Do Plants Have Minds? : 13.7: Cosmos And Culture hide captionPlants do seem to have a sense of where they want to go. Brent Stirton/Getty Images Plants do seem to have a sense of where they want to go. In my last contribution to 13.7, I suggested that Watson has the mind of a plant; he just sits there, plugged in, responding to what he is fed. Watson sees nothing, seeks, hides, wants and fears nothing. On reflection — and as readers and colleagues were quick to point out to me — I may have been unfair to plants. For excellent surveys, see here and here. The guiding idea of this literature seems to be, first, that plants do in fact act, and they act in ways which, when animals act that way, we are disposed to think of as signs of intelligence. Plants reshape themselves — extending, growing, opening, closing, altering leaf size, etc — in direct response to what they need, what they have good reason to shun and to a broad range of local conditions. Granted, by human and animal measures, plants are very slow. But this seems misguided.
The Spooky World Of Quantum Biology | h+ Magazine Michael Garfield The new science of quantum biology is teaching us about how the actual behavior of evolution is governed by disconcertingly spooky processes – time travel being one of them. Will quantum computation finally be realized by biomimicry, in organic systems? Evolution is the new (old) computation...and we're about to take the reins. One hundred and fifty years ago, paleontologist Thomas Henry Huxley (an autodidact and philosopher who coined the term “agnostic” and was known as “Darwin’s Bulldog” for his passionate defense of natural selection) asserted that humankind would eventually take the processes of evolution into our own hands. The premise is simple. Quantum computation, a science still in its infancy, promises swiftness and efficiency vastly superior to anything possible with conventional silicon chips. It’s a promising avenue for people with big plans for strong AI or virtual reality. What does this all mean?
Watching Your Words – How Language Can Heal Or Harm Your Body | The Healers Way You have healing power within yourself – we all do. And it’s contained within your words. Russian scientists have been studying the connection between language and the body’s DNA, and what they’re finding is the same thing all the spiritual masters have know for, well, as long as there have been spiritual masters! DNA can be Influenced and Reprogrammed by Words and Frequencies by Grazyna Fosar and Franz Bludorf The human DNA is a biological internet and superior in many aspects to the artificial one. Only 10% of our DNA is being used for building proteins. Grammar Rules & Sci-Speak (the technical info) They found that the alkalines of our DNA follow a regular grammar and do have set rules just like our languages. The Russian biophysicist and molecular biologist Pjotr Garjajev and his colleagues also explored the vibrational behavior of the DNA. One can simply use words and sentences of the human language! Repairing Damaged Chromosomes Examples in Nature “Phantom” DNA More Science Talk Dawn
Scientists stop the ageing process (ABC News in Science) Clean bill of health: Scientists have shown that clearing damaged protein from the liver helps stop age decline in the organ (Source: iStockphoto) Scientists have stopped the ageing process in an entire organ for the first time, a study released today says. Published in today’s online edition of Nature Medicine, researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University in New York City also say the older organs function as well as they did when the host animal was younger. The researchers, led by Associate Professor Ana Maria Cuervo, blocked the ageing process in mice livers by stopping the build-up of harmful proteins inside the organ’s cells. As people age their cells become less efficient at getting rid of damaged protein resulting in a build-up of toxic material that is especially pronounced in Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative disorders. By contrast, the livers of normal mice in a control group began to fail. Read on… Like this: Like Loading...
Light used to switch on gene expression Imagine being able to control genetic expression by flipping a light switch. Researchers at North Carolina State University are using light-activated molecules to turn gene expression on and off. Their method enables greater precision when studying gene function, and could lead to targeted therapies for diseases like cancer. Triplex-forming oligonucleotides (TFOs) are commonly used molecules that can prevent gene transcription by binding to double-stranded DNA. "In the absence of light, transcription activity is 100 percent," says Deiters. Additionally, Deiters fine-tuned the process by attaching a caged inhibitor strand to the TFO. "We've created a tool that allows for the light-activation of genetic transcription," Deiters says. The research appears online in ACS Chemical Biology, and was funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Effet Baldwin Un article de Wikipédia, l'encyclopédie libre. L'effet Baldwin est un corollaire à la théorie de l'évolution mise de l'avant en 1896 dans un livre intitulé Un nouveau facteur en évolution par James Mark Baldwin, qui propose un mécanisme de sélection spécifique sur les capacités d'apprentissage. Selon cette théorie, le comportement durable d'un individu ou d'un groupe influence sa capacité d'apprentissage et ne serait pas limité aux seuls facteurs génétiques. Démonstration[modifier | modifier le code] Par exemple, imaginons des oiseaux qui doivent faire face à un nouveau prédateur. La tolérance du lactose chez les humains est souvent prise comme exemple pour illustrer cette théorie. Cette hypothèse a été et reste controversée en biologie. Notes et références[modifier | modifier le code] ↑ An Introduction to Genetic Algorithms, Melanie Mitchell, MIT Press, 1999, page 66. Bibliographie[modifier | modifier le code] Pierre Jolivet, « Le principe de Baldwin ou l’effet Baldwin en biologie.
