Apoptosis, anyone?

One of the most remarkable things about cell biology is apoptosis, or programmed cell death. Probably an epigenetic process, it is the difference between organism life and death and shows the intricacies of cell communication mechanisms. One mistake and you have a paddle instead of a hand, or no eyes. Life emerging from death.
In order to understand this one needs to understand cell physiology and communication well. I plan on going there with my BIOS 250B students this session. Cell biology is the essence of all biology because it is at the cell level that the non-living pieces (DNA, ATP, oxygen, glucose) come together to make LIFE, truly greater than the sum of its parts. Apoptosis even shows how life requires death. Not magic, just totally wonderful, and a picture of the universe itself.

Redox Redux...I hope!

There is no doubt that chemistry can be intimidating. Like most sciences, though, it has a few basic principles that, if understood, can get us through. One of these is OXIDATION - REDUCTION REACTIONS. These reactions lie behind almost all biochemistry, especially energy production.
Just remember, OLE!
Oxidation Loses Electrons!

Have a leech?

My younger sons and I are going up to the Renaissance Faire today. I started taking them when they were small and they get into it...costumes, swords, the works. I love the whole cheesy shtick!
I also love Monty Python, and Terry Jones in particular, who has become a world-class historian. His exposes of historical misconceptions are particularly acute. Had I not become a scientist/clinician I'd have become a history professor.
This series has a piece on the Philosopher, which in the context of the Middle Ages was a natural scientist. I actually show it in my classes at times to emphasize how science is a lengthy and group-based process, not a punctuated lineage of brilliant iconoclasts. It also points out that some of the practices of science at the time (NOT including bleeding) were not so "primitive" as we like to think. Even alchemy, which was actually Newton's first love, grew into modern chemistry.
The issue at hand is SCIENTIFIC LITERACY, which includes a basic understanding of the history of science; we cannot understand the science of NOW and the FUTURE unless we understand the science of THEN.
Plus Terry Jones is hilarious and the Renaissance Faire is a unique way to have some good, dirty (the fairgrounds are almost medieval in construction) fun. And the turkey legs are actually pretty tasty!

The age of wonder & Sir Joseph Banks

I am reading a great book (see below) on the age of Romantic science, sometimes called erroneously the "second" scientific revolution (the "first one" was not a revolution, either, but a centuries long evolution). This period, which really has never ended, was personified by the great Sir Joseph Banks, who voyaged with Cook to Tahiti and was subsequently president of the Royal Society for decades. Banks was an exuberant patron of and practitioner of science. Primarily a botanist, he was personally responsible for assembling the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew, which Janis and I have visited and which remain a world-class example of its kind. He was an intimate of Britain's king, George III, who gets a bad rap for his lack of colonial gumption (thankfully) but who was a knowledgeable patron of science as well.
Banks was exhilaratingly progressive and unconventional, sponsoring and encouraging little known scientists who subsequently became legends. An outstanding example of this was his promotion of William Herschel, who discovered the planet Uranus and, with his equally talented sister Caroline, turned astronomy into the science that has evolved into the modern and highly productive area of cosmology. Banks was also an enthusiastic supporter of ballooning, man's first successful method of flight.
Banks was independently wealthy and shared his wealth through his scientific sponsorships. In my view he did more than Newton or Einstein for the scientific endeavor and is my personal hero of scientific literacy. Here's to you, Joe!

Lessons from nature....

I was reminded of the relationship among lions, hyenas, and their prey as I "discussed" the current political season (which started the day after Election Day 2008) with friends. Certainly there are parallels.
Hyenas and lions hate each other. They harass and will kill each other when they can, even if there is no prey involved.When there is prey, of course, it will get moved back and forth between the parties
as one or the other gains the upper hand, getting seriously macerated in the process. There will be vicious and bloody battles within the winning group as well for who gets the most meat. But in the end the impala or the buffalo or the ibex is still dead and will be eaten; any remnants will be picked over by the vultures,
who are no slouches in the mindless butchery department themselves.
Think about it.

Illinois can be pretty nice, too....

The

Morton
Arboretum...
my wife Janis'
favorite place.
If you haven't been,
go!

Nature study....

Where better than Arizona?

Is anything "final"?

