 15 kilometers. It won’t take you long (especially if you drive) and chances are, when you get there, it will be a place at least vaguely familiar to you. At the very least, it will be a place that is qualitatively familiar to you. Even if you end up in a strip mall, or a government office building, or a recreational park, that you’ve never been to before, you’ll be able to find your way around.
Now do the same thing, but instead of going across the landscape, go straight up. What a difference! You wont be able to breath, you’ll freeze to death, and there will be fewer strip malls (probably). Continue reading There are still mysteries