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Articles in Home | Reference & Education | Science Title|Newest|Oldest Animal Testing - More Common Than You Think  By : Morgan Hamilton I once received a pamphlet from a friend when I was in college. He told me to read it and pass it on. The pamphlet contained information about animal testing. It listed the companies that still use it, and those that did not. I felt sad when I saw that many of the companies that did it were the companies that make many of the things that I use in my home. As a result, I threw out most of those stuff when I got home. I then tried to decide on what products I could use. I always try my best to get the right products, although I can’t say that I am perfect about buying the right ones. Do you know that animal testing has been around for a long time? I prefer to hear that it is being done for medical research, even if I still think that it should not be condoned for any reason. I feel disgusted whenever I hear that animal testing is done for things like shampoos and conditioners. Of course, I understand that a company has to know if their product will harm a person when they use it. However, I think that they should find another way to test their products other than using it on those poor animals. Seeking Arthritis Pain Relief  By : Morgan Hamilton There are a lot of ailments that can severely affect people’s lives. Arthritis is a common but very painful condition that burdens many people nowadays. Arthritis pain relief is important to sufferers because the pain from this ailment can impair normal physical functions. There are different types of arthritis but the essential cause is the inflammation of joints. This ailment can affect joints in the shoulder, elbow, knee, hips, hands or neck. People usually undergo physical therapy, some take prescription and over the counter drugs to treat this ailment. Pain killing drugs are an effective arthritis pain relief that can help a lot of people. However, they may also bring side effects and are costly in the long term. Some sufferers choose to have an operation to replace the joint as a last resort for arthritis pain relief. Finding An Effective Alzheimer Treatment  By : Morgan Hamilton Due to the advances in medical technology, we have learned more about mysterious ailments like Alzheimer’s disease. However, there are still a lot of things that we don’t understand about this disease, and researchers have not yet found a cure. Doctors can prescribe a particular Alzheimer treatment, but the effects are only limited to some of the symptoms. Alzheimer patients around the world are hoping that researchers and doctors can succeed in their mission of finding a better Alzheimer treatment. Alzheimer’s disease is a type of dementia that happens when neurons or brain cells start to die, off and the chemical messengers between the brain cells cease begin to malfunction. As a result, the patients suffer a significant loss in memory and impaired reasoning, and will experience personality and behavior changes as the disease progresses. The disease will also impair their ability to communicate, and they may become very anxious or even aggressive. The patients’ choice of Alzheimer treatment will depend on the rate of development of the disease. The Increasing Instances Of Anxiety Disorder In Children  By : Morgan Hamilton Being a child seems to be an easy period in a person’s life. Childhood, for most of us, is a carefree phase of life when children do not have any worries except maybe showing up in time for school. Sorry to say, but in this modern age, even children suffer from problems as indicated by the increase in cases of anxiety disorder for children, in recent years. Modern kids have hectic schedules. Weekdays are spent on classrooms and weekends are devoted to sports like baseball or hockey. They have to devote time for homework, and science projects. They also have to spend time in working out concerns like bullies and their boyfriends or girlfriends. An Examination Of Non-hodgkins Lymphoma  By : Morgan Hamilton Cancer is a life-threatening disease that is prevalent in our time. One of which is known as non-Hodgkins lymphoma or NHL. It is a cancer that affects the lymphatic system and develops in the lymphoid tissue, which contain lymphocytes that are found all over the body. The lymphatic system is part of our immune system, and contains two basic types of lymphocytes. B lymphocytes manufacture antibodies that protect your body against bacteria and viruses by attracting white blood cells that devour them. Tlymphocytes on the other hand destroy cancer cells as well as viruses, fungi, and bacteria. They produce a chemical called cytokinesis which attracts white blood cells to help destroy harmful microorganisms. Research posted at www.cancer.org by the Cancer Society claims that non-Hodgkins lymphoma develop from B lymphocytes 85% of the time, and the remaining 15% from T lymphocytes. All About Biotech Research  By : Morgan Hamilton One of my friends, a former community college student at the school at the same time I was working there, has decided to go into biotech research. She is technologically savvy and at the same time is fascinated with and good at working with the environment, and hopes to make some important contributions to our area (Northern California). So what does it mean to do biotech research? What does it take to get into the field of biotechnology? And how much dough can you make? Biotech research can involve anything in the life sciences, from “human health and computational disease mapping to crop and tree improvements,” as those studies are done by students at the Biotech Research Center at Michigan Tech, from “forensics, [the] testing of biotoxins, and management of the nation’s organ transplantation process” to “drug development, medical diagnostics, biomedical engineering, and environmental analysis,” such as those done at Virginia Biotechnology Research Park, or from biogenetic engineering, farming, or nutritional assessment and engineering to toxicology, biomedical imaging and engineering, or food, drug, and environmental technologies, as conducted by University of California Biotechnology Research and Education Program (UC BREP). Online Math Programs  By : Morgan Hamilton Nowadays you can find a great variety of online math programs. Honestly, as a teacher, I don't believe that any subject, especially Math, can be tutored online. What's most important in tutoring is to be able to act in person. The only way I know to teach mathematics is face-to-face. From my point of view, the online math programs available are not good, all they do is to confuse the child with complicated charts and answers which without a teacher's explanation, would be quite discouraging and may have only a negative impact on the child. However, there are some online math programs that have proved to be quite helpful. For instance, there are some sites offering free online multiplication games. This is a great way for your kid to practice multiplication drills and have fun at the same time. I hate to see children bored with calculating with paper and pen. I believe it's good if they also play such math games that help them learn more. Since the online game doesn't differs from the normal math, than I can only encourage youngsters to play it. But many other online math programs are simply trash. If you cannot learn your algebra in school then how can you learn it from online math setup? Of course, that would be impossible, so don't waste your time trying it. A Review Of Autism Research  By : Morgan Hamilton The surprisingly high rate of the condition known as autism is reported by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to be one in 166 children. Most people find it even a bit scary, especially ones who have never been exposed to statistics or to anyone affected by this condition. The lack of publicity on the problem causes troubles to autism research, as those research funds are being diverted to other causes with much bigger publicity as cancer and heart disease. We don’t try to say that those are not important, we just say that with such a high rate of people affected by autism it should be considered a worthy cause too. Despite the high number of affected children, their parents often complain about the lack of intensity in that research if any is done nowadays. Of the total amount of the National Health Budget, which adds up to $30 million, the part that goes to autism research is as tiny as two thirds of a percent, according to Mr. Wright of Autism Speaks. And that is not at all enough, according to the affected ones and their relatives. On The Road To Creating Real Power From Waves  By : Stacey Moore With 2,069 miles of Atlantic coastline and 7,623 miles of Pacific coastline, America may be in a unique position to put the waters to work, creating an inexpensive, renewable source of energy. While water power is nothing new, the process behind the latest "wave" of innovation certainly is. Power plants using oscillating water column (OWC) technology are able to harness the power of waves, generating a commercial level of energy that can then be connected to the nation's power grid. The result could be greater self-sufficiency and reduced reliance on foreign energy sources. Can Technology "chip" Away At Privacy?  By : Stacey Moore A wireless technology that's been around for more than 60 years is raising privacy and security issues for some people. The technology is RFID-radio frequency identification. Typically, it involves three components: a tag consisting of a microchip and radio antenna; a reader; and a computer system. The tag is attached to or embedded in an item, such as the pass that an employee might use to get into an office building. Information contained on the chip is sent to the reader by radio signals. What Is Rfid?  By : Stacey Moore RFID-radio frequency identification-has been around for more than 60 years. Today, consumers come into contact with this technology in many forms, from the passes used by employees to enter the buildings where they work to payment cards that can simply hover over-rather than be swiped through-a machine to work. As RFID is increasingly used in people's daily lives, the National Consumers League, the nation's oldest consumer advocacy organization, says that it's important to know what it is and how it works. Students Make Fishy Friends  By : Stacey Moore Fish are helping to school U.S. students. Using aquariums in their classrooms, students are incubating and hatching salmon eggs. They then rear them until they're old enough to be released in streams, serving as a fun way to learn about life cycles, fish habitats and the environment. Digging Up The Facts About Coal  By : Stacey Moore Energy is the lifeblood of modern developed countries worldwide. Continued energy price increases in recent years have had a significant impact on industrial and commercial businesses across the U.S. The successful companies are those that have been able to adapt, downsize or shift their operations offshore; the unsuccessful companies are those that have gone out of business. A recent study by Management Information Services found an intriguing relationship between business energy prices and the rate of job growth. In recent years, the 10 states with the lowest business energy costs created 60 percent more jobs than the 10 states with the highest energy costs. How Chemistry Saves Children's Lives  By : Stacey Moore America's children are healthier today than ever before, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other health experts. One important indicator: Life expectancy has nearly doubled in the past 100 years and continues to rise. Today's newborns can expect to live into their 80s, whereas in the early 1900s many died before reaching the age of five. Nuclear Powers. Space Missions  By : Stacey Moore Nuclear technology, used to power space missions, is helping explore what primitive Earth may have been like billions of years ago. Equipment powered by radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) has been collecting images and data from Titan, a moon of Saturn, whose atmosphere is similar to young Earth. Studying this information could tell us if Titan is able to support some form of life. Helping Corn Weather The Storm  By : Stacey Moore Technologies developed to protect crops from insects have helped farmers tell bad weather to bug off. For instance, in-plant insect control developed through biotechnology is helping corn perform even in drought conditions. The technology helps make crops heartier, with a well-protected, fuller root system that enables plants to more effectively absorb limited subsoil moisture and nutrients, a factor that is particularly important during dry spells. Nostradamus Prophecies Linked to the Nazca Lines  By : Roberto Bell Michel Nostradamus, history's most famous prophet, died in southern France in the sixteenth century. The lines of Nazca are one of archaeology's greatest mysteries and were created nearly a thousand years earlier on a faraway continent. A direct connection between the two is surely impossible, no? "To the contrary, it's highly possible," says Morten St. George, author of a Nostradamus decoding book called Incantation of the Law Against Inept Critics: A Guide to Cryptic Thinking. The Most Common Eye Disorders  By : Roberto Bell The four most common eye disorders, or 'refractive errors', are nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism and presbyopia. They are not diseases, but simply minor flaws in the construction of the eye. Info about Genetic Diseases  By : Roberto Bell Genetic diseases are surely one of the most dangerous factors for human?s health. These disorders are due to abnormalitites in genetic material (also known as genome) of humans. Genetic diseases are categorized in four main types according to where does the disorder happens. What is Fibre Optic Cable and How does it Work?  By : Mozza1 Optical fibres are sometimes called ‘light pipes’ because that is how they behave any light that enters one end is trapped in the pipe until it falls out of the other end. However, there is no hole down the middle. An optical fibre is a thin strand of transparent material (glass or plastic), coated with a thin sheath of a different transparent material. It is usually less than one millimetre in diameter and can be as fine as 0.0004 mm. The glass or plastic is so pure that light is not impeded by it – but the boundary between the core and the sheath. From the light’s point of view, is like the wall of a pipe. How Does the Microwave Oven Actualy Work?  By : Mozza1 As they fall between light and ordinary radio waves, they share some of the characteristics of both. Like light they travel in straight lines and can be blocked by solid objects. They can also be focused, beamed and reflected. Microwaves made their first major impact on the modern world when it was discovered that they were ideal for radar. What is the technology behind the light bulb  By : Mozza1 The light bulb is the most familiar, useful and widespread electrical invention on Earth. This everyday brainwave is based on the simple fact that very thin wires get hot when an electric current is passed through them, and some even glow. The trick is to find the best material that will glow the brightest, for longest. Today, the metal tungsten is used in nearly all bulbs – it does not melt until it reaches 3382°C and as it approaches this temperature little of the metal evaporates. How does the telephone actually work?  By : Mozza1 Capturing speech and sending it halfway round the world in a fraction of a second is a modern wonder. The telephone is the beginning and end of a worldwide communications network. It has four basic parts – a microphone, an earpiece, a dial and a ringer. What is a MAGLEV TRAIN?  By : Mozza1 These high-speed magnetically levitating (maglev) trains are being built in Germany and Japan and a cut-down version already connects Birmingham airport to its traditional railway station. As they do not make contact with the rails there is no friction to slow maglevs down and no moving parts to wear out. However, their sophisticated electrical systems are not easy to build. How does a Hovercraft work?  By : Mozza1 The hovercraft was invented in 1959 by Sir Christopher Cockerell. He recognized the fact that vehicles which are in contact with the ground are impeded by bumps and are largely restricted to even surfaces such as roads and rails. In the sea, boats are slowed down because they have to push their way through the water. AIRCRAFT - So how do they fly  By : Mozza1 Aircraft designers think of the air like we think of water it is fluid and it has mass. So, just as a lake will support a water skier, air will support a flying machine – as long as it keeps moving fast enough. QUANTUM THEORY  By : Mozza1 Quantum theory was established in the early 1900s in response to the failure of Newton's . mechanics to describe the absorption and emission of light by atoms and molecules. Developing a storage reference architecture  By : Mozza1 good architect knows that you don't start planning a building at the blueprint stage. You develop representations of what the building will look like after getting a good understanding of the goals and requirements - pictures and models come before creating the actual building plan. Once the concept is defined and agreed upon, the detailed plan is developed. Fed up with tape, hospital moves to storage jukebox  By : Mozza1 (Computerworld) -- When Cabell Huntington Hospital installed a new image and records archiving system late last year, it was given a choice of sticking with its optical disk jukebox and its spinning disk arrays or going back to magnetic tape. HP ProLiant DL380 G4 Data Protection Storage Server  By : Mozza1 The HP ProLiant DL380 G4 Data Protection Storage Server is a network attached storage (NAS) appliance that utilizes Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager 2006 (DPM) to provide rapid & reliable recovery, near continuous data protection, and operational simplicity for disk-based backup of Windows file servers in an Active Directory domain. Disk based backup and simple end-user file recovery deliver a low total cost of ownership. Ufo's - Fact Or Fiction?  