[Editor’s Notes: Nice of me to finally put some of these thoughts into writing, but shame I didn’t care for any further development. Recommendation: Be inspired, and then start the project which here is alluded (esoteric complexity irregardless [sic])] Molecular biology and Talmudic study have long been associated in my mind. But I have never thought of anything more specific than the most...
There should be no doubt in the mind of the reflective sapiens that their biological basis is the least likely and most astounding object within all that they have known or imagined. But why? I force the reader to expand this sense of astonishment by (before leaping into a strict series of educational demonstrations) illustrating some elements that comprise their unarticulated amazement. How does...
An original introduction to the science and nutrition of apple cider vinegar (ACV) supplementation for horses Or; fact versus fantasy ACV is a popular supplement given to horses (as well as cattle and people), and has been claimed to do everything from curing cancer to osteoporosis, to repelling mosquitos. This is the first comprehensive introduction into the known science of ACV for the use of...
Editorial notes: Over the years, Shai used various information storage options to catalogue and maintain his library of writings. It begins with his notebooks and having moved into digital media, he begins to use blogs and writers forums as the means to store and present his final writing products. The development of digital writing seems to have evolved in two main channels. Initially in...
There’s a great new study that shows how similar vertebrates’ and insects’ brains are. The scientists conduct molecular, developmental, genetic, and structural/morphological, neurochemical, neurological, and higher-order function tests! So maybe that’s cool1, but no real surprise2 1. It’s actually super amazing cool. 2. Well, not to someone with a reasonable education in biology. But I think this...
This is for you. I love you. Love is the quintessential romantic, irrational, human experience. It is in the first place the domain of its clients, although readily owned by the poets. As for others. The philosophers are permitted access, though they often regress into poets too; describing love as sacred, profound, and utterly existential. In the penultimate place in the line for love, in front...
I’m currently – 03/05/13 – in the process of updating this. I’ve added the section “Update (May 2013)”, which is still a work in process (i.e. otherwise I would delete this note here). The title of this node comes from a Nature communication in which recent research linking the prion protein (PrP) and the amyloid-beta (Abeta) protein was discussed. This is a...
Background: GPCRs known to signal from surface and to be internalized. Fact: Prove that GPCRs signal from endosomes. Interest: Adds complexity to particulars (ie. location) of GPCR signalling. Source: Research Highlights in Nat Rev MCB (May 2013) on Nature article (2013). Fact: RNA polymerase II (Pol II) transcription kinetics are modulated by signalling pathways that affect the rate of...
A News Focus covering a trend identified at a conference: opsins (light-responsive GPCRs) are found in myriad tissues, including primitive phylogenies (incl. sea-urchins and jellyfish). These researches have led to an increased appreciation of the variety of roles opsins may serve: Light-responsive roles (cf. vision) (e.g. modulating likelihood of stinging cells firing in hydra). Part of multi...
A lot of what scientists do is curating nature. That is, describing the different bits of nature, at different scales, categorizing them, and listing their relationships, in which they look for patterns. Scientists did this when they undertook the Human Genome Project, a massive effort to describe the chemical composition and order of human DNA. Having a map of human DNA only spurred further...