Even "final exams"? I wish my students the best on theirs. I expect they will all do well.
I recently finished a book on the science (such as it is) of immortality. The book was a disappointment in large part because of its central figure, a singularly repellent gerontology "guru" named Aubrey de Grey who sincerely believes we will achieve endless life in this century. The concept, however, has fascinated humans since we could think. Probably only because we CAN think, in fact.
The hydra (pictured) is basically immortal. It goes on and on, shedding cells from bottom to top and never aging in the process. Does it glory in its immortality? Probably not. Is it bored? Maybe. Does it care either way? I doubt it. But has a hydra ever won Nobel prize or an Oscar or a Pulitzer? Does it weep? Does it marvel at sunsets?
It has been the poets who have understood that the price we pay for the richness of our lives is mortality, that we burn the brighter for not burning forever. The hydra can have its humdrum Methuselahn years.
I prefer the sunset.

Zoo Saturday w/niece & nephew....

I have been fortunate to see many "wild" animals in their natural habitats, including a large herd of the animal pictured above (at Chobe in Botswana). The good fortune is not in that they do anything "special"; just observing them ignoring me,
doing their own thing helped me with perspective.
I am not the center of the universe, and that is a good thing.
For the hippos and everyone else.

The anatomy lab....

Our lab today won't look much like this--but we WILL be wearing gloves,and we WON'T be wearing ruffed collars. Plus we don't have a human cadaver....
BUT I'll bet we learn more!

Bread mold is our friend....

Particularly this one--Penicillium.
Many people have heard the story of how this mold was found to be toxic to bacteria. Like many complex stories, this one is
true only in general.
Alexander Fleming got the Nobel for its discovery but there were many other scientists involved.
I do a fair amount of work in my classes in which students may choose to work together or alone; they may also be required to work in groups.
Data shows that people learn better in groups; also,
the scientific/clinical endeavor is a group process.
BTW, penicillin organisms work in groups as well!

Sheep may safely....

My sister is fond of sheep, so I'll not mention here specifically how sheep are going to help us out this week. :-)
That being said, sheep get a bad rap for being stupid. When we were in Hawaii once we were told that if a pregnant sheep falls over she can't get up by herself. On observing the sheep's brain we see they got about two scoops (see below re: ice cream cones). Sheep are notorious followers.
Yet sheep are a highly successful species. They "make" lots of useful things people need. They are loyal. They look nice on a hillside. They rarely complain unless they are separated from the flock. The are not real crazy about dogs (AMEN to that). They don't go to war and take good care of their young. We could learn a lot from sheep. And this week in A&P we will! (Don't ask, Sis!)

It's a fungus...it's a plant...it's an animal?

Slime mold--which isn't a mold--is probably one of the "smartest" life forms on the planet.
A member of the KINGDOM PROTISTA,
it responds to environmental changes by adapting it's anatomy and physiology to survive just about anything.
If it only had a brain, this creature might take over the world!

Use your senses....

...to explore the world this weekend.

Observe. Read.
Listen to a friend talk.
Feel the warm, damp air on your skin.
Taste something fresh and sweet.
Experience a smell memory.
Enjoy
and be grateful!

Ribbon cutting today at the Chicago campus....

Congratulations, Dean Robinson, students, and staff!

Pond scum is our friend....

If it weren't for algae (Kingdom Protista) there would be no oxygen...no fish, no birds, no food chain, no us. Next time you use the term as a pejorative, think again.
Scum on the top of the turtle water dish, however, is not very useful.
"Turtle water dish scum!"
It even sounds worse!

This is actually a painting:
EVOLUTION-POND SCUM -->

Piled higher and deeper

I applaud all efforts to increase scientific literacy.
Some work better than others, however.
NPR has been running a series on the evolution of H. sapiens. It's been reasonably well done. Yesterday the episode was on the brain and I think it went a bit too far in the "let's make this understandable" direction.
Noting that the evolutionary process takes current "stuff"--anatomy and physiology--and adapts it, one scientist described the brain as an ice cream cone, with each major evolutionary change or "advance" being another scoop. He thinks the brain is poorly engineered and organized and slow. Maybe his is! (Humans have four scoops, btw, jellyfish only one. Whew!!)
I think the brain is better organized and more purposeful than that. How about the very apt computer analogy? The basic circuits and data bits--neurons and electrons--work pretty well in all species. We just have better and newer apps!
Plus our "cone" doesn't melt!