By : sachatarkovskywritername One subject that fascinates millions of people worldwide is do UFO's exist? There are comelling facts that point to their existence and here we will look at evidence in more detail. Although a well-known subject for literally thousands of years (indeed mentioned in the earliest known writings) the subject of UFO's continue to fascinate us. Understanding The Check Engine Light  By : Dalvin Rumsey On all modern vehicles there is a computer that controls the way the engine operates, this computer is called Electronic Control Module, or ECM. The purpose of the ECM is to maintain the engine running within emissions limits and at top efficiency. With the very strict emission regulations of today, this is not an easy task to achieve. Precise and constant adjustments to match various conditions of the engine must be made by the ECM in regards to speed, load, engine temperature and others. How the ECM works: The Basics Of A Remanufactured Engine  By : Dalvin Rumsey Even if the commercials seen on TV might make you believe that an engine can run forever, that is not really true, any engine wears out eventually. The engine under the bonnet of your car is composed of many moving parts that are projected to work together and harness the internal combustion power under those brutal conditions. When the engine fails, a good idea would be to think about a remanufactured replacement engine. A remanufactured engine can be a way to keep driving your trusty car even after an engine failure. Before making a decision whatever you want a remanufactured engine installed or not you must make sure the rest of the vehicle is in good condition, as well as other systems on the vehicle. If you replace the engine on a car that has a damaged fuel of cooling system then that would be a very time consuming and expensive mistake if not correct. If your vehicle is in good shape, or you have recently made an investment in major components on the car and the engine died, then a remanufactured replacement engine is the option you need to choose. Parapsychology And The Paranormal  By : Sam Vaknin I. Introduction The words "supernatural", "paranormal", and "parapsychology" are prime examples of oxymorons. Nature, by its extended definition, is all-inclusive and all-pervasive. Nothing is outside its orbit and everything that is logically and physically possible is within its purview. If something exists and occurs then, ipso facto, it is normal (or abnormal, but never para or "beyond" the normal). Psychology is the science of human cognition, emotion, and behavior. No human phenomenon evades its remit. Seti (search For Extraterrestrial Intelligence) And The Aliens Conundrum - Part Ii  By : Sam Vaknin (1) How can we tell the artificial from the natural? How can we be sure to distinguish Alien artifacts from naturally-occurring objects? How can we tell apart with certainty Alien languages from random noise or other natural signals? (2) If we have absolutely nothing in common with the Aliens, can we still recognize them as intelligent life forms and maintain an exchange of meaningful information with them? Seti (search For Extraterrestrial Intelligence) And The Aliens Conundrum - Part I  By : Sam Vaknin I. The Six Arguments against SETI The various projects that comprise the 45-years old Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) raise two important issues: The Life Cycle Of Science  By : Sam Vaknin "There was a time when the newspapers said that only twelve men understood the theory of relativity. I do not believe that there ever was such a time... On the other hand, I think it is safe to say that no one understands quantum mechanics... Do not keep saying to yourself, if you can possibly avoid it, 'But how can it be like that?', because you will get 'down the drain' into a blind alley from which nobody has yet escaped. Nobody knows how it can be like that." R. P. Feynman (1967) "The first processes, therefore, in the effectual studies of the sciences, must be ones of simplification and reduction of the results of previous investigations to a form in which the mind can grasp them." J. C. Maxwell, On Faraday's lines of force The Wages Of Science  By : Sam Vaknin In the United States, Congress approved, In February 2003, increases in the 2003 budgets of both the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation. America is not alone in - vainly - trying to compensate for imploding capital markets and risk-averse financiers. In 1999, chancellor Gordon Brown inaugurated a $1.6 billion program of "upgrading British science" and commercializing its products. This was on top of $1 billion invested between 1998-2002. The budgets of the Medical Research Council and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council were quadrupled overnight. The Origins Of Biological And Chemical Warfare  By : Sam Vaknin Chemical and biological warfare are not an invention of the 20th century. Solon (638-559 BC) used a strong purgative, the herb hellebore, in the siege of Krissa. During the 6th century BC, the Assyrians poisoned enemy wells with rye ergot. In the Peloponnesian War (431-404 BC), the Spartans flung sulfur and pitch at the Athenians and their allies. In the Middle Ages, besiegers used the bloated and dripping bodies of plague victims as readymade "dirty bombs". The Invention Of Television  By : Sam Vaknin The transmission of images obsessed inventors as early as 1875 when George Carey of Boston proposed his cumbersome system. Only five years later, the principle of scanning a picture, line by line and frame by frame - still used in modern television sets - was proposed simultaneously in the USA (by W.E. Sawyer) and in France (by Maurice Leblanc). The first complete television system - using the newly discovered properties of selenium - was patented in Germany in 1884, by Paul Nipkow. Boris Rosing of Russia actually transmitted images in 1907. The idea to incorporated cathode -ray tubes was proposed in 1911 by a Scottish engineer, Campbell Swinton. Another Scot, John Logie Baird, beat American inventor C.F. Jenkins to the mark by giving the first public demonstration of - a dim and badly flickering - television in 1926 in Soho, London. Britain commenced experimental broadcasting almost immediately thereafter. Irish actress Peggy O'Neil was the first to be interviewed on TV in April 1930. The Japanese televised an elementary school baseball match in September 1931. Nazi Germany started its own broadcasting service in 1935 and offered coverage of the 1936 Olympics. By November 1936, the BBC was broadcasting daily from Alexandra Palace in London to all of 100 TV sets in the kingdom. Lysenko And Stalin's Genetics  By : Sam Vaknin Trofim Denisovich Lysenko (1898-1976) was an agronomist. During the reign of Lenin and Stalin years in the Soviet Union, he became the chief proponent of the work of the self-taught plant breeder Ivan Vladimirovich Michurin (1855-1935) and his brand of Lamarckism - a pre-Darwinian theory of evolution of the species proposed in the French scientist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck (1744-1829). He was appointed as the president (1938-56) of the Lenin All-Union Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the director (1940-65) of the Institute of Genetics, USSR Academy of Sciences. The leadership of the USSR believed his promises to deliver rapid increases in crop yields. Lamarck proposed that organisms can inherit traits acquired by their ancestors. The first giraffes stretched their necks to eat leaves on tall trees. Their offspring acquired this elongated neck and the desire to further stretch it. A species with long necks was born. Life Of Leonardo Da Vinci  By : Sam Vaknin Leonardo da Vinci was a painter, sculptor, architect, cartographer, engineer, scientist and inventor in the 15th century. Yet, despite his genius, he referred to himself as "senza lettere" (the illiterate, the man without letters). For good reason: until late in life, he was unable to read, or write, Latin, the language used by virtually all other Renaissance intellectuals, the lingua franca, akin to English today. Nor was he acquainted with mathematics until he was 30. Leonardo was born out of wedlock but was raised by his real father, a wealthy Florentine notary. He served at least ten years (1466-1476) as Garzone (apprentice) to Andrea del Verrocchio and painted details in Verrocchio's canvasses. Only in 1478, when he was 26, did he become independent. The History Of Calendars  By : Sam Vaknin Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on January 7. Their "old new year" is a week later, on January 14. It is all Julius Caesar's fault ... The Romans sometimes neglected to introduce an extra month every two years to amortize the difference between their lunar calendar and the natural solar year. Julius Caesar decreed that the year 46 BC should have 445 days (some historians implausibly say: 443 days) in order to bridge the yawning discrepancy that accumulated over the preceding seven centuries. It was aptly titled the "Year of Confusion". Women In Science  By : Kadence Buchanan - More than 25 years have gone by since the U.S. Congress passed the Women in Science and Technology Equal Opportunity Act, which states that it is "the policy of the United States that men and women have equal opportunity in education, training, and employment in scientific and technical fields." But today's academic field illustrates a different reality than that the U.S. Congress wishes to exist. Even if major advances have occurred in relation to women's role in education, academic institutions are still not fully utilizing the pool of women scientists they are producing each year. In fact, the difference between the proportions of women who earn Ph.D.'s and those who are in faculty positions at top universities appears to be most evident in the biological and physical sciences, as well as in engineering. But these sciences, even if they have been mostly studied by men, have been also studied in great extend by women over the years. While some scholars support that considerable biological differences between men and women affect their representation in science, there is a substantive body of evidence indicating that overall intelligence does not differ between men and women. Still controversy persists as to whether specific aspects of cognitive ability differ. But there is no ideal constellation of cognitive abilities required to be a scientist. To become a successful scientist, one needs to have deductive reasoning abilities, adequate verbal skills, quantitative reasoning, intuition, and social skills. Even if we accept that men and women differ in some of these abilities, there is no basis on which one may assume that men will have greater success than women in science, because different academic backgrounds, personal skills and mental abilities create equally successful approaches and styles. Moreover, there is no convincing evidence that women's representation in science is limited by innate ability. For example, between 1970 and 2003 a considerable 30 percent increase occurred in the proportion of Ph.D.'s granted to women in engineering. Since people support that this was the outcome of dramatic changes in attitudes and laws relevant to gender, the fact that more women were able to successfully graduate from their PhD's programs provides strong evidence of the cultural and structural impediments to women. What Is The Element Molybdenum Used For?  By : Gray Rollins - Molybdenum is from the Greek word molybdos meaning “lead like.” It is directly mined and is a byproduct of copper mining. It was used very infrequently up until the 19th century when Schneider and Co decided to use Molybdenum as an alloying agent in steel. Today there are many uses of molybdenum. Molybdenum is still used as an alloy agent in steel. All high strength steel contains from .25% to 8% molybdenum which contributes to the hardenability of the steel. It also improves the strength of steel under high temperatures and improves resistance to corrosion. Virtual Surgery Software  By : dave (Author) Cosmetic surgery continues to gain popularity. In fact, new techniques are being introduced to cater to the ever-growing needs and demands of the so-called vainglorious public. Whether seen on television or the Internet, one can be envious of fabulous cosmetic surgery done on popular celebrities. And as the awareness on cosmetic surgery proliferates, many people are contemplating on having procedures of their own. People are actually trooping to cosmetic surgery clinics for consultations. Is Dish Tv A Valuable Alternative  By : dave (Author) Are features offered by Dish TV making its Satellite TV service a valuable alternative? With interactive tools, guides, and myriad options made available to every subscriber, the offerings made by Dish TV cannot be surpassed. Moreover, the affordability of Dish TV’s services seems almost criminal when one considers all of the incredible options made available to them with Dish TV’s amazing features! In fact, it is no surprise that Dish TV has been deemed the number one Satellite TV company in terms of customer service by J.D. Power and Associates. First, Dish TV provides a Satellite TV installation screen that puts the subscriber in control of the installation process. A Dish TV subscriber can change satellite transponders, and detect the strength of their satellite signal with a satellite signal meter. Moreover, the satellite signal meter is accompanied by a special audio sound that lets the subscriber know when they have aligned their Satellite TV dish properly—leaving no question that the installation has been performed correctly. Finally, the satellite signal meter allows subscribers to easily determine if there is a problem with their satellite signal and to maintain the signal by removing any obstructions and retesting the signal. Direct Tv Total Choice Premier  By : dave (Author) The Total Choice Premier Channel Package from DIRECTV includes practically every channel offered in the United States for a great price. You get all the sports channels, movie channels, news channels, shopping channels and tons of specialty and informational programming like “The Learning Channel” and “The Food Network.” You even get your local channels so you can see local news and local programming. Not only do you get great television shows and movies, you also get the full spectrum of music - more of a variety then you get on your conventional radio. The best thing is that it is affordable and easy to have set up in your home. One of the best things about the Total Choice Premier Channel Package from DIRECTV is all the movie channels you get. With all these channels, you will never have to rent another movie again. The package includes 8 HBO channels, 11 Starz channels, and 6 Showtime channels, FLIX, two Disney Channels and three channels showing Cinemax. Some of these channels feature specific types of movies. For example, one of the Starz channels exclusively shows movies based on real events, while another only broadcasts love stories. Similarly, there are two HBO channels dedicated to programming that can be enjoyed by the entire family. If your taste in movies is a little more eclectic, the Total Choice Premier Channel Package from DIRECTV also features The Independent Film Channel and the Sundance Channel. Many other channels that are part of the Total Choice Premier Channel Package from DIRECTV also broadcast movies. For example, WE: Women’s Entertainment and the Sci-FI Channel. If you are into older, classic movies, check out Turner Classic Movies (TCM) and American Movie Classics, both of which are part of the Total Choice Premier Channel Package from DIRECTV. How To Get The Most From Direct Tv  By : dave (Author) More and more, savvy consumers are choosing Direct TV over traditional cable. In fact, Direct TV is now the leading cable television provider in the United States and the largest satellite TV company in the entire world. Why are so many people choosing Direct TV over regular cable television For starters, Direct TV offers access to hundreds of channels, bringing a plethora of programming into private homes, apartments, condominiums, commercial properties, airports, bars, and restaurants, as well as numerous other locations. Next, Direct TV offers free satellite dish installation and prices that are often significantly lower than the cost of cable television. Direct TV is also known for excellent customer support. Customer support is available both online and via the telephone. Furthermore, Direct TV is the right choice if you want crystal clear reception, featuring digital quality audio and video. No More Distractions With Noise Reduction Headphones  By : dave (Author) The world is a very noisy place with loud, intermittent sounds and constant, droning noises – noise reduction headphones can help you get a little peace amongst the distractions of everyday life. Headphones can block out the myriad of sounds that occur in a variety of setting and are helpful to many different people. Sleeping – If you have trouble sleeping, noise reduction headphones may aid you in getting some rest. Barking dogs, traffic, and awake family members can contribute to sleepless nights, and for those who are sensitive to noise when they're trying to sleep, noise reduction headphones create a sound-free environment so they can rest. Scotland’s Most Infamous Female……she Could Ruin Your Holiday  By : dave (Author) The summer days in Scotland are long and mild with nights that stay bright until 10pm. The scenery is beautiful, the weather is at its best and the tranquillity makes an ideal choice for a relaxing vacation, or so you would think. Your holiday has just started and at the end of the first day the prospect of an aperitif in the garden or by the lakeside is very appealing. It has just passed 5pm. The first sip is rewarding and satisfying as you sit back to breath in the clean, fresh air and absorb the breath-taking scenery. Gradually you feel uncomfortable and find that you have the urge to scratch your head and face. Then you are aware of something like dust particles floating around the upper part of your body. Dismissing them with a wave, thinking they are far too small to contemplate, you carry on with your aperitif and conversation. But then you find yourself itching so much, eventually you can’t take it any more and head inside wondering how these minute creatures could have ruined your evening, you can hardly see them! Malaria, The Silent Killer…a Simple Guide For Travellers  By : dave (Author) What is malaria? Malaria is a very serious disease caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Plasmodium. Four species of the parasites produce the disease which is transmitted by the female anopheline mosquito. The most dangerous is P. falciparum. If untreated it can lead to fatal cerebral malaria. What are the symptoms? Flu-like symptoms: headaches, muscle aches, confusion, dizziness, vomiting (lasting several hours), sweating, tiredness, but most of all, fever. Anemia and jaundice can occur. Symptoms generally occur from 7 days to a few weeks after being bitten, however may not occur for up to one year. Robot Toy: The New Generation Play Tool  By : dave (Author) Gone are the days when children satisfied themselves with simple games of hopscotch or tag. Heck, there are practically no more "simple toys" in the toy market nowadays wherein it’s slowly being dominated by more and more complicated contraptions. From toy PDA electronic models to enhanced walkie talkies, children nowadays have more discerning taste when it comes to their playing pleasure. So in an age wherein cellphones and digital cameras are just all too common, what’s really the buzz about the wonders of a robot toy? What makes a robot toy tick? And probably, most important, what makes a robot toy click? To put things simply, an electronic robot toy is an extremely sophisticated piece of technology especially for children who have always been used to playing with either plastic, wooden or plush toys. Things are indeed a changin’ nowadays, a robot toy is practically what each and every kid, well boys that is asks for in his wish list. Starting with the very hip and ultra high-tech robot toy, Robo Sapien which promises to be a whole more than just a simple robot toy. A smart robot toy like this actually tries to break the mold ordinary plastic robot toys that only has blinking lights and beeping sound effects. Robot toys that are available in the market today are far more sophisticated than that especially since they’ve been able to make these robot toys more interactive. A very important factor when it comes to ensuring its saleability in this rapidly changing world of toy commerce. Plastic Forming - Vacuum Forming Guide  By : John Morris What is vacuum forming? What does it do? What are the methods used in forming vacuums? Vacuum forming is basically the procedure used in shaping any kind of plastic. The shaping of unusual shapes like dishes, boxes and others is called Vacuum forming process. The simplest explanation to its method is by placing the mould into an oven, heated for it to take shape and cooled within a significant amount of time. The advantages of using vacuum forming as a method is limitless and effective. Majority of the vacuum forming products are affordable, since not many produce vacuum forming products. The moulds could be made of low-costing materials and the process of the vacuum forming could be possibly faster than any forming process. Smithkline Licenses Software  By : Aaron Hall SmithKline Beecham (SB) licensed Gene Logic's bioinformatics system and software tools based on the Object Protocol Model (OPM). OPM was developed by Victor Markowitz and his team while funded by the DOE HGP at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The program enables the rapid development of relational databases, integration of relational and flat-file databases, and building of cross-database query systems. Gene Logic and SB also will use OPM to develop a series of customized databases and servers for integrating a wide range of public and proprietary genomic and biological data sources into SB's data-mining process. Under the agreement, Gene Logic will receive software licensing fees and funding while retaining the right to license software and products developed under the collaborative program to third-party customers. Major Drug Firms Create Public Snp Resource  By : Aaron Hall In April, ten large pharmaceutical companies and the U.K. Wellcome Trust philanthropy announced the establishment of a consortium headed by Arthur L. Holden to find and map 300,000 common DNA sequence variations. The goal is to generate a widely accepted, high-quality, extensive, publicly available map using single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as markers evenly distributed throughout the human genome. SNPs can occur in both coding (gene) and noncoding regions. SNPs may help scientists identify small genetic differences that could predispose people to disease or influence their response to a drug. A SNP map thus may be of great value for biomedical research and for developing pharmaceutical products or medical diagnostics. Also, the map is expected to simplify navigation of the much larger genome map being generated by researchers in the Human Genome Project (HGP). Congressional Hearing Explores Controversies, Benefits Of Genomics  By : Aaron Hall In April the Subcommittee on Energy and Environment of the Committee on Science of the U.S. House of Representatives conducted hearings on the status and benefits of genome sequencing in the public and private sectors. Speakers included representatives of the U.S. HGP and Celera Genomics, members of Congress, and the director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy. Robert Waterston, directory of the HGP sequencing center at Washington University, St. Louis, pointed to fruitful data sharing by the HGP and the private sector. Examples include (1) collaborations led by the pharmaceutical company Merck to develop partial sequences identifying genes and (2) the fruit fly sequencing project by Celera and the HGP. Bang For The Buck: Government-backed Research Underpins Potentially High Payoff Ventures  By : Aaron Hall Spinoffs of Human Genome Project technologies continue to impact U.S. Industries, including medicine, environmental technology, agriculture, chemicals, and energy production. U.S. leadership in science and technology reaffirms the value of publicly funded research such as that supported at universities and national laboratories and in industry. Two recent spinoffs from the DOE Human Genome Program follow. Biochip Agreement Aimed at Commercial Use Companies to Refine Genome Technology for Mass Production In June DOE announced that Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Motorola Inc., and Packard Instrument Company have agreed to develop and mass-produce biochips. Motorola and Packard will contribute a total of $19 million over 5years, making this collaboration one of the largest biotechnology research agreements ever signed by a DOE national laboratory. Genetic Testing Advisory Committee  By : Aaron Hall The Secretary's Advisory Committee on Genetic Testing (SACGT) of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) held its first meeting in June. Chaired by Edward McCabe (University of California, Los Angeles), the 13-member committee's task is to help DHHS formulate policies on the development, validation, and regulation of genetic tests, particularly DNA-based diagnostics. SACGT was formed last year on the recommendation of the NIH-DOE Task Force on Genetic Testing. What Are Genetically Modified (gm) Organisms And Foods?  