life inspired

"The transformation of skin cells into stem cells is a fascinating but poorly understood process. At last, the molecular characters underlying the initial steps have been revealed." Full article @ Nature

Labels: cell reprogramming, epigenetics, stem cells

Very Blade Runner! "Yoshiki Sasai has grown an eye and parts of a brain in a dish [from stem cells]." Full news feature @ Nature News

Labels: stem cells, synthetic biology, tissue growth

"There are two competing hypotheses for the origin of the Indo-European language family. The conventional view places the homeland in the Pontic steppes about 6000 years ago. An alternative hypothesis claims that the languages spread from Anatolia with the expansion of farming 8000 to 9500 years ago. We used Bayesian phylogeographic approaches, together with basic vocabulary data from 103 ancient and contemporary Indo-European languages, to explicitly model the expansion of the family and test these hypotheses. We found decisive support for an Anatolian origin over a steppe origin. Both the inferred timing and root location of the Indo-European language trees fit with an agricultural expansion from Anatolia beginning 8000 to 9500 years ago. These results highlight the critical role that phylogeographic inference can play in resolving debates about human prehistory." See Article:

Bouckaert et al [2012]. "Mapping the Origins and Expansion of the Indo-European Language Family". Science. 337 (6097), 957-960.

Labels: culture, evolution, language, phylogeny

"An entire organism is modeled in terms of its molecular components. Complex phenotypes can be modeled by integrating cell processes into a single model. Phenotype from Genotype, in a computational model." Full article @ Cell

Labels: computational biology, genotype-phenotype map

Researchers create a swimming jellyfish mimic by reverse-engineering the creature’s pumping action, paving the way for new methods of engineering replacement organs. Full news piece @ The Scientist

"A robot that can change colour to either blend in with or stand out from its surroundings has been created by scientists." News piece at BBC News

"Digital information is accumulating at an astounding rate, straining our ability to store and archive it. DNA is among the most dense and stable information media known. The development of new technologies in both DNA synthesis and sequencing make DNA an increasingly feasible digital storage medium. Here, we develop a strategy to encode arbitrary digital information in DNA, write a 5.27-megabit book using DNA microchips, and read the book using next-generation DNA sequencing."Full paper @ Science.

Citation: George M. Church, Yuan Gao, and Sriram Kosuri [2012]. "Next-Generation Digital Information Storage in DNA". Science 1226355.

Carlos Gershenson: Bringing urban technology to life with realtime feedback

Labels: cities, self-organization