Fossil suggests new hominid species: Stone Age cavemen 'Red deer people' discovered in China 'Red deer people' lived 14,500-11,500 years ago in AsiaPreviously thought that homo sapiens had continent to themselves'Highly unusual' mixture of ancient and modern - could be new speciesCould also be relic of early migration out of Africa which died out By Rob Waugh Published: 15:00 GMT, 14 March 2012 | Updated: 09:27 GMT, 16 March 2012 Four Stone Age people found in caves in China could be a entirely new species of humanoid - and the discovery 'opens a new chapter' in the history of evolution, say archaeologists. The fossils, found in two caves, belong to a previously unknown Stone Age people and have a 'highly unusual' mixture of ancient and modern features. Named the 'Red Deer people' because of the animals they hunted and dating from between 14,500 to 11,500 years ago, they are the youngest humanoid fossils to be found in Asia. Previously it had been thought that early humans had little competition in the continent. But the new find suggests this may not have been the case.
Scientists discover virus that kills all grades of breast cancer ‘within seven days’ By Stephen C. WebsterFriday, September 23, 2011 16:48 EDT Scientists at the Penn State College of Medicine said this week they have discovered a virus that is capable of killing all grades of breast cancer “within seven days” of first introduction in a laboratory setting. The virus, known as adeno-associated virus type 2 (AAV2), is naturally occurring and carried by up to 80 percent of humans, but it does not cause any disease. Researchers learned of its cancer-killing properties in 2005, after Penn State scientists observed it killing cervical cancer cells. When combined in a lab recently, AAV2 eradicated all the breast cancer cells “within seven days,” according to researchers. “If we can determine which viral genes are being used, we may be able to introduce those genes into a [therapy],” explained Penn State research associate Samina Alam. The Center for Disease Control says that breast cancer is the most common type of cancer affecting American women. Copyright 2011 The Raw Story
How Evolution Happens Strange organism has unique roots in tree of life - Technology & science - Science - LiveScience Talk about extended family: A single-celled organism in Norway has been called "mankind's furthest relative." It is so far removed from the organisms we know that researchers claim it belongs to a new base group, called a kingdom, on the tree of life. "We have found an unknown branch of the tree of life that lives in this lake. The organism, a type of protozoan, was found by researchers in a lake near Oslo. In this study, published March 21 in the journal Molecular Biology Evolution, the researchers were able to grow enough of the protozoans, called Collodictyon, in the lab to analyze its genome. "The microorganism is among the oldest currently living eukaryote organisms we know of. Mix of features What it looked like was small. The organism also has characteristics usually associated with protists and amoebas, two different branches. "We are surprised" because the species appears to be unique, said study researcher Dag Klaveness, also of the University of Oslo.
MycoBank, the fungal website Flowers in Ultra-Violet The compilation of species will continue to be updated at irregular intervals. All species listed here have been documented, and links are added whenever I can find spare time for updating. These images are made for illustrative purposes, not as artistic statements per se. However, there are lots of food for thought in the convoluted ways Nature expresses itself, so for once the artist can step backand let the subjects speak for themselves. "Das Ding an Sich" to paraphrase Kant, or Eigenvalue of Nature. If you are unfamiliar with the botany, just select any species indicated as having a "strong" response to learn how this looks. However, not all species have the typical bull's-eye UV pattern, which may be confined to symmetrical flowers. The UV range of the spectrum has no predefined colours, so we are free to assign any colour we like. UV fluorescence may be a common trait to most flowers, but might be of temporary occurrence for parts of the flower.