By : Aaron Hall Although biotechnology and genetic modification commonly are used interchangeably, GM is a special set of technologies that alter the DNA of such living organisms as animals, plants, or bacteria. Biotechnology, a more general term, refers to using natural living organisms or their components. Combining DNA from different organisms is known as recombinant DNA technology, and the resulting organism is said to be “genetically modified,” “genetically engineered,” or “transgenic.” GM products (current or in the pipeline) include medicines and vaccines, foods and food ingredients, feeds, and fibers. Merck Genomics Institute Established  By : Aaron Hall On April 9, Merck & Co., Inc., announced the establishment of the Merck Genome Research Institute, Inc. (MGRI) to support development of scientific technology for linking human genetic traits and resolving biological function of disease genes. This not-for-profit institute will promote and sponsor projects for broadly applicable assays and methodologies to improve the accuracy and speed with which function can be associated with sequences of genetic information. "We believe this institute's mission meets a current scientific need to translate our knowledge of gene sequence into function," said MGRI President C. Thomas Caskey. "In the spirit of the Merck Gene Index Project, the institute will ensure that such genetic technology is available to the entire biomedical community." Llnl And Onyx Collaborate On Proteome Project  By : Aaron Hall Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) Human Genome Center and Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., recently signed an agreement to collaborate in developing automated, high-throughput methods for generating proteins from gene sequences. To help identify and characterize new therapeutic targets for Onyx’s current drug-screening programs, research will focus on genes known to play a causative role in cancers. Joanna Albala of LLNL and Robin Clark and Anthony Davies of Onyx are principal investigators in the collaboration. LLNL brings to the collaboration the Integrated Molecular Analysis of Gene Expression (called I.M.A.G.E.) collection of arrayed cDNA libraries, along with the expertise and infrastructure for miniaturizing and automating biological sample handling. Onyx has developed expertise and reagents for expressing proteins using the baculovirus expression system and for purifying a wide variety of human proteins using epitope tags. Investigators expect the new system to reduce drug-development time by providing a ready source of proteins for assay development and drug screening. Web Site Provides Hgp Access To Scientific And Public Audiences  By : Aaron Hall The Human Genome Management Information System (HGMIS) was established in 1989 by the DOE Human Genome Program Task Group to inform scientists, policymakers, and the public about the program's research. To make Human Genome Project (HGP) data, technologies, and implications more accessible, HGMIS produces Human Genome News and a number of other information resources. Sites for Different Audiences HGMIS started its Web site in 1994 to house the electronic version of HGN. As interest in the genome project and Web use expanded, HGMIS added other publications, information, and links to make the site a comprehensive, text-based Web server on project-related topics. Gradually, in a shift that reflects Web trends in general, public users became predominant. Book Focuses On Biomarker Implications  By : Aaron Hall Biomarkers: Medical and Workplace Applications (Joseph Henry Press, National Academy of Sciences, May 1998) is the outgrowth of an international meeting called "Biomarkers, the Genome and the Individual: Workplace and Medical Implications of a Rapidly Evolving Technology." Held in May 1997 in Charleston, South Carolina, the DOE-sponsored meeting was organized by the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). The book, also supported by a DOE grant, offers a comprehensive review of the biomarker field through a sampling of 33 talks from the Charleston meeting. It focuses on the use of biomarkers to estimate prior exposures, identify genomic changes, and evaluate underlying susceptibilities in humans. The book was edited by Mort Mendelsohn (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory), John Peeters (DOE Office of Occupational Medicine), and Lawrence Mohr (MUSC). [Contact for book: National Academy Press (800/624-6242 or 202/334-3313, Fax: -2451)] Cdna Cloning Workshop Identifies Critical Issues  By : Aaron Hall Full-length cDNA Cloning: A Workshop on Problems and Solutions was held at the Banbury Center, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, on March 23-25. It was sponsored by Merck Genome Research Institute, NIH National Cancer Institute, and Research Genetics, Inc., and organized by M. Bento Soares (University of Iowa) and Piero Carninci (Tsukuba Life Science Center, Japan). A complete report of the meeting, including an extensive section on strategies for constructing libraries enriched for full-length cDNAs, is on the Web. Critical issues pertaining to synthesis and cloning of full-length cDNAs were identified and discussed throughout the meeting. Following are some topics on which attendees reached general consensus and made recommendations. Biotoolkit  By : Aaron Hall BioToolKit now provides 750 annotated links to Web tools for the study of nucleic acid, genome, and protein structure. Gene-Finding Programs at Sanger Updated versions of gene-finding programs (including FGENES, FGENESH, and FGENES-m variant for mammalian sequences) are available for use through the Sanger Web site. Also, the Gapped BLASTP program from the National Center for Biotechnology Information allows users to check a gene's protein structure in the INFOGENEP database of finished and unfinished human sequences and receive the clone's name and sequence. See the Web site for more information. Minireviews On Gene P53 Published  By : Aaron Hall The p53 gene, found on chromosome 17, is a tumor-suppressor gene. In the cell, the p53 protein binds DNA at specific locations and stimulates another gene to produce a protein called p21. In turn, p21 suppresses a division-stimulating protein (cdk2) to prevent the cell from passing through to the next stage of cell division. When p53 is mutant and can no longer bind DNA effectively, the p21 protein is not available to act as the “stop signal” for cell division. Thus cells may divide uncontrollably and form tumors. The p53 gene plays a key role in the pathogenesis or etiology of human cancers and clearly is an important component in a network of events that culminate in tumor formation. Mutations in p53 are found in most tumor types. Prospect For Protein Structure Predictions  By : Aaron Hall Explorations into the 3-D structures of proteins hold the key to understanding their biological functions and thus their roles in a living system. Proteins fold into complex shapes, creating active areas that enable them to interact with other proteins to accomplish a complex biological function in much the same way that gears in a watch mesh into a functioning machine. A broad collection of protein structural data will have an abundance of applications in the life sciences, biotechnology, and medicine. Revealing these structures, however, is not easily accomplished (see Predicting 3-D Protein Structure). Typically, a protein’s 3-D structure is determined through such experimental methods as X-ray crystallography or nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The whole process, including protein expression and sample preparation, data collection, and structure-model construction, may take months or even years. This pace clearly cannot keep up with the rate at which protein-encoding genes are being identified worldwide. Nor can it satisfy increasing demands by drug companies hoping to use these data to custom-design drugs that fit precisely in the proteins like hands in gloves, blocking or enhancing their activities and minimizing side effects. Bio-science News From The National Laboratories  By : Aaron Hall A new technique for detecting proteins associated with prostate cancer may serve as a sensitive assay for this common killer and have wide applications beyond diagnostics as well. The work was reported in the September 2001 issue of Nature Biotechnology by a team of researchers led by Thomas Thundat (Oak Ridge National Laboratory), Arun Majumdar (University of California, Berkeley), and Richard Cote (University of Southern California). The new instrument induces cancer-associated proteins known as prostate-specific antigens (PSAs) to stick to and ultimately bend a cantilever that measures one-hundredth the width of a human hair and looks like a tiny diving board. When proteins bind to the surface, the microcantilever bends and a sensitive laser detects and measures the minute movement, thus signaling the presence and amount of increased levels of PSA. Although the cantilever moves only about 10 to 20nm, lasers can detect a deflection as small as a fraction of a nanometer. The researchers report that the instrument is sensitive enough to detect PSA levels at 5% of the clinically relevant threshold and at potentially much lower cost than the conventional assay. A commercial application may be available within 3 to 5 years. Automation Conference Held At Lbnl  By : Aaron Hall The Third International Conference on Automation in Mapping and Sequencing, held November 3-5, 1995, at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), focused on instrumentation and automation issues associated with large-scale genomic research. Although driven by specific needs of genome projects worldwide, these technologies also have broad implications for biotechnology in general because of the large scale of genomic operations for which they are designed. The capacity audience of 230 represented an international community of specialists from major mapping and sequencing centers, university and government laboratories, and the private sector. In addition to the 78 presentations, 20 manufacturers exhibited leading-edge technology. DOE and NIH managers gave overviews of various genome programs and their expectations for continued automation and instrumentation development. Doe Refocuses Instrumentation Program  By : Aaron Hall In April the DOE Office of Biological and Environmental Research (OBER) announced its interest in receiving new applications in genome instrumentation research for both substantial evolutionary improvements in current systems and revolutionary technologies for the post-2005 era. To stimulate contributions from investigators not previously involved in DOE's Human Genome Program, OBER invited applications from a broad range of scientists with backgrounds in biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering. At press time, preapplication response had been excellent. DOE's transition to production sequencing has been based largely on gel electrophoresis, with data acquisition by laser-induced fluorescence. However, this in no way decreases the necessity for innovative long-term basic research in the area of instrumentation support for genome studies. In this context, OBER is refocusing its current Genome Instrumentation Program, taking stock of current progress and considering likely future needs. [See related article on Jason Review.] From Sequence To Systems: Looking At Proteins To Understand Genome Expression  By : Aaron Hall The availability of entire genomic sequences for some 18 microbes (and many more to come) now offers investigators the opportunity to perform comparative analysis from an evolutionary perspective, identify conserved genes and metabolic capabilities based on protein sequence homology, and predict protein structures. Understanding how gene products--proteins--work together to create and maintain complex biological systems, however, requires data about the entire spectrum of protein production in the complex ecosystem of a cell. In the account below, DOE Microbial Genome Program grantee Carol Giometti of Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) describes such studies on two microbial genomes, the heat-loving Methanococcus jannaschii and Pyrococcus furiosus, both subjects of the DOE program. [Introduction by Dan Drell, DOE Microbial and Human Genome programs] Genome Of Historic Microbe Sequenced  By : Aaron Hall A team headed by Douglas Smith (Genome Therapeutics, GTC) has finished sequencing the 4.1-Mb genome of Clostridium acetobutylicum and has placed the data in GenBank and on the Web. C. acetobutylicum, a nonpathogenic microbe that can convert starch into the solvents acetone and butanol, enjoys an unusual place in history. Discovered in 1915 by Chaim Weizmann, the microbe was used by Great Britain during World War I for generating acetone to produce cordite for artillery shells. In gratitude, the government offered to honor Weizmann, but he asked instead for British support of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. This led to the Balfour Declaration of 1917, committing Britain to sanction what became in 1948 the state of Israel, with Weizmann as its first president. Thermotoga Sequence Presented  By : Aaron Hall In May, researchers led by Karen Nelson (The Institute for Genomic Research) reported obtaining the complete 1.8-Mb genomic sequence of the heat-loving bacterium Thermotoga maritima, first isolated from geothermally heated marine sediment in Vulcano, Italy. Early analysis reveals some unusual features that could affect our understanding of how earth's simplest life forms evolved. The three major life groups or kingdoms are eubacteria and archaea, which include the simplest life forms lacking a central nucleus; and the more complex eucaryota, which include animals and plants. T. maritima has been considered one of the deepest and most slowly evolving lineages in the eubacteria kingdom. Doe Microbial Genome Program Evolves  By : Aaron Hall Rapid DNA Sequencing Generates Abundant Data for Gene Discovery, Insights From its beginning in 1994, the DOE Microbial Genome Program (MGP) sparked a revolution in microbiology. Since the complete genome sequence of Haemophilus influenza was published by Craig Venter’s group (then at The Institute for Genomic Research, TIGR), genome sequences of some 51 microbes have been completed and published. Sequencing of at least a dozen more is complete but not yet published, and about 140 additional microbes are in varying stages of progress. Activity in the private sector also has been intense. Sequencing technologies have progressed to the point where a high-throughput facility such as the DOE Joint Genome Institute (JGI) can draft the sequence of a 2.5-Mb microbe in a day and 65 Mb of microbial sequence (about 17 to 20 microbes of different-sized genomes) in a month. Ecocyc Database For E. Coli  By : Aaron Hall The EcoCyc electronic database is a literature-derived resource that describes the genome and biochemical machinery of Escherichia coli. The database contains up-to-date annotations and the DNA sequences of all genes in E. coli and describes all known pathways of its small-molecule metabolism. Each pathway and its component reactions and enzymes are annotated in rich detail, with extensive references to the biomedical literature. For example, the detail provided for each E.coli enzyme includes its cofactors, activators, inhibitors, and subunit structure. In July, the database included 159 metabolic pathways, 946 reactions, 629 enzymes, and 4390 genes. EcoCyc also is used by investigators to annotate other microbial genomes. Because E.coli has the largest fraction of gene products whose functions were determined experimentally, sequence- similarity matches to E.coli are less likely to result in incorrect function predictions than are matches to other microbial genomes. Those genomes may have a higher rate of annotation errors due to computational, and perhaps transitive, misannotation. New Mouse Probes Aid Gene Mapping  By : Aaron Hall A team led by Julie Korenberg (Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles) has produced a family ofDNA probes that "light up" mouse chromosome sites under fluorescence microscopy. The markers, spaced at an average 19 million bases throughout the 3billion bases of the mouse genome, aid researchers who are hunting for mouse counterparts of human genes. The work is described in the May 1999 cover article of Genome Research. The mouse is a favorite research model for understanding human biology, and researchers are finding more and more corresponding genes on human and mouse chromosomes. Unlike human chromosomes, however, mouse chromosomes have few distinguishing features that help cytogeneticists hunt for particular disease genes. The new markers thus far have led researchers to the mouse counterpart of the human Down's syndrome region. Public, Private Sectors Join In Mouse Consortium  By : Aaron Hall Sequencing Results will Spur Discovery of Human Genes and Their Functions In October, a collaboration was announced to speed up sequencing of the mouse genome and produce a draft map by spring 2001. The Mouse Sequencing Consortium (MSC) consists of six NIH institutes, the Wellcome Trust philanthropy, and three private companies. It provides another example of public and private sectors joining forces to support large-scale genomics research and generate freely available data crucial for basic biomedical research. Drosophila Researchers Win Prize  By : Aaron Hall At its annual meeting in San Francisco on February 17, the American Association for the Advancement of Science presented the prestigious Newcomb Cleveland Prize to five researchers representing the teams that completed the sequence of the fruit fly. Gerald Rubin and Susan Celniker accepted the prize on behalf of the Berkeley Drosophila Genome Project (BDGP), and J. Craig Venter, Gene Myers, and Mark Adams represented Celera Genomics. BDGP is a partnership among Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; the University of California, Berkeley; and Baylor College of Medicine. The 2000 prize, which recognized an outstanding paper published in Science between June 1, 1991, and May 31, 2000, was awarded for "The Genome Sequence of Drosophila melanogaster." The