You are really a fun guy!

Decomposer, pretty boy, spore, pathogen, gourmet delicacy...he does it all. Or she. Or it. Fungi are almost as common and strange as Protista, and a lot more visible. Any Kingdom that can produce the toxic spores of coccidiomycosis (Valley Fever) and the to-die-for white truffle is one we have to admire for its adaptability and creativity. And what we would do without Amanita phalloides, better known as deadly nightshade, which makes rattlesnake venom look like lemonade for pure poison punch?

Yes, we have fungus among us, and in the end it's a good thing we do!

Still amazing....

Despite the limitations of the male specimen, the human brain is truly an incredible work of art. In fact, if looked at from the point of view of the organism, most brains are pretty spiffy no matter the species. Even Euglena, a protist of somewhat limited capacity, has an "eye spot" that helps it move toward the light so that it can make food. Compared to your average rock, Euglena is Leonardo! (I think daVinci had way more brainpower than Einstein, who was really more of a savant. Leo was a generalist.)
Be good to your brain and it'll be good to you!

I'm so nervous....

You bet you are!
The nervous system is the most incredible of all evolutionary developments, yet the most important by far. Organisms of the most simple type--including prokaryotes and plants--have functions exactly parallel to that of "higher" organisms' brain sand nervous systems.
In essence, the nervous system is our internal electrical network and works on the same principle--
flowing electrons that carry energy.
So, if you ever feel "energized", YOU ARE!

Beautiful, beautiful Protists, I'll never love Monera again....

The Kingdom Protista has some of the most beautiful and fascinating organisms on Earth. Formerly called Protozoans and included in the Animal Kingdom, these creatures fill and thrive in an astonishing array of environments. Generally benign rather than pathogenic, these life forms are endlessly adaptable and creative in their diversity. Here's to the Protists--real evolutionary pros!

Science, the law, and freedom

The great anatomist and illustrator Vesalius was probably a criminal. At the time he worked, using human bodies for scientific study was illegal, immoral, unethical, sacreligious, and simply in bad taste. Of course, people did it anyway.
Bodies were obtained from graveyards or directly from the executioner (for a fee). Dissections were done at night with poor lighting, and the cadavers had to be hidden between sessions as they rapidly decomposed. Though renowned for the beauty of his engravings, the fact that he worked with poor specimens under frightful conditions actually led Vesalius to make anatomical drawings that were often anatomically incorrect. No matter--they were the best available for centuries and, as they say, good enough.
I complain a lot about the way the world is and perhaps I am simply turning into a curmudgeon. So be it. But I am grateful that science in now practiced in the open and that those of us who do it, whether we are Nobel winners or assistant professors, are no longer criminals just for being curious about the way the world works.
ADDENDUM: There is an interesting article in the 16 July 2010 issue of Science that looks at a different aspect of the issue. A world-renowned anatomy text produced by an Austrian scientist during the inter-war period has been found to contain drawings made of (executed) victims of the Nazis. Should this book be "banned"? Clearly the work of the "doctors" of the Third Reich was barbaric, but are the findings of this "research" to be off-limits? I have no answers to these questions but it is clear that science is not independent of its context and it behooves all scientists to maintain the most rigorous integrity. Like it or not, Vesalius was a criminal!

Winner and still champion....

A widely accepted theory is that eukaryotic mitochondria "started out" as prokaryotic cells, namely bacteria (or archaea). Mitochondrial DNA in fact is separate from nuclear DNA, and appears to be descended in the maternal line.
This convenient uniting of pros and eus makes sense. The question is, though, "why" (the real question is, "HOW?") are prokaryotes (specifically Monera) still the dominant life form on Earth? The answer is not difficult--we are simply part of the frond of life, not its apex.
As Stephen Jay Gould points out in THE BEST BOOK EVER on evolution, Full House, the process of natural selection is not about "progress" but about adaptability, diversity and excellence. In those areas no organism has yet surpassed the prokaryotes, and thus they remain the most populous, most widely distributed, and most successful life form on Earth. Mammals in general and humans in particular, despite our many desirable characteristics, are genetic also-rans. Prokaryotes will be around to re-populate the Earth once homo sapiens has destroyed the rest of the frond.