paper is a series of articles jointly authored by hundreds of scientists, technicians, and students from 20 public and private institutions in 5 countries. Mouse Genome Informatics (mgi) Release 2.0  By : Aaron Hall The MGI Web site (http://www.informatics.jax.org) provides integrated access to various information resources on the genetics and biology of the laboratory mouse. The site includes the Mouse Genome Database, Gene Expression Database (GXD), and Encyclopedia of the Mouse Genome. After The Genome Project: Understanding The Data  By : Aaron Hall Survey Identifies Growing Need for Synchrotron Analyses Structural Biology and Synchrotron Radiation: Evaluation of Resources and Needs (1997) is a report on the current status of biological uses and demands of synchrotron radiation in the United States. For this report, staff at the synchrotron radiation facilities and their user communities were surveyed, and a group of experienced structural biologists analyzed the data. Report On Functional Consequences Of Gene Expression  By : Aaron Hall The final report of the workshop, "Functional Consequences of Gene Expression in Health and Disease," held March 31 to April 3, 1997, in San Antonio, Texas, has been published by DOE At the workshop were experts representing genetics, biochemistry, molecular and cellular biology, physiology, oncology, radiology, and nuclear medicine. They discussed with DOE representatives the expectations and possibilities for helping clinical investigators and physicians use the vast new knowledge coming from the Human Genome Project. A workshop goal was to identify (1) functional units in terms of biochemical circuits within such complex adaptive systems as the human body that can be observed in vivo and described as a consequence of interacting substrates in response to specific gene expression; (2) useful, practical, and economical tools for in vivo observations of metabolic and functional circuits in response to gene expression in individuals; and (3) promising applications of these concepts and tools for medical research and practice. Specific models, radiopharmaceuticals, measurement techniques, instrumentation, and methods for linking recognized phenotypic molecular expressions to individual genotypes are crucial to the task. Mouse Consortium For Functional Genomics  By : Aaron Hall Six Tennessee research organizations located from Memphis to Knoxville signed a Memorandum of Cooperation on December 4, 1998, to form the Tennessee Mouse Consortium for Functional Genomics. The consortium's purpose is to induce gene mutations in mice as models for human genetic diseases and as subjects for studying gene function. Consortium members are Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), University of Tennessee (Knoxville and Memphis), Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Meharry Medical College, and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The collaboration will combine ORNL's experience in mouse genetics and functional genomics with the other institutions' biological and clinical expertise. Vanderbilt, for example, will contribute proficiency in behavioral neurosciences, while Meharry is especially interested in mutations in the sensory systems. Each institution will play a crucial role in screening mutagenized mice for induced changes in behavior, physiology, biochemistry, and morphology and will choose mutations of interest for detailed study. Mouse Resources Critical To Understanding Human Genome  By : Aaron Hall Some 60 scientists met for 3 days in March 1998 in Bethesda, Maryland, to define priorities for producing resources to make the mouse a more valuable tool for understanding mammalian biology. Convened by NIH Director Harold Varmus, the Mouse Genomics and Genetics Resources Working Group's recommendations, as summarized by cochairs William Dove (University of Wisconsin) and David Cox (Stanford University), are outlined below. Total direct costs for the first year are estimated at $49.3 million. The first follow-up meeting was held in October 1998 to discuss implementation of the March recommendations. Representatives from DOE and the U.K.'s Medical Research Council were present to develop a coordinated strategy and share expertise in this international effort. Recommendations Recommendations for structural analysis, functional analysis, and resources include the following: High-resolution Image Reveals Structure Of Protein Machine  By : Aaron Hall Using a high-energy X-ray beam from the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) at Brookhaven National Laboratory, researchers at Yale University and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute obtained the most detailed images ever seen of the ribosome (the protein-making structure inside all living cells). NSLS is a DOE Office of Biological and Environmental Research structural biology user facility. In prokaryotes (bacteria and other simple organisms) as well as the more complex eukaryotes, ribosomes help translate gene-encoded information into a specific protein. Ribosomes consist of two unequally sized subunits containing RNA and proteins. The smaller component binds the messenger RNA (mRNA), which contains genetic instructions that specify the amino acids required to build a particular protein. The larger ribosomal subunit attaches one amino acid to the next in the growing protein chain. Doe And Nih Teams To Unlock Power Of Proteins  By : Aaron Hall NIGMS Structural Genome Initiative Seven new grants, four of them awarded to scientists at DOE sites, are key components in the Structural Genome Initiative started by the NIH National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS). Over the next decade, the new study will determine the form and function of thousands of proteins. Ornl Mouse Program Provides Powerful Tools For Studying Human Genes  By : Aaron Hall Connecting Sequence and Function Sequencing genomes was the easy part. Some major challenges facing the new era of post-sequencing biology include finding all genes and deducing their functions, elucidating the connections between mutations and disease, and untangling the complex networks of interactions controlling all these processes in living systems. Model organisms such as the mouse, whose genes and DNA regulatory regions are remarkably similar to those of humans, provide powerful tools for illuminating our own genetic material. The Genome Data Base, Then And Now  By : Aaron Hall When the Genome Data Base began public operation at Johns Hopkins University in 1990, researchers had been mapping the human genome for several decades. In keeping with the Human Genome Project's mission to make mapping data freely accessible to the scientific community, GDB set about curating the existing data and making the information available to those engaged in the mapping effort. The first release, GDB 1.0, debuted in September 1990 at HGM 10.5, offering a character-based interface with pull-down menus. It provided editorial functions, text-based genetic maps, a means for managing literature references, and data on probes and polymorphisms. Since its inception as the official repository for mapping data in support of the genome project, GDB's efforts always have been dedicated to improving access and creating a data model that would accommodate different mapping methodologies and the data they generate. Allowing the user to view the data in a more meaningful way one that reflected the richness of the biological data became an important focus for GDB. This resulted in a series of releases aimed at making the task easier for the user to view and submit data. A statement in the report of the informatics committee at the August 1991 HGM 11 (when GDB 4.1 was in use) reads, "Graphical tools to display, analyze, and compare this information will be developed in the future." The future has finally arrived. Interoperable Tools Working Group Meets  By : Aaron Hall An informal off-site informatics meeting was held on November 15, 1994, as an adjunct to the DOE Human Genome Program Contractor-Grantee Workshop in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The discussion at the National Center for Genome Resources involved about 25 NIH and DOE investigators. Its purpose was to develop ideas and a working plan for an interoperable framework of genome-analysis tools. An earlier discussion on this topic was organized by David States at the Cold Spring Harbor Genome Mapping and Sequencing meeting in May 1994 [see HGN 6(4), 16 (November 1994)]. As in the earlier session, the group strongly agreed about the desirability of a framework to provide researchers with seamless and transparent access to an array of sequence-analysis tools and databases. The Santa Fe meeting centered around a plan to develop a multiple-client environment that could access a variety of Internet servers. It would facilitate genome analysis and data retrieval, entry, and annotation, transparently passing data types and control among the various tools. In this approach, individual tool designers would attach their servers to the framework by submitting a client code and information about their server and input-output data types to a central library. The modular, flexible framework would allow growth and new types of analysis and data and facilitate community-wide interoperability. Database Workshops Held  By : Aaron Hall Two workshops have been held entitled Interconnection of Molecular Biology Databases. The first was at Stanford University on August 9-12, 1994, with a 1995 follow-up on July 20-22 in Cambridge, England. Several workshop-related documents are available now. These include the 1994 final report; attendee abstracts and contact information; bibliography on database interoperation; summary of biological databases and WWW pointers; and a list of presentations for the 1995 conference. Some 55 bioinformatics researchers, computer scientists, and biologists from 9 countries attended the 1994 meeting, which surveyed the roughly 100 existing databases and requirements for integrating the diverse information they contain. Computer scientists presented an overview on the need for database interoperation and suggested techniques for solving the problem. Participants described a wide range of approaches that are presently generating practical results, such as systems allowing multidatabase queries to the sequence databases, Genome Data Base, and Protein Data Bank. These systems and approaches vary according to their capability to handle complex queries, implementation difficulty, required user expertise, and scalability. Acedb Version 4.0 Debuts At Annual Meeting  By : Aaron Hall Since its 1991 introduction for the Caenorhabditis elegans community, ACEDB has served as a data-management model for other research projects and has been adopted by a number of diverse organizations and individuals to maintain and distribute data on more than 40 genomes, including human, bovine, Drosophila, yeast, mycobacteria, Arabidopsis, grains, trees, and fungi. At the May 14-29 ACEDB conference and workshop in Geyserville, California, participants represented 10 countries, 4 continents, 38 organizations, 20 databases, and 19 organisms. John McCarthy [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL)] organized this year's meeting. Sponsors included DOE, NIH National Center for Human Genome Research, U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Science Foundation, and European Data Resource for Human Genome Research. Conference hardware and software were provided by LBNL, Digital Equipment, Sun Microsystems, Silicon Graphics, Network Computing Devices, Microsoft, and Stanford University. Ismb-95 Addresses Computational Issues  By : Aaron Hall Some 270 delegates attended the Third International Conference on Intelligent Systems for Molecular Biology (ISMB-95) held in Cambridge, England, on July 16-19, 1995. The conference brought together scientists who are using advanced computational methods to address problems in molecular biology. These methods include data modeling, machine learning, artificial intelligence, cognitive science, robotics, combinatorial and stochastic optimization, adaptive computing, string and graph algorithms, linguistic methods, and parallel computer technologies. The conference was preceded by 8 introductory and advanced tutorials attended by 187 delegates. The best-attended tutorials were (1) Protein Structure Prediction and (2) Statistical Foundations of Multiple Sequence Alignments and Structure Prediction. Second Meeting Held On Interconnection Of Molecular Biology Databases  By : Aaron Hall The Second Meeting on Interconnection of Molecular Biology Databases (MIMBD-95) was held at Cambridge University on July 20-22, 1995, in conjunction with ISMB-95. The workshop was organized by Peter Karp of the SRI International Artificial Intelligence Center, Victor M. Markowitz of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and Tom Flores of the European Bioinformatics Institute. The premise of this meeting was that the roughly 100 existing molecular biology databases (MBDs) will be of much greater value to molecular biologists when interconnected than in their current isolated states. Scientists will be able to integrate diverse sources of information to answer questions that are laborious or impossible to tackle today. Research in this area is proceeding along three main lines: interconnecting databases via WWW, the data-warehousing approach, and the distributed-query approach. Central to all three approaches is the concept of creating dfatabase links recording information about relationships between objects in various MBDs (such as linking a protein sequence in one to the corresponding DNA sequence in another). Capturing The Data And Making It Useful  By : Aaron Hall Redesigning GDB and GSDB The explosive growth of information and the challenges of acquiring, representing, and providing access to data pose new and monumental tasks for the large public databases. Ken Fasman [Genome Database (GDB)] and Gifford Keen [Genome Sequence Data Base (GSDB)] discussed the restructuring of GDB and GSDB to handle the flood of data and make it useful for downstream biology. Tigr Gene Index  By : Aaron Hall Researchers now have free Internet access to the Human Gene Index (HGI) database released by The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR). Designed to integrate research from human genome projects worldwide, the massive HGI holds full-length gene sequences, more than 600,000 ESTs, and 63,000 tentative human consensus sequences. The ultimate goal is to represent a nonredundant view of all human genes with data on their expression patterns, cellular roles, functions, and evolutionary relationships. HGI will also include links to genomic sequences, mapping data, 3-D structures, and literature references. Anthony Kerlavage, director of the Department of Bioinformatics at TIGR, said of HGI, "Rather than searching for and locating bits and pieces of information in various places and databases where researchers often have to spend valuable time playing detective, the TIGR Human Gene Index brings together all available information in one location with various means of pinpointing specific areas of inquiry. It opens a vast universe of data to help fill in the blanks for scientists." Prodom Release 34.1  By : Aaron Hall Release 34.1 of ProDom, the Protein Domain database, was constructed by clustering homologous segments derived from 65,376 nonfragmentary sequences present in SWISS-PROT 34 as of May 21. Some 18,086 multiple alignments and consensus sequences for homologous domain families are provided. The enhanced Web user interface links to and from PROSITE and PDB. Domain families can be searched by keyword, and graphical representations of domain arrangements facilitate structural interpretation of large protein families. Flybase Updated  By : Aaron Hall In its most recent update of May 1997, the Drosophila database FlyBase contains information about more than 46,000 alleles of some 14,000 genes. Many gene reports now link to reports about expression patterns and other features for associated proteins and transcripts. FlyBase presents descriptions of over 15,000 chromosomal aberrations as well as molecular maps and information about more than 1000 molecular constructs and 1000 transposons. The bibliography includes some 83,000 listings, many with links to associated genes and aberrations, and an address book lists over 5300 Drosophila researchers. Genotypes and ordering information for more than 13,000 Drosophila stocks are available. Reports retrieved from gene searches have been enhanced by dividing alleles for each gene into "classical" and "in vitro" and references into "primary," "review," and "abstract." In its gene reports, FlyBase has extensive hyperlinks to other databases, most notably to sequence databank records, gene homologs from other organisms, and Medline citation records. Genome Annotation: Informatics Advances Needed For Age Of Functional Genomics  By : Aaron Hall Sharply increasing rates of sequence-data production are placing greater and greater demands on information systems for new ways to view and better understand the meaning of the growing strings of As, Cs, Ts, and Gs piling up in GenBank and community databases. Enriching data with such information as gene features and locations, gene-control regions, related sequences, gene-expression patterns, gene and protein families, pathways, and phenotypes can help pave the way for a successful transition from the current structural genomics phase of DNA mapping and sequencing to functional genomics studies. Genome Annotation Consortium Ed Uberbacher (Oak Ridge National Laboratory) described several pilot projects in the multi-institutional Genome Annotation Consortium, which was established to minimize some problems posed by genome-scale sequencing and to build a shared infrastructure for integrating diverse biological information. Four basic components of the pilot projects are daily sequence and biological data acquisition from 19 major genome centers; automated data analysis to link biological information to sequence using tools for exon prediction, gene modeling, and sequence comparison; a storage, maintenance, and update component; and a series of methods for browsing, querying, and accessing other tools of value to researchers. An important goal is to build a level of interoperation using CORBA, which has not yet been implemented into the system. Data Surge Challenges Informatics Developers  By : Aaron Hall The explosive growth of sequence and biological information poses pressing challenges for data acquisition, representation, access, and analysis. Some highlights from informatics sessions at the Santa Fe workshop follow. bioWidgets: Adaptable, Reusable Modules for Viewing Data Many software analysis applications commonly are tailored to fit resources available at a particular site. The bioWidgets toolkit philosophy of Chris Overton's team [University of Pennsylvania (Penn)], however, is to use a component-based approach to design adaptable and reusable software, easily incorporated in a variety of applications and deployable in modules, that promotes interaction among applications. Jonathan Crabtree described the team's efforts to develop and deploy graphical user interfaces for visualizing molecular, cellular, and genomic information. The current implementation includes widgets that display sequences, maps, BLAST results, chromosomes, and sequence alignments. The group also is developing interfaces for data stored in such distributed heterogenous databases as the Genome Database, Genome Sequence DataBase, Entrez, and ACeDB and is creating a consortium of bioWidget developers and users to create standards. All bioWidgets are implemented in Java for Web distribution. Jgi Informatics: Tracking A Moving Target  By : Aaron Hall Providing informatics support for achieving "dream" targets of 100 Mb a year of Bermuda-quality sequence is an evolving process, said Tom Slezak, director of the JGI informatics team. "It can't happen in a single leap. It will ride a learning curve similar to all the other scientific and technological ones going on in parallel," he said. But a lag time for informatics support on these processes is inevitable because support requirements are not yet clear. In general terms, informatics for sequencing encompasses clone resources and validation, sequence production, sequence analysis and annotation, informatics integration, and systems administration. Slezak gave an overview of various short-, medium-, and long-term solutions being implemented to meet these challenges. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

SIGN UP FOR FREE   Sign Up for a free account or learn more. Submit Articles Member Login Top Authors Most Popular Articles Submission Guidelines Ezine Notifications Article RSS Feeds About Us Link to Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Terms of Service   Most Recent Articles Animal Testing - More Common Than You Think  By : Morgan Hamilton I once received a pamphlet from a friend when I was in college. He told me to read it and pass it on. The pamphlet contained information about animal testing. It listed the companies that still use it, and those that did not. I felt sad when I saw that many of the companies that did it were the companies that make many of the things that I use in my home. As a result, I threw out most of those stuff when I got home. I then tried to decide on what products I could use. I always try my best to get the right products, although I can’t say that I am perfect about buying the right ones. Do you know that animal testing has been around for a long time? I prefer to hear that it is being done for medical research, even if I still think that it should not be condoned for any reason. I feel disgusted whenever I hear that animal testing is done for things like shampoos and conditioners. Of course, I understand that a company has to know if their product will harm a person when they use it. However, I think that they should find another way to test their products other than using it on those poor animals. Seeking Arthritis Pain Relief  By : Morgan Hamilton There are a lot of ailments that can severely affect people’s lives. Arthritis is a common but very painful condition that burdens many people nowadays. Arthritis pain relief is important to sufferers because the pain from this ailment can impair normal physical functions. There are different types of arthritis but the essential cause is the inflammation of joints. This ailment can affect joints in the shoulder, elbow, knee, hips, hands or neck. People usually undergo physical therapy, some take prescription and over the counter drugs to treat this ailment. Pain killing drugs are an effective arthritis pain relief that can help a lot of people. However, they may also bring side effects and are costly in the long term. Some sufferers choose to have an operation to replace the joint as a last resort for arthritis pain relief. Finding An Effective Alzheimer Treatment  By : Morgan Hamilton Due to the advances in medical technology, we have learned more about mysterious ailments like Alzheimer’s disease. However, there are still a lot of things that we don’t understand about this disease, and researchers have not yet found a cure. Doctors can prescribe a particular Alzheimer treatment, but the effects are only limited to some of the symptoms. Alzheimer patients around the world are hoping that researchers and doctors can succeed in their mission of finding a better Alzheimer treatment. Alzheimer’s disease is a type of dementia that happens when neurons or brain cells start to die, off and the chemical messengers between the brain cells cease begin to malfunction. As a result, the patients suffer a significant loss in memory and impaired reasoning, and will experience personality and behavior changes as the disease progresses. The disease will also impair their ability to communicate, and they may become very anxious or even aggressive. The patients’ choice of Alzheimer treatment will depend on the rate of development of the disease. The Increasing Instances Of Anxiety Disorder In Children  By : Morgan Hamilton Being a child seems to be an easy period in a person’s life. Childhood, for most of us, is a carefree phase of life when children do not have any worries except maybe showing up in time for school. Sorry to say, but in this modern age, even children suffer from problems as indicated by the increase in cases of anxiety disorder for children, in recent years. Modern kids have hectic schedules. Weekdays are spent on classrooms and weekends are devoted to sports like baseball or hockey. They have to devote time for homework, and science projects. They also have to spend time in working out concerns like bullies and their boyfriends or girlfriends. An Examination Of Non-hodgkins Lymphoma  By : Morgan Hamilton Cancer is a life-threatening disease that is prevalent in our time. One of which is known as non-Hodgkins lymphoma or NHL. It is a cancer that affects the lymphatic system and develops in the lymphoid tissue, which contain lymphocytes that are found all over the body. The lymphatic system is part of our immune system, and contains two basic types of lymphocytes. B lymphocytes manufacture antibodies that protect your body against bacteria and viruses by attracting white blood cells that devour them. Tlymphocytes on the other hand destroy cancer cells as well as viruses, fungi, and bacteria. They produce a chemical called cytokinesis which attracts white blood cells to help destroy harmful microorganisms. Research posted at www.cancer.org by the Cancer Society claims that non-Hodgkins lymphoma develop from B lymphocytes 85% of the time, and the remaining 15% from T lymphocytes. All About Biotech Research  By : Morgan Hamilton One of my friends, a former community college student at the school at the same time I was working there, has decided to go into biotech research. She is technologically savvy and at the same time is fascinated with and good at working with the environment, and hopes to make some important contributions to our area (Northern California). So what does it mean to do biotech research? What does it take to get into the field of biotechnology? And how much dough can you make? Biotech research can involve anything in the life sciences, from “human health and computational disease mapping to crop and tree improvements,” as those studies are done by students at the Biotech Research Center at Michigan Tech, from “forensics, [the] testing of biotoxins, and management of the nation’s organ transplantation process” to “drug development, medical diagnostics, biomedical engineering, and environmental analysis,” such as those done at Virginia Biotechnology Research Park, or from biogenetic engineering, farming, or nutritional assessment and engineering to toxicology, biomedical imaging and engineering, or food, drug, and environmental technologies, as conducted by University of California Biotechnology Research and Education Program (UC BREP). Online Math Programs  By : Morgan Hamilton Nowadays you can find a great variety of online math programs. Honestly, as a teacher, I don't believe that any subject, especially Math, can be tutored online. What's most important in tutoring is to be able to act in person. The only way I know to teach mathematics is face-to-face. From my point of view, the online math programs available are not good, all they do is to confuse the child with complicated charts and answers which without a teacher's explanation, would be quite discouraging and may have only a negative impact on the child. However, there are some online math programs that have proved to be quite helpful. For instance, there are some sites offering free online multiplication games. This is a great way for your kid to practice multiplication drills and have fun at the same time. I hate to see children bored with calculating with paper and pen. I believe it's good if they also play such math games that help them learn more. Since the online game doesn't differs from the normal math, than I can only encourage youngsters to play it. But many other online math programs are simply trash. If you cannot learn your algebra in school then how can you learn it from online math setup? Of course, that would be impossible, so don't waste your time trying it. A Review Of Autism Research  By : Morgan Hamilton The surprisingly high rate of the condition known as autism is reported by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to be one in 166 children. Most people find it even a bit scary, especially ones who have never been exposed to statistics or to anyone affected by this condition. The lack of publicity on the problem causes troubles to autism research, as those research funds are being diverted to other causes with much bigger publicity as cancer and heart disease. We don’t try to say that those are not important, we just say that with such a high rate of people affected by autism it should be considered a worthy cause too. Despite the high number of affected children, their parents often complain about the lack of intensity in that research if any is done nowadays. Of the total amount of the National Health Budget, which adds up to $30 million, the part that goes to autism research is as tiny as two thirds of a percent, according to Mr. Wright of Autism Speaks. And that is not at all enough, according to the affected ones and their relatives. On The Road To Creating Real Power From Waves  By : Stacey Moore With 2,069 miles of Atlantic coastline and 7,623 miles of Pacific coastline, America may be in a unique position to put the waters to work, creating an inexpensive, renewable source of energy. While water power is nothing new, the process behind the latest "wave" of innovation certainly is. Power plants using oscillating water column (OWC) technology are able to harness the power of waves, generating a commercial level of energy that can then be connected to the nation's power grid. The result could be greater self-sufficiency and reduced reliance on foreign energy sources. Can Technology "chip" Away At Privacy?  By : Stacey Moore A wireless technology that's been around for more than 60 years is raising privacy and security issues for some people. The technology is RFID-radio frequency identification. Typically, it involves three components: a tag consisting of a microchip and radio antenna; a reader; and a computer system. The tag is attached to or embedded in an item, such as the pass that an employee might use to get into an office building. Information contained on the chip is sent to the reader by radio signals. What Is Rfid?  By : Stacey Moore RFID-radio frequency identification-has been around for more than 60 years. Today, consumers come into contact with this technology in many forms, from the passes used by employees to enter the buildings where they work to payment cards that can simply hover over-rather than be swiped through-a machine to work. As RFID is increasingly used in people's daily lives, the National Consumers League, the nation's oldest consumer advocacy organization, says that it's important to know what it is and how it works. Students Make Fishy Friends  By : Stacey Moore Fish are helping to school U.S. students. Using aquariums in their classrooms, students are incubating and hatching salmon eggs. They then rear them until they're old enough to be released in streams, serving as a fun way to learn about life cycles, fish habitats and the environment. Digging Up The Facts About Coal  By : Stacey Moore Energy is the lifeblood of modern developed countries worldwide. Continued energy price increases in recent years have had a significant impact on industrial and commercial businesses across the U.S. The successful companies are those that have been able to adapt, downsize or shift their operations offshore; the unsuccessful companies are those that have gone out of business. A recent study by Management Information Services found an intriguing relationship between business energy prices and the rate of job growth. In recent years, the 10 states with the lowest business energy costs created 60 percent more jobs than the 10 states with the highest energy costs. How Chemistry Saves Children's Lives  By : Stacey Moore America's children are healthier today than ever before, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other health experts. One important indicator: Life expectancy has nearly doubled in the past 100 years and continues to rise. Today's newborns can expect to live into their 80s, whereas in the early 1900s many died before reaching the age of five. Nuclear Powers. Space Missions  By : Stacey Moore Nuclear technology, used to power space missions, is helping explore what primitive Earth may have been like billions of years ago. Equipment powered by radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) has been collecting images and data from Titan, a moon of Saturn, whose atmosphere is similar to young Earth. Studying this information could tell us if Titan is able to support some form of life. Helping Corn Weather The Storm  By : Stacey Moore Technologies developed to protect crops from insects have helped farmers tell bad weather to bug off. For instance, in-plant insect control developed through biotechnology is helping corn perform even in drought conditions. The technology helps make crops heartier, with a well-protected, fuller root system that enables plants to more effectively absorb limited subsoil moisture and nutrients, a factor that is particularly important during dry spells. Nostradamus Prophecies Linked to the Nazca Lines  By : Roberto Bell Michel Nostradamus, history's most famous prophet, died in southern France in the sixteenth century. The lines of Nazca are one of archaeology's greatest mysteries and were created nearly a thousand years earlier on a faraway continent. A direct connection between the two is surely impossible, no? "To the contrary, it's highly possible," says Morten St. George, author of a Nostradamus decoding book called Incantation of the Law Against Inept Critics: A Guide to Cryptic Thinking. The Most Common Eye Disorders  By : Roberto Bell The four most common eye disorders, or 'refractive errors', are nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism and presbyopia. They are not diseases, but simply minor flaws in the construction of the eye. Info about Genetic Diseases  By : Roberto Bell Genetic diseases are surely one of the most dangerous factors for human?s health. These disorders are due to abnormalitites in genetic material (also known as genome) of humans. Genetic diseases are categorized in four main types according to where does the disorder happens. What is Fibre Optic Cable and How does it Work?  By : Mozza1 Optical fibres are sometimes called ‘light pipes’ because that is how they behave any light that enters one end is trapped in the pipe until it falls out of the other end. However, there is no hole down the middle. An optical fibre is a thin strand of transparent material (glass or plastic), coated with a thin sheath of a different transparent material. It is usually less than one millimetre in diameter and can be as fine as 0.0004 mm. The glass or plastic is so pure that light is not impeded by it – but the boundary between the core and the sheath. From the light’s point of view, is like the wall of a pipe. How Does the Microwave Oven Actualy Work?  By : Mozza1 As they fall between light and ordinary radio waves, they share some of the characteristics of both. Like light they travel in straight lines and can be blocked by solid objects. They can also be focused, beamed and reflected. Microwaves made their first major impact on the modern world when it was discovered that they were ideal for radar. What is the technology behind the light bulb  By : Mozza1 The light bulb is the most familiar, useful and widespread electrical invention on Earth. This everyday brainwave is based on the simple fact that very thin wires get hot when an electric current is passed through them, and some even glow. The trick is to find the best material that will glow the brightest, for longest. Today, the metal tungsten is used in nearly all bulbs – it does not melt until it reaches 3382°C and as it approaches this temperature little of the metal evaporates. How does the telephone actually work?  By : Mozza1 Capturing speech and sending it halfway round the world in a fraction of a second is a modern wonder. The telephone is the beginning and end of a worldwide communications network. It has four basic parts – a microphone, an earpiece, a dial and a ringer. What is a MAGLEV TRAIN?  By : Mozza1 These high-speed magnetically levitating (maglev) trains are being built in Germany and Japan and a cut-down version already connects Birmingham airport to its traditional railway station. As they do not make contact with the rails there is no friction to slow maglevs down and no moving parts to wear out. However, their sophisticated electrical systems are not easy to build. How does a Hovercraft work?  By : Mozza1 The hovercraft was invented in 1959 by Sir Christopher Cockerell. He recognized the fact that vehicles which are in contact with the ground are impeded by bumps and are largely restricted to even surfaces such as roads and rails. In the sea, boats are slowed down because they have to push their way through the water. AIRCRAFT - So how do they fly  By : Mozza1 Aircraft designers think of the air like we think of water it is fluid and it has mass. So, just as a lake will support a water skier, air will support a flying machine – as long as it keeps moving fast enough. QUANTUM THEORY  By : Mozza1 Quantum theory was established in the early 1900s in response to the failure of Newton's . mechanics to describe the absorption and emission of light by atoms and molecules. Developing a storage reference architecture  By : Mozza1 good architect knows that you don't start planning a building at the blueprint stage. You develop representations of what the building will look like after getting a good understanding of the goals and requirements - pictures and models come before creating the actual building plan. Once the concept is defined and agreed upon, the detailed plan is developed. Fed up with tape, hospital moves to storage jukebox  By : Mozza1 (Computerworld) -- When Cabell Huntington Hospital installed a new image and records archiving system late last year, it was given a choice of sticking with its optical disk jukebox and its spinning disk arrays or going back to magnetic tape. HP ProLiant DL380 G4 Data Protection Storage Server  By : Mozza1 The HP ProLiant DL380 G4 Data Protection Storage Server is a network attached storage (NAS) appliance that utilizes Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager 2006 (DPM) to provide rapid & reliable recovery, near continuous data protection, and operational simplicity for disk-based backup of Windows file servers in an Active Directory domain. Disk based backup and simple end-user file recovery deliver a low total cost of ownership. Ufo's - Fact Or Fiction?  By : sachatarkovskywritername One subject that fascinates millions of people worldwide is do UFO's exist? There are comelling facts that point to their existence and here we will look at evidence in more detail. Although a well-known subject for literally thousands of years (indeed mentioned in the earliest known writings) the subject of UFO's continue to fascinate us. Understanding The Check Engine Light  By : Dalvin Rumsey On all modern vehicles there is a computer that controls the way the engine operates, this computer is called Electronic Control Module, or ECM. The purpose of the ECM is to maintain the engine running within emissions limits and at top efficiency. With the very strict emission regulations of today, this is not an easy task to achieve. Precise and constant adjustments to match various conditions of the engine must be made by the ECM in regards to speed, load, engine temperature and others. How the ECM works: The Basics Of A Remanufactured Engine  By : Dalvin Rumsey Even if the commercials seen on TV might make you believe that an engine can run forever, that is not really true, any engine wears out eventually. The engine under the bonnet of your car is composed of many moving parts that are projected to work together and harness the internal combustion power under those brutal conditions. When the engine fails, a good idea would be to think about a remanufactured replacement engine. A remanufactured engine can be a way to keep driving your trusty car even after an engine failure. Before making a decision whatever you want a remanufactured engine installed or not you must make sure the rest of the vehicle is in good condition, as well as other systems on the vehicle. If you replace the engine on a car that has a damaged fuel of cooling system then that would be a very time consuming and expensive mistake if not correct. If your vehicle is in good shape, or you have recently made an investment in major components on the car and the engine died, then a remanufactured replacement engine is the option you need to choose. Parapsychology And The Paranormal  By : Sam Vaknin I. Introduction The words "supernatural", "paranormal", and "parapsychology" are prime examples of oxymorons. Nature, by its extended definition, is all-inclusive and all-pervasive. Nothing is outside its orbit and everything that is logically and physically possible is within its purview. If something exists and occurs then, ipso facto, it is normal (or abnormal, but never para or "beyond" the normal). Psychology is the science of human cognition, emotion, and behavior. No human phenomenon evades its remit. Seti (search For Extraterrestrial Intelligence) And The Aliens Conundrum - Part Ii  By : Sam Vaknin (1) How can we tell the artificial from the natural? How can we be sure to distinguish Alien artifacts from naturally-occurring objects? How can we tell apart with certainty Alien languages from random noise or other natural signals? (2) If we have absolutely nothing in common with the Aliens, can we still recognize them as intelligent life forms and maintain an exchange of meaningful information with them? Seti (search For Extraterrestrial Intelligence) And The Aliens Conundrum - Part I  By : Sam Vaknin I. The Six Arguments against SETI The various projects that comprise the 45-years old Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) raise two important issues: The Life Cycle Of Science  By : Sam Vaknin "There was a time when the newspapers said that only twelve men understood the theory of relativity. I do not believe that there ever was such a time... On the other hand, I think it is safe to say that no one understands quantum mechanics... Do not keep saying to yourself, if you can possibly avoid it, 'But how can it be like that?', because you will get 'down the drain' into a blind alley from which nobody has yet escaped. Nobody knows how it can be like that." R. P. Feynman (1967) "The first processes, therefore, in the effectual studies of the sciences, must be ones of simplification and reduction of the results of previous investigations to a form in which the mind can grasp them." J. C. Maxwell, On Faraday's lines of force The Wages Of Science  By : Sam Vaknin In the United States, Congress approved, In February 2003, increases in the 2003 budgets of both the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation. America is not alone in - vainly - trying to compensate for imploding capital markets and risk-averse financiers. In 1999, chancellor Gordon Brown inaugurated a $1.6 billion program of "upgrading British science" and commercializing its products. This was on top of $1 billion invested between 1998-2002. The budgets of the Medical Research Council and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council were quadrupled overnight. The Origins Of Biological And Chemical Warfare  By : Sam Vaknin Chemical and biological warfare are not an invention of the 20th century. Solon (638-559 BC) used a strong purgative, the herb hellebore, in the siege of Krissa. During the 6th century BC, the Assyrians poisoned enemy wells with rye ergot. In the Peloponnesian War (431-404 BC), the Spartans flung sulfur and pitch at the Athenians and their allies. In the Middle Ages, besiegers used the bloated and dripping bodies of plague victims as readymade "dirty bombs". The Invention Of Television  By : Sam Vaknin The transmission of images obsessed inventors as early as 1875 when George Carey of Boston proposed his cumbersome system. Only five years later, the principle of scanning a picture, line by line and frame by frame - still used in modern television sets - was proposed simultaneously in the USA (by W.E. Sawyer) and in France (by Maurice Leblanc). The first complete television system - using the newly discovered properties of selenium - was patented in Germany in 1884, by Paul Nipkow. Boris Rosing of Russia actually transmitted images in 1907. The idea to incorporated cathode -ray tubes was proposed in 1911 by a Scottish engineer, Campbell Swinton. Another Scot, John Logie Baird, beat American inventor C.F. Jenkins to the mark by giving the first public demonstration of - a dim and badly flickering - television in 1926 in Soho, London. Britain commenced experimental broadcasting almost immediately thereafter. Irish actress Peggy O'Neil was the first to be interviewed on TV in April 1930. The Japanese televised an elementary school baseball match in September 1931. Nazi Germany started its own broadcasting service in 1935 and offered coverage of the 1936 Olympics. By November 1936, the BBC was broadcasting daily from Alexandra Palace in London to all of 100 TV sets in the kingdom. Lysenko And Stalin's Genetics  By : Sam Vaknin Trofim Denisovich Lysenko (1898-1976) was an agronomist. During the reign of Lenin and Stalin years in the Soviet Union, he became the chief proponent of the work of the self-taught plant breeder Ivan Vladimirovich Michurin (1855-1935) and his brand of Lamarckism - a pre-Darwinian theory of evolution of the species proposed in the French scientist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck (1744-1829). He was appointed as the president (1938-56) of the Lenin All-Union Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the director (1940-65) of the Institute of Genetics, USSR Academy of Sciences. The leadership of the USSR believed his promises to deliver rapid increases in crop yields. Lamarck proposed that organisms can inherit traits acquired by their ancestors. The first giraffes stretched their necks to eat leaves on tall trees. Their offspring acquired this elongated neck and the desire to further stretch it. A species with long necks was born. Life Of Leonardo Da Vinci  By : Sam Vaknin Leonardo da Vinci was a painter, sculptor, architect, cartographer, engineer, scientist and inventor in the 15th century. Yet, despite his genius, he referred to himself as "senza lettere" (the illiterate, the man without letters). For good reason: until late in life, he was unable to read, or write, Latin, the language used by virtually all other Renaissance intellectuals, the lingua franca, akin to English today. Nor was he acquainted with mathematics until he was 30. Leonardo was born out of wedlock but was raised by his real father, a wealthy Florentine notary. He served at least ten years (1466-1476) as Garzone (apprentice) to Andrea del Verrocchio and painted details in Verrocchio's canvasses. Only in 1478, when he was 26, did he become independent. The History Of Calendars  By : Sam Vaknin Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on January 7. Their "old new year" is a week later, on January 14. It is all Julius Caesar's fault ... The Romans sometimes neglected to introduce an extra month every two years to amortize the difference between their lunar calendar and the natural solar year. Julius Caesar decreed that the year 46 BC should have 445 days (some historians implausibly say: 443 days) in order to bridge the yawning discrepancy that accumulated over the preceding seven centuries. It was aptly titled the "Year of Confusion". Women In Science  By : Kadence Buchanan - More than 25 years have gone by since the U.S. Congress passed the Women in Science and Technology Equal Opportunity Act, which states that it is "the policy of the United States that men and women have equal opportunity in education, training, and employment in scientific and technical fields." But today's academic field illustrates a different reality than that the U.S. Congress wishes to exist. Even if major advances have occurred in relation to women's role in education, academic institutions are still not fully utilizing the pool of women scientists they are producing each year. In fact, the difference between the proportions of women who earn Ph.D.'s and those who are in faculty positions at top universities appears to be most evident in the biological and physical sciences, as well as in engineering. But these sciences, even if they have been mostly studied by men, have been also studied in great extend by women over the years. While some scholars support that considerable biological differences between men and women affect their representation in science, there is a substantive body of evidence indicating that overall intelligence does not differ between men and women. Still controversy persists as to whether specific aspects of cognitive ability differ. But there is no ideal constellation of cognitive abilities required to be a scientist. To become a successful scientist, one needs to have deductive reasoning abilities, adequate verbal skills, quantitative reasoning, intuition, and social skills. Even if we accept that men and women differ in some of these abilities, there is no basis on which one may assume that men will have greater success than women in science, because different academic backgrounds, personal skills and mental abilities create equally successful approaches and styles. Moreover, there is no convincing evidence that women's representation in science is limited by innate ability. For example, between 1970 and 2003 a considerable 30 percent increase occurred in the proportion of Ph.D.'s granted to women in engineering. Since people support that this was the outcome of dramatic changes in attitudes and laws relevant to gender, the fact that more women were able to successfully graduate from their PhD's programs provides strong evidence of the cultural and structural impediments to women. What Is The Element Molybdenum Used For?  By : Gray Rollins - Molybdenum is from the Greek word molybdos meaning “lead like.” It is directly mined and is a byproduct of copper mining. It was used very infrequently up until the 19th century when Schneider and Co decided to use Molybdenum as an alloying agent in steel. Today there are many uses of molybdenum. Molybdenum is still used as an alloy agent in steel. All high strength steel contains from .25% to 8% molybdenum which contributes to the hardenability of the steel. It also improves the strength of steel under high temperatures and improves resistance to corrosion. Virtual Surgery Software  By : dave (Author) Cosmetic surgery continues to gain popularity. In fact, new techniques are being introduced to cater to the ever-growing needs and demands of the so-called vainglorious public. Whether seen on television or the Internet, one can be envious of fabulous cosmetic surgery done on popular celebrities. And as the awareness on cosmetic surgery proliferates, many people are contemplating on having procedures of their own. People are actually trooping to cosmetic surgery clinics for consultations. Is Dish Tv A Valuable Alternative  By : dave (Author) Are features offered by Dish TV making its Satellite TV service a valuable alternative? With interactive tools, guides, and myriad options made available to every subscriber, the offerings made by Dish TV cannot be surpassed. Moreover, the affordability of Dish TV’s services seems almost criminal when one considers all of the incredible options made available to them with Dish TV’s amazing features! In fact, it is no surprise that Dish TV has been deemed the number one Satellite TV company in terms of customer service by J.D. Power and Associates. First, Dish TV provides a Satellite TV installation screen that puts the subscriber in control of the installation process. A Dish TV subscriber can change satellite transponders, and detect the strength of their satellite signal with a satellite signal meter. Moreover, the satellite signal meter is accompanied by a special audio sound that lets the subscriber know when they have aligned their Satellite TV dish properly—leaving no question that the installation has been performed correctly. Finally, the satellite signal meter allows subscribers to easily determine if there is a problem with their satellite signal and to maintain the signal by removing any obstructions and retesting the signal. Direct Tv Total Choice Premier  By : dave (Author) The Total Choice Premier Channel Package from DIRECTV includes practically every channel offered in the United States for a great price. You get all the sports channels, movie channels, news channels, shopping channels and tons of specialty and informational programming like “The Learning Channel” and “The Food Network.” You even get your local channels so you can see local news and local programming. Not only do you get great television shows and movies, you also get the full spectrum of music - more of a variety then you get on your conventional radio. The best thing is that it is affordable and easy to have set up in your home. One of the best things about the Total Choice Premier Channel Package from DIRECTV is all the movie channels you get. With all these channels, you will never have to rent another movie again. The package includes 8 HBO channels, 11 Starz channels, and 6 Showtime channels, FLIX, two Disney Channels and three channels showing Cinemax. Some of these channels feature specific types of movies. For example, one of the Starz channels exclusively shows movies based on real events, while another only broadcasts love stories. Similarly, there are two HBO channels dedicated to programming that can be enjoyed by the entire family. If your taste in movies is a little more eclectic, the Total Choice Premier Channel Package from DIRECTV also features The Independent Film Channel and the Sundance Channel. Many other channels that are part of the Total Choice Premier Channel Package from DIRECTV also broadcast movies. For example, WE: Women’s Entertainment and the Sci-FI Channel. If you are into older, classic movies, check out Turner Classic Movies (TCM) and American Movie Classics, both of which are part of the Total Choice Premier Channel Package from DIRECTV. How To Get The Most From Direct Tv  By : dave (Author) More and more, savvy consumers are choosing Direct TV over traditional cable. In fact, Direct TV is now the leading cable television provider in the United States and the largest satellite TV company in the entire world. Why are so many people choosing Direct TV over regular cable television For starters, Direct TV offers access to hundreds of channels, bringing a plethora of programming into private homes, apartments, condominiums, commercial properties, airports, bars, and restaurants, as well as numerous other locations. Next, Direct TV offers free satellite dish installation and prices that are often significantly lower than the cost of cable television. Direct TV is also known for excellent customer support. Customer support is available both online and via the telephone. Furthermore, Direct TV is the right choice if you want crystal clear reception, featuring digital quality audio and video. No More Distractions With Noise Reduction Headphones  By : dave (Author) The world is a very noisy place with loud, intermittent sounds and constant, droning noises – noise reduction headphones can help you get a little peace amongst the distractions of everyday life. Headphones can block out the myriad of sounds that occur in a variety of setting and are helpful to many different people. Sleeping – If you have trouble sleeping, noise reduction headphones may aid you in getting some rest. Barking dogs, traffic, and awake family members can contribute to sleepless nights, and for those who are sensitive to noise when they're trying to sleep, noise reduction headphones create a sound-free environment so they can rest. Scotland’s Most Infamous Female……she Could Ruin Your Holiday  By : dave (Author) The summer days in Scotland are long and mild with nights that stay bright until 10pm. The scenery is beautiful, the weather is at its best and the tranquillity makes an ideal choice for a relaxing vacation, or so you would think. Your holiday has just started and at the end of the first day the prospect of an aperitif in the garden or by the lakeside is very appealing. It has just passed 5pm. The first sip is rewarding and satisfying as you sit back to breath in the clean, fresh air and absorb the breath-taking scenery. Gradually you feel uncomfortable and find that you have the urge to scratch your head and face. Then you are aware of something like dust particles floating around the upper part of your body. Dismissing them with a wave, thinking they are far too small to contemplate, you carry on with your aperitif and conversation. But then you find yourself itching so much, eventually you can’t take it any more and head inside wondering how these minute creatures could have ruined your evening, you can hardly see them! Malaria, The Silent Killer…a Simple Guide For Travellers  By : dave (Author) What is malaria? Malaria is a very serious disease caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Plasmodium. Four species of the parasites produce the disease which is transmitted by the female anopheline mosquito. The most dangerous is P. falciparum. If untreated it can lead to fatal cerebral malaria. What are the symptoms? Flu-like symptoms: headaches, muscle aches, confusion, dizziness, vomiting (lasting several hours), sweating, tiredness, but most of all, fever. Anemia and jaundice can occur. Symptoms generally occur from 7 days to a few weeks after being bitten, however may not occur for up to one year. Robot Toy: The New Generation Play Tool  By : dave (Author) Gone are the days when children satisfied themselves with simple games of hopscotch or tag. Heck, there are practically no more "simple toys" in the toy market nowadays wherein it’s slowly being dominated by more and more complicated contraptions. From toy PDA electronic models to enhanced walkie talkies, children nowadays have more discerning taste when it comes to their playing pleasure. So in an age wherein cellphones and digital cameras are just all too common, what’s really the buzz about the wonders of a robot toy? What makes a robot toy tick? And probably, most important, what makes a robot toy click? To put things simply, an electronic robot toy is an extremely sophisticated piece of technology especially for children who have always been used to playing with either plastic, wooden or plush toys. Things are indeed a changin’ nowadays, a robot toy is practically what each and every kid, well boys that is asks for in his wish list. Starting with the very hip and ultra high-tech robot toy, Robo Sapien which promises to be a whole more than just a simple robot toy. A smart robot toy like this actually tries to break the mold ordinary plastic robot toys that only has blinking lights and beeping sound effects. Robot toys that are available in the market today are far more sophisticated than that especially since they’ve been able to make these robot toys more interactive. A very important factor when it comes to ensuring its saleability in this rapidly changing world of toy commerce. Plastic Forming - Vacuum Forming Guide  By : John Morris What is vacuum forming? What does it do? What are the methods used in forming vacuums? Vacuum forming is basically the procedure used in shaping any kind of plastic. The shaping of unusual shapes like dishes, boxes and others is called Vacuum forming process. The simplest explanation to its method is by placing the mould into an oven, heated for it to take shape and cooled within a significant amount of time. The advantages of using vacuum forming as a method is limitless and effective. Majority of the vacuum forming products are affordable, since not many produce vacuum forming products. The moulds could be made of low-costing materials and the process of the vacuum forming could be possibly faster than any forming process. Smithkline Licenses Software  By : Aaron Hall SmithKline Beecham (SB) licensed Gene Logic's bioinformatics system and software tools based on the Object Protocol Model (OPM). OPM was developed by Victor Markowitz and his team while funded by the DOE HGP at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The program enables the rapid development of relational databases, integration of relational and flat-file databases, and building of cross-database query systems. Gene Logic and SB also will use OPM to develop a series of customized databases and servers for integrating a wide range of public and proprietary genomic and biological data sources into SB's data-mining process. Under the agreement, Gene Logic will receive software licensing fees and funding while retaining the right to license software and products developed under the collaborative program to third-party customers. Major Drug Firms Create Public Snp Resource  By : Aaron Hall In April, ten large pharmaceutical companies and the U.K. Wellcome Trust philanthropy announced the establishment of a consortium headed by Arthur L. Holden to find and map 300,000 common DNA sequence variations. The goal is to generate a widely accepted, high-quality, extensive, publicly available map using single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as markers evenly distributed throughout the human genome. SNPs can occur in both coding (gene) and noncoding regions. SNPs may help scientists identify small genetic differences that could predispose people to disease or influence their response to a drug. A SNP map thus may be of great value for biomedical research and for developing pharmaceutical products or medical diagnostics. Also, the map is expected to simplify navigation of the much larger genome map being generated by researchers in the Human Genome Project (HGP). Congressional Hearing Explores Controversies, Benefits Of Genomics  By : Aaron Hall In April the Subcommittee on Energy and Environment of the Committee on Science of the U.S. House of Representatives conducted hearings on the status and benefits of genome sequencing in the public and private sectors. Speakers included representatives of the U.S. HGP and Celera Genomics, members of Congress, and the director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy. Robert Waterston, directory of the HGP sequencing center at Washington University, St. Louis, pointed to fruitful data sharing by the HGP and the private sector. Examples include (1) collaborations led by the pharmaceutical company Merck to develop partial sequences identifying genes and (2) the fruit fly sequencing project by Celera and the HGP. Bang For The Buck: Government-backed Research Underpins Potentially High Payoff Ventures  By : Aaron Hall Spinoffs of Human Genome Project technologies continue to impact U.S. Industries, including medicine, environmental technology, agriculture, chemicals, and energy production. U.S. leadership in science and technology reaffirms the value of publicly funded research such as that supported at universities and national laboratories and in industry. Two recent spinoffs from the DOE Human Genome Program follow. Biochip Agreement Aimed at Commercial Use Companies to Refine Genome Technology for Mass Production In June DOE announced that Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Motorola Inc., and Packard Instrument Company have agreed to develop and mass-produce biochips. Motorola and Packard will contribute a total of $19 million over 5years, making this collaboration one of the largest biotechnology research agreements ever signed by a DOE national laboratory. Genetic Testing Advisory Committee  By : Aaron Hall The Secretary's Advisory Committee on Genetic Testing (SACGT) of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) held its first meeting in June. Chaired by Edward McCabe (University of California, Los Angeles), the 13-member committee's task is to help DHHS formulate policies on the development, validation, and regulation of genetic tests, particularly DNA-based diagnostics. SACGT was formed last year on the recommendation of the NIH-DOE Task Force on Genetic Testing. What Are Genetically Modified (gm) Organisms And Foods?  By : Aaron Hall Although biotechnology and genetic modification commonly are used interchangeably, GM is a special set of technologies that alter the DNA of such living organisms as animals, plants, or bacteria. Biotechnology, a more general term, refers to using natural living organisms or their components. Combining DNA from different organisms is known as recombinant DNA technology, and the resulting organism is said to be “genetically modified,” “genetically engineered,” or “transgenic.” GM products (current or in the pipeline) include medicines and vaccines, foods and food ingredients, feeds, and fibers. Merck Genomics Institute Established  By : Aaron Hall On April 9, Merck & Co., Inc., announced the establishment of the Merck Genome Research Institute, Inc. (MGRI) to support development of scientific technology for linking human genetic traits and resolving biological function of disease genes. This not-for-profit institute will promote and sponsor projects for broadly applicable assays and methodologies to improve the accuracy and speed with which function can be associated with sequences of genetic information. "We believe this institute's mission meets a current scientific need to translate our knowledge of gene sequence into function," said MGRI President C. Thomas Caskey. "In the spirit of the Merck Gene Index Project, the institute will ensure that such genetic technology is available to the entire biomedical community." Llnl And Onyx Collaborate On Proteome Project  By : Aaron Hall Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) Human Genome Center and Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., recently signed an agreement to collaborate in developing automated, high-throughput methods for generating proteins from gene sequences. To help identify and characterize new therapeutic targets for Onyx’s current drug-screening programs, research will focus on genes known to play a causative role in cancers. Joanna Albala of LLNL and Robin Clark and Anthony Davies of Onyx are principal investigators in the collaboration. LLNL brings to the collaboration the Integrated Molecular Analysis of Gene Expression (called I.M.A.G.E.) collection of arrayed cDNA libraries, along with the expertise and infrastructure for miniaturizing and automating biological sample handling. Onyx has developed expertise and reagents for expressing proteins using the baculovirus expression system and for purifying a wide variety of human proteins using epitope tags. Investigators expect the new system to reduce drug-development time by providing a ready source of proteins for assay development and drug screening. Web Site Provides Hgp Access To Scientific And Public Audiences  By : Aaron Hall The Human Genome Management Information System (HGMIS) was established in 1989 by the DOE Human Genome Program Task Group to inform scientists, policymakers, and the public about the program's research. To make Human Genome Project (HGP) data, technologies, and implications more accessible, HGMIS produces Human Genome News and a number of other information resources. Sites for Different Audiences HGMIS started its Web site in 1994 to house the electronic version of HGN. As interest in the genome project and Web use expanded, HGMIS added other publications, information, and links to make the site a comprehensive, text-based Web server on project-related topics. Gradually, in a shift that reflects Web trends in general, public users became predominant. Book Focuses On Biomarker Implications  By : Aaron Hall Biomarkers: Medical and Workplace Applications (Joseph Henry Press, National Academy of Sciences, May 1998) is the outgrowth of an international meeting called "Biomarkers, the Genome and the Individual: Workplace and Medical Implications of a Rapidly Evolving Technology." Held in May 1997 in Charleston, South Carolina, the DOE-sponsored meeting was organized by the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). The book, also supported by a DOE grant, offers a comprehensive review of the biomarker field through a sampling of 33 talks from the Charleston meeting. It focuses on the use of biomarkers to estimate prior exposures, identify genomic changes, and evaluate underlying susceptibilities in humans. The book was edited by Mort Mendelsohn (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory), John Peeters (DOE Office of Occupational Medicine), and Lawrence Mohr (MUSC). [Contact for book: National Academy Press (800/624-6242 or 202/334-3313, Fax: -2451)] Cdna Cloning Workshop Identifies Critical Issues  By : Aaron Hall Full-length cDNA Cloning: A Workshop on Problems and Solutions was held at the Banbury Center, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, on March 23-25. It was sponsored by Merck Genome Research Institute, NIH National Cancer Institute, and Research Genetics, Inc., and organized by M. Bento Soares (University of Iowa) and Piero Carninci (Tsukuba Life Science Center, Japan). A complete report of the meeting, including an extensive section on strategies for constructing libraries enriched for full-length cDNAs, is on the Web. Critical issues pertaining to synthesis and cloning of full-length cDNAs were identified and discussed throughout the meeting. Following are some topics on which attendees reached general consensus and made recommendations. Biotoolkit  By : Aaron Hall BioToolKit now provides 750 annotated links to Web tools for the study of nucleic acid, genome, and protein structure. Gene-Finding Programs at Sanger Updated versions of gene-finding programs (including FGENES, FGENESH, and FGENES-m variant for mammalian sequences) are available for use through the Sanger Web site. Also, the Gapped BLASTP program from the National Center for Biotechnology Information allows users to check a gene's protein structure in the INFOGENEP database of finished and unfinished human sequences and receive the clone's name and sequence. See the Web site for more information. Minireviews On Gene P53 Published  By : Aaron Hall The p53 gene, found on chromosome 17, is a tumor-suppressor gene. In the cell, the p53 protein binds DNA at specific locations and stimulates another gene to produce a protein called p21. In turn, p21 suppresses a division-stimulating protein (cdk2) to prevent the cell from passing through to the next stage of cell division. When p53 is mutant and can no longer bind DNA effectively, the p21 protein is not available to act as the “stop signal” for cell division. Thus cells may divide uncontrollably and form tumors. The p53 gene plays a key role in the pathogenesis or etiology of human cancers and clearly is an important component in a network of events that culminate in tumor formation. Mutations in p53 are found in most tumor types. Prospect For Protein Structure Predictions  By : Aaron Hall Explorations into the 3-D structures of proteins hold the key to understanding their biological functions and thus their roles in a living system. Proteins fold into complex shapes, creating active areas that enable them to interact with other proteins to accomplish a complex biological function in much the same way that gears in a watch mesh into a functioning machine. A broad collection of protein structural data will have an abundance of applications in the life sciences, biotechnology, and medicine. Revealing these structures, however, is not easily accomplished (see Predicting 3-D Protein Structure). Typically, a protein’s 3-D structure is determined through such experimental methods as X-ray crystallography or nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The whole process, including protein expression and sample preparation, data collection, and structure-model construction, may take months or even years. This pace clearly cannot keep up with the rate at which protein-encoding genes are being identified worldwide. Nor can it satisfy increasing demands by drug companies hoping to use these data to custom-design drugs that fit precisely in the proteins like hands in gloves, blocking or enhancing their activities and minimizing side effects. Bio-science News From The National Laboratories  By : Aaron Hall A new technique for detecting proteins associated with prostate cancer may serve as a sensitive assay for this common killer and have wide applications beyond diagnostics as well. The work was reported in the September 2001 issue of Nature Biotechnology by a team of researchers led by Thomas Thundat (Oak Ridge National Laboratory), Arun Majumdar (University of California, Berkeley), and Richard Cote (University of Southern California). The new instrument induces cancer-associated proteins known as prostate-specific antigens (PSAs) to stick to and ultimately bend a cantilever that measures one-hundredth the width of a human hair and looks like a tiny diving board. When proteins bind to the surface, the microcantilever bends and a sensitive laser detects and measures the minute movement, thus signaling the presence and amount of increased levels of PSA. Although the cantilever moves only about 10 to 20nm, lasers can detect a deflection as small as a fraction of a nanometer. The researchers report that the instrument is sensitive enough to detect PSA levels at 5% of the clinically relevant threshold and at potentially much lower cost than the conventional assay. A commercial application may be available within 3 to 5 years. Automation Conference Held At Lbnl  By : Aaron Hall The Third International Conference on Automation in Mapping and Sequencing, held November 3-5, 1995, at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), focused on instrumentation and automation issues associated with large-scale genomic research. Although driven by specific needs of genome projects worldwide, these technologies also have broad implications for biotechnology in general because of the large scale of genomic operations for which they are designed. The capacity audience of 230 represented an international community of specialists from major mapping and sequencing centers, university and government laboratories, and the private sector. In addition to the 78 presentations, 20 manufacturers exhibited leading-edge technology. DOE and NIH managers gave overviews of various genome programs and their expectations for continued automation and instrumentation development. Doe Refocuses Instrumentation Program  By : Aaron Hall In April the DOE Office of Biological and Environmental Research (OBER) announced its interest in receiving new applications in genome instrumentation research for both substantial evolutionary improvements in current systems and revolutionary technologies for the post-2005 era. To stimulate contributions from investigators not previously involved in DOE's Human Genome Program, OBER invited applications from a broad range of scientists with backgrounds in biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering. At press time, preapplication response had been excellent. DOE's transition to production sequencing has been based largely on gel electrophoresis, with data acquisition by laser-induced fluorescence. However, this in no way decreases the necessity for innovative long-term basic research in the area of instrumentation support for genome studies. In this context, OBER is refocusing its current Genome Instrumentation Program, taking stock of current progress and considering likely future needs. [See related article on Jason Review.] From Sequence To Systems: Looking At Proteins To Understand Genome Expression  By : Aaron Hall The availability of entire genomic sequences for some 18 microbes (and many more to come) now offers investigators the opportunity to perform comparative analysis from an evolutionary perspective, identify conserved genes and metabolic capabilities based on protein sequence homology, and predict protein structures. Understanding how gene products--proteins--work together to create and maintain complex biological systems, however, requires data about the entire spectrum of protein production in the complex ecosystem of a cell. In the account below, DOE Microbial Genome Program grantee Carol Giometti of Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) describes such studies on two microbial genomes, the heat-loving Methanococcus jannaschii and Pyrococcus furiosus, both subjects of the DOE program. [Introduction by Dan Drell, DOE Microbial and Human Genome programs] Genome Of Historic Microbe Sequenced  By : Aaron Hall A team headed by Douglas Smith (Genome Therapeutics, GTC) has finished sequencing the 4.1-Mb genome of Clostridium acetobutylicum and has placed the data in GenBank and on the Web. C. acetobutylicum, a nonpathogenic microbe that can convert starch into the solvents acetone and butanol, enjoys an unusual place in history. Discovered in 1915 by Chaim Weizmann, the microbe was used by Great Britain during World War I for generating acetone to produce cordite for artillery shells. In gratitude, the government offered to honor Weizmann, but he asked instead for British support of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. This led to the Balfour Declaration of 1917, committing Britain to sanction what became in 1948 the state of Israel, with Weizmann as its first president. Thermotoga Sequence Presented  By : Aaron Hall In May, researchers led by Karen Nelson (The Institute for Genomic Research) reported obtaining the complete 1.8-Mb genomic sequence of the heat-loving bacterium Thermotoga maritima, first isolated from geothermally heated marine sediment in Vulcano, Italy. Early analysis reveals some unusual features that could affect our understanding of how earth's simplest life forms evolved. The three major life groups or kingdoms are eubacteria and archaea, which include the simplest life forms lacking a central nucleus; and the more complex eucaryota, which include animals and plants. T. maritima has been considered one of the deepest and most slowly evolving lineages in the eubacteria kingdom. Doe Microbial Genome Program Evolves  By : Aaron Hall Rapid DNA Sequencing Generates Abundant Data for Gene Discovery, Insights From its beginning in 1994, the DOE Microbial Genome Program (MGP) sparked a revolution in microbiology. Since the complete genome sequence of Haemophilus influenza was published by Craig Venter’s group (then at The Institute for Genomic Research, TIGR), genome sequences of some 51 microbes have been completed and published. Sequencing of at least a dozen more is complete but not yet published, and about 140 additional microbes are in varying stages of progress. Activity in the private sector also has been intense. Sequencing technologies have progressed to the point where a high-throughput facility such as the DOE Joint Genome Institute (JGI) can draft the sequence of a 2.5-Mb microbe in a day and 65 Mb of microbial sequence (about 17 to 20 microbes of different-sized genomes) in a month. Ecocyc Database For E. Coli  By : Aaron Hall The EcoCyc electronic database is a literature-derived resource that describes the genome and biochemical machinery of Escherichia coli. The database contains up-to-date annotations and the DNA sequences of all genes in E. coli and describes all known pathways of its small-molecule metabolism. Each pathway and its component reactions and enzymes are annotated in rich detail, with extensive references to the biomedical literature. For example, the detail provided for each E.coli enzyme includes its cofactors, activators, inhibitors, and subunit structure. In July, the database included 159 metabolic pathways, 946 reactions, 629 enzymes, and 4390 genes. EcoCyc also is used by investigators to annotate other microbial genomes. Because E.coli has the largest fraction of gene products whose functions were determined experimentally, sequence- similarity matches to E.coli are less likely to result in incorrect function predictions than are matches to other microbial genomes. Those genomes may have a higher rate of annotation errors due to computational, and perhaps transitive, misannotation. New Mouse Probes Aid Gene Mapping  By : Aaron Hall A team led by Julie Korenberg (Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles) has produced a family ofDNA probes that "light up" mouse chromosome sites under fluorescence microscopy. The markers, spaced at an average 19 million bases throughout the 3billion bases of the mouse genome, aid researchers who are hunting for mouse counterparts of human genes. The work is described in the May 1999 cover article of Genome Research. The mouse is a favorite research model for understanding human biology, and researchers are finding more and more corresponding genes on human and mouse chromosomes. Unlike human chromosomes, however, mouse chromosomes have few distinguishing features that help cytogeneticists hunt for particular disease genes. The new markers thus far have led researchers to the mouse counterpart of the human Down's syndrome region. Public, Private Sectors Join In Mouse Consortium  By : Aaron Hall Sequencing Results will Spur Discovery of Human Genes and Their Functions In October, a collaboration was announced to speed up sequencing of the mouse genome and produce a draft map by spring 2001. The Mouse Sequencing Consortium (MSC) consists of six NIH institutes, the Wellcome Trust philanthropy, and three private companies. It provides another example of public and private sectors joining forces to support large-scale genomics research and generate freely available data crucial for basic biomedical research. Drosophila Researchers Win Prize  By : Aaron Hall At its annual meeting in San Francisco on February 17, the American Association for the Advancement of Science presented the prestigious Newcomb Cleveland Prize to five researchers representing the teams that completed the sequence of the fruit fly. Gerald Rubin and Susan Celniker accepted the prize on behalf of the Berkeley Drosophila Genome Project (BDGP), and J. Craig Venter, Gene Myers, and Mark Adams represented Celera Genomics. BDGP is a partnership among Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; the University of California, Berkeley; and Baylor College of Medicine. The 2000 prize, which recognized an outstanding paper published in Science between June 1, 1991, and May 31, 2000, was awarded for "The Genome Sequence of Drosophila melanogaster." The paper is a series of articles jointly authored by hundreds of scientists, technicians, and students from 20 public and private institutions in 5 countries. Mouse Genome Informatics (mgi) Release 2.0  By : Aaron Hall The MGI Web site (http://www.informatics.jax.org) provides integrated access to various information resources on the genetics and biology of the laboratory mouse. The site includes the Mouse Genome Database, Gene Expression Database (GXD), and Encyclopedia of the Mouse Genome. After The Genome Project: Understanding The Data  By : Aaron Hall Survey Identifies Growing Need for Synchrotron Analyses Structural Biology and Synchrotron Radiation: Evaluation of Resources and Needs (1997) is a report on the current status of biological uses and demands of synchrotron radiation in the United States. For this report, staff at the synchrotron radiation facilities and their user communities were surveyed, and a group of experienced structural biologists analyzed the data. Report On Functional Consequences Of Gene Expression  By : Aaron Hall The final report of the workshop, "Functional Consequences of Gene Expression in Health and Disease," held March 31 to April 3, 1997, in San Antonio, Texas, has been published by DOE At the workshop were experts representing genetics, biochemistry, molecular and cellular biology, physiology, oncology, radiology, and nuclear medicine. They discussed with DOE representatives the expectations and possibilities for helping clinical investigators and physicians use the vast new knowledge coming from the Human Genome Project. A workshop goal was to identify (1) functional units in terms of biochemical circuits within such complex adaptive systems as the human body that can be observed in vivo and described as a consequence of interacting substrates in response to specific gene expression; (2) useful, practical, and economical tools for in vivo observations of metabolic and functional circuits in response to gene expression in individuals; and (3) promising applications of these concepts and tools for medical research and practice. Specific models, radiopharmaceuticals, measurement techniques, instrumentation, and methods for linking recognized phenotypic molecular expressions to individual genotypes are crucial to the task. Mouse Consortium For Functional Genomics  By : Aaron Hall Six Tennessee research organizations located from Memphis to Knoxville signed a Memorandum of Cooperation on December 4, 1998, to form the Tennessee Mouse Consortium for Functional Genomics. The consortium's purpose is to induce gene mutations in mice as models for human genetic diseases and as subjects for studying gene function. Consortium members are Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), University of Tennessee (Knoxville and Memphis), Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Meharry Medical College, and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The collaboration will combine ORNL's experience in mouse genetics and functional genomics with the other institutions' biological and clinical expertise. Vanderbilt, for example, will contribute proficiency in behavioral neurosciences, while Meharry is especially interested in mutations in the sensory systems. Each institution will play a crucial role in screening mutagenized mice for induced changes in behavior, physiology, biochemistry, and morphology and will choose mutations of interest for detailed study. Mouse Resources Critical To Understanding Human Genome  By : Aaron Hall Some 60 scientists met for 3 days in March 1998 in Bethesda, Maryland, to define priorities for producing resources to make the mouse a more valuable tool for understanding mammalian biology. Convened by NIH Director Harold Varmus, the Mouse Genomics and Genetics Resources Working Group's recommendations, as summarized by cochairs William Dove (University of Wisconsin) and David Cox (Stanford University), are outlined below. Total direct costs for the first year are estimated at $49.3 million. The first follow-up meeting was held in October 1998 to discuss implementation of the March recommendations. Representatives from DOE and the U.K.'s Medical Research Council were present to develop a coordinated strategy and share expertise in this international effort. Recommendations Recommendations for structural analysis, functional analysis, and resources include the following: High-resolution Image Reveals Structure Of Protein Machine  By : Aaron Hall Using a high-energy X-ray beam from the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) at Brookhaven National Laboratory, researchers at Yale University and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute obtained the most detailed images ever seen of the ribosome (the protein-making structure inside all living cells). NSLS is a DOE Office of Biological and Environmental Research structural biology user facility. In prokaryotes (bacteria and other simple organisms) as well as the more complex eukaryotes, ribosomes help translate gene-encoded information into a specific protein. Ribosomes consist of two unequally sized subunits containing RNA and proteins. The smaller component binds the messenger RNA (mRNA), which contains genetic instructions that specify the amino acids required to build a particular protein. The larger ribosomal subunit attaches one amino acid to the next in the growing protein chain. Doe And Nih Teams To Unlock Power Of Proteins  By : Aaron Hall NIGMS Structural Genome Initiative Seven new grants, four of them awarded to scientists at DOE sites, are key components in the Structural Genome Initiative started by the NIH National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS). Over the next decade, the new study will determine the form and function of thousands of proteins. Ornl Mouse Program Provides Powerful Tools For Studying Human Genes  By : Aaron Hall Connecting Sequence and Function Sequencing genomes was the easy part. Some major challenges facing the new era of post-sequencing biology include finding all genes and deducing their functions, elucidating the connections between mutations and disease, and untangling the complex networks of interactions controlling all these processes in living systems. Model organisms such as the mouse, whose genes and DNA regulatory regions are remarkably similar to those of humans, provide powerful tools for illuminating our own genetic material. The Genome Data Base, Then And Now  By : Aaron Hall When the Genome Data Base began public operation at Johns Hopkins University in 1990, researchers had been mapping the human genome for several decades. In keeping with the Human Genome Project's mission to make mapping data freely accessible to the scientific community, GDB set about curating the existing data and making the information available to those engaged in the mapping effort. The first release, GDB 1.0, debuted in September 1990 at HGM 10.5, offering a character-based interface with pull-down menus. It provided editorial functions, text-based genetic maps, a means for managing literature references, and data on probes and polymorphisms. Since its inception as the official repository for mapping data in support of the genome project, GDB's efforts always have been dedicated to improving access and creating a data model that would accommodate different mapping methodologies and the data they generate. Allowing the user to view the data in a more meaningful way one that reflected the richness of the biological data became an important focus for GDB. This resulted in a series of releases aimed at making the task easier for the user to view and submit data. A statement in the report of the informatics committee at the August 1991 HGM 11 (when GDB 4.1 was in use) reads, "Graphical tools to display, analyze, and compare this information will be developed in the future." The future has finally arrived. Interoperable Tools Working Group Meets  By : Aaron Hall An informal off-site informatics meeting was held on November 15, 1994, as an adjunct to the DOE Human Genome Program Contractor-Grantee Workshop in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The discussion at the National Center for Genome Resources involved about 25 NIH and DOE investigators. Its purpose was to develop ideas and a working plan for an interoperable framework of genome-analysis tools. An earlier discussion on this topic was organized by David States at the Cold Spring Harbor Genome Mapping and Sequencing meeting in May 1994 [see HGN 6(4), 16 (November 1994)]. As in the earlier session, the group strongly agreed about the desirability of a framework to provide researchers with seamless and transparent access to an array of sequence-analysis tools and databases. The Santa Fe meeting centered around a plan to develop a multiple-client environment that could access a variety of Internet servers. It would facilitate genome analysis and data retrieval, entry, and annotation, transparently passing data types and control among the various tools. In this approach, individual tool designers would attach their servers to the framework by submitting a client code and information about their server and input-output data types to a central library. The modular, flexible framework would allow growth and new types of analysis and data and facilitate community-wide interoperability. Database Workshops Held  By : Aaron Hall Two workshops have been held entitled Interconnection of Molecular Biology Databases. The first was at Stanford University on August 9-12, 1994, with a 1995 follow-up on July 20-22 in Cambridge, England. Several workshop-related documents are available now. These include the 1994 final report; attendee abstracts and contact information; bibliography on database interoperation; summary of biological databases and WWW pointers; and a list of presentations for the 1995 conference. Some 55 bioinformatics researchers, computer scientists, and biologists from 9 countries attended the 1994 meeting, which surveyed the roughly 100 existing databases and requirements for integrating the diverse information they contain. Computer scientists presented an overview on the need for database interoperation and suggested techniques for solving the problem. Participants described a wide range of approaches that are presently generating practical results, such as systems allowing multidatabase queries to the sequence databases, Genome Data Base, and Protein Data Bank. These systems and approaches vary according to their capability to handle complex queries, implementation difficulty, required user expertise, and scalability. Acedb Version 4.0 Debuts At Annual Meeting  By : Aaron Hall Since its 1991 introduction for the Caenorhabditis elegans community, ACEDB has served as a data-management model for other research projects and has been adopted by a number of diverse organizations and individuals to maintain and distribute data on more than 40 genomes, including human, bovine, Drosophila, yeast, mycobacteria, Arabidopsis, grains, trees, and fungi. At the May 14-29 ACEDB conference and workshop in Geyserville, California, participants represented 10 countries, 4 continents, 38 organizations, 20 databases, and 19 organisms. John McCarthy [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL)] organized this year's meeting. Sponsors included DOE, NIH National Center for Human Genome Research, U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Science Foundation, and European Data Resource for Human Genome Research. Conference hardware and software were provided by LBNL, Digital Equipment, Sun Microsystems, Silicon Graphics, Network Computing Devices, Microsoft, and Stanford University. Ismb-95 Addresses Computational Issues  By : Aaron Hall Some 270 delegates attended the Third International Conference on Intelligent Systems for Molecular Biology (ISMB-95) held in Cambridge, England, on July 16-19, 1995. The conference brought together scientists who are using advanced computational methods to address problems in molecular biology. These methods include data modeling, machine learning, artificial intelligence, cognitive science, robotics, combinatorial and stochastic optimization, adaptive computing, string and graph algorithms, linguistic methods, and parallel computer technologies. The conference was preceded by 8 introductory and advanced tutorials attended by 187 delegates. The best-attended tutorials were (1) Protein Structure Prediction and (2) Statistical Foundations of Multiple Sequence Alignments and Structure Prediction. Second Meeting Held On Interconnection Of Molecular Biology Databases  By : Aaron Hall The Second Meeting on Interconnection of Molecular Biology Databases (MIMBD-95) was held at Cambridge University on July 20-22, 1995, in conjunction with ISMB-95. The workshop was organized by Peter Karp of the SRI International Artificial Intelligence Center, Victor M. Markowitz of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and Tom Flores of the European Bioinformatics Institute. The premise of this meeting was that the roughly 100 existing molecular biology databases (MBDs) will be of much greater value to molecular biologists when interconnected than in their current isolated states. Scientists will be able to integrate diverse sources of information to answer questions that are laborious or impossible to tackle today. Research in this area is proceeding along three main lines: interconnecting databases via WWW, the data-warehousing approach, and the distributed-query approach. Central to all three approaches is the concept of creating dfatabase links recording information about relationships between objects in various MBDs (such as linking a protein sequence in one to the corresponding DNA sequence in another). Capturing The Data And Making It Useful  By : Aaron Hall Redesigning GDB and GSDB The explosive growth of information and the challenges of acquiring, representing, and providing access to data pose new and monumental tasks for the large public databases. Ken Fasman [Genome Database (GDB)] and Gifford Keen [Genome Sequence Data Base (GSDB)] discussed the restructuring of GDB and GSDB to handle the flood of data and make it useful for downstream biology. Tigr Gene Index  By : Aaron Hall Researchers now have free Internet access to the Human Gene Index (HGI) database released by The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR). Designed to integrate research from human genome projects worldwide, the massive HGI holds full-length gene sequences, more than 600,000 ESTs, and 63,000 tentative human consensus sequences. The ultimate goal is to represent a nonredundant view of all human genes with data on their expression patterns, cellular roles, functions, and evolutionary relationships. HGI will also include links to genomic sequences, mapping data, 3-D structures, and literature references. Anthony Kerlavage, director of the Department of Bioinformatics at TIGR, said of HGI, "Rather than searching for and locating bits and pieces of information in various places and databases where researchers often have to spend valuable time playing detective, the TIGR Human Gene Index brings together all available information in one location with various means of pinpointing specific areas of inquiry. It opens a vast universe of data to help fill in the blanks for scientists." Prodom Release 34.1  By : Aaron Hall Release 34.1 of ProDom, the Protein Domain database, was constructed by clustering homologous segments derived from 65,376 nonfragmentary sequences present in SWISS-PROT 34 as of May 21. Some 18,086 multiple alignments and consensus sequences for homologous domain families are provided. The enhanced Web user interface links to and from PROSITE and PDB. Domain families can be searched by keyword, and graphical representations of domain arrangements facilitate structural interpretation of large protein families. Flybase Updated  By : Aaron Hall In its most recent update of May 1997, the Drosophila database FlyBase contains information about more than 46,000 alleles of some 14,000 genes. Many gene reports now link to reports about expression patterns and other features for associated proteins and transcripts. FlyBase presents descriptions of over 15,000 chromosomal aberrations as well as molecular maps and information about more than 1000 molecular constructs and 1000 transposons. The bibliography includes some 83,000 listings, many with links to associated genes and aberrations, and an address book lists over 5300 Drosophila researchers. Genotypes and ordering information for more than 13,000 Drosophila stocks are available. Reports retrieved from gene searches have been enhanced by dividing alleles for each gene into "classical" and "in vitro" and references into "primary," "review," and "abstract." In its gene reports, FlyBase has extensive hyperlinks to other databases, most notably to sequence databank records, gene homologs from other organisms, and Medline citation records. Genome Annotation: Informatics Advances Needed For Age Of Functional Genomics  By : Aaron Hall Sharply increasing rates of sequence-data production are placing greater and greater demands on information systems for new ways to view and better understand the meaning of the growing strings of As, Cs, Ts, and Gs piling up in GenBank and community databases. Enriching data with such information as gene features and locations, gene-control regions, related sequences, gene-expression patterns, gene and protein families, pathways, and phenotypes can help pave the way for a successful transition from the current structural genomics phase of DNA mapping and sequencing to functional genomics studies. Genome Annotation Consortium Ed Uberbacher (Oak Ridge National Laboratory) described several pilot projects in the multi-institutional Genome Annotation Consortium, which was established to minimize some problems posed by genome-scale sequencing and to build a shared infrastructure for integrating diverse biological information. Four basic components of the pilot projects are daily sequence and biological data acquisition from 19 major genome centers; automated data analysis to link biological information to sequence using tools for exon prediction, gene modeling, and sequence comparison; a storage, maintenance, and update component; and a series of methods for browsing, querying, and accessing other tools of value to researchers. An important goal is to build a level of interoperation using CORBA, which has not yet been implemented into the system. Data Surge Challenges Informatics Developers  By : Aaron Hall The explosive growth of sequence and biological information poses pressing challenges for data acquisition, representation, access, and analysis. Some highlights from informatics sessions at the Santa Fe workshop follow. bioWidgets: Adaptable, Reusable Modules for Viewing Data Many software analysis applications commonly are tailored to fit resources available at a particular site. The bioWidgets toolkit philosophy of Chris Overton's team [University of Pennsylvania (Penn)], however, is to use a component-based approach to design adaptable and reusable software, easily incorporated in a variety of applications and deployable in modules, that promotes interaction among applications. Jonathan Crabtree described the team's efforts to develop and deploy graphical user interfaces for visualizing molecular, cellular, and genomic information. The current implementation includes widgets that display sequences, maps, BLAST results, chromosomes, and sequence alignments. The group also is developing interfaces for data stored in such distributed heterogenous databases as the Genome Database, Genome Sequence DataBase, Entrez, and ACeDB and is creating a consortium of bioWidget developers and users to create standards. All bioWidgets are implemented in Java for Web distribution. Jgi Informatics: Tracking A Moving Target  By : Aaron Hall Providing informatics support for achieving "dream" targets of 100 Mb a year of Bermuda-quality sequence is an evolving process, said Tom Slezak, director of the JGI informatics team. "It can't happen in a single leap. It will ride a learning curve similar to all the other scientific and technological ones going on in parallel," he said. But a lag time for informatics support on these processes is inevitable because support requirements are not yet clear. In general terms, informatics for sequencing encompasses clone resources and validation, sequence production, sequence analysis and annotation, informatics integration, and systems administration. Slezak gave an overview of various short-, medium-, and long-term solutions being implemented to meet these challenges.

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