Ask a Biologist

[El_Machinae]

The melatonin cycle is roughly 25 hrs, and is under genetic control.

 

[The_J]

I guess with some influence of light, right?

Can you build a 24 hour clock inside my head by using DNA computing? Like in the future with jetpacks and everything.

...there is already such a clock, that's why you get jet lag ^^.

And I have no real idea what you mean .

Well, it's one of the most important papers ever written relating to our field.

That's the only thing why I'd consider reading it (not considering any other books).

I also haven't read many other basic original publications. No idea what exactly Watson & Crick wrote originally. Dealt during my master thesis with Penicilline, and haven't read anything from Fleming himself.
Like Andvare said, no real need.

 

[Kozmos]

...there is already such a clock, that's why you get jet lag ^^.

And I have no real idea what you mean .

I meant like a digital organic clock taped directly into my brain so I know what time it is always without having to wear a watch or check manually.

 

[The_J]

...er....uh....ask in 50 years again .
Seriously, neurosciences are not that advanced, we're far away from understanding our brain.
That might somewhen be doable (probably in another way like we might think atm, I'd rather think of brain-computer interfaces, with some sort of support function), but I'd not really seriously expect it.

 

[MCdread]

I guess with some influence of light, right?

Light entrains the circadian clock (i.e., induces it to be aligned with the normal day/night cycle), but the human clock can persist with oscillations of roughly 24 hours even in the absence of external cues.
Not just that, but it has actually been shown recently (O'Neil and Reddy, Nature 2011) that 24 hours cycles can be sustained in human cells in the absence of gene transcription (and light) which I thinks is amazing.

 

[Kozmos]

...er....uh....ask in 50 years again .
Seriously, neurosciences are not that advanced, we're far away from understanding our brain.
That might somewhen be doable (probably in another way like we might think atm, I'd rather think of brain-computer interfaces, with some sort of support function), but I'd not really seriously expect it.

I know. That's why said in the future with jetpacks and stuff. Just wanted to know how feasible it was.

 

[MCdread]

I know. That's why said in the future with jetpacks and stuff. Just wanted to know how feasible it was.

I actually think it would be technologically possible to make a primitive version of one such device right now or very soon.
Several people have developed brain-computer-interfaces that consist of small helmets with electrodes that record an EEG (a profile of the temporal electrical activity of neurons). This is non-invasive btw, the device is on the outside of your head (or just on the forehead for the simpler and minimalist ones) in direct contact with the skin. People (and even chimps!) can be trained to regulate their neuronal activity such that it can then be used as a signal for a computer. Basically the subjects use their "thoughts" to turn a switch on for example*.

I'm imagining that you could have some special glasses with a small chip and a display (like those being shown on ads and clips abut augmented reality) that shows you the time. And you turn the time display on and off through an EEG reading brain-computer interface.

However, I'm not sure it would be possible to do something small enough and aesthetically pleasing enough that you could wear outside your room or even while moving. And it takes some effort and time to train the user.


* I know of a couple of guys who are trying to use something like this to produce music via feedback: the neuronal activity, which has a very good temporal resolution is translated to some rhythmic or melodic patterns, which the person can hear and then try to change and control in real time. All through "thought".

 

[GoodGame]

Not too long ago, a paper made waves claiming to have found proteins in dinosaur fossils. From a protein, one could recreate a DNA sequence, though that's like saying we recovered one fragment sentence from the Bible. It's not going to tell you much of the story. I was pretty skeptical of the paper when I first read it though, so I'm not even sure the proteins will turn out to be a real find.

I think this was mentioned in this book:
http://www.amazon.com/How-Build-Dinosaur-Extinction-Forever/dp/0525951040

which was kind of a fun read (for me at least).

 

[Algeroth]

Question to other biologist: Did you your own research for you bachelor thesis? Our Faculty of science (Or rather it's biology section to be more precise) forbids using results from your own research in your BT and you have to make a review. It's supposed that you use it as a starting point for your master thesis and many people conduct their own research before they are admitted to master programme, but does this sound rather...stupid to anyone else?

 

[Andvare]

Yes, though you don't have to, and yes.

 

[The_J]

I guess our system here is a bit to different, so that my answer would be: does not apply.

I mean, I didn't really do any research before the thesis (just courses before, that's how the system is set up here), so there was no possibility to do that.

But yes, sounds stupid.

 

[classical_hero]

Do you believe that Humans and Chimps will be able to hybridise, since they are our "closest relative"?

 

[El_Machinae]

Unlikely, due to the different chromosome number. That said, the biologies/phenotypes are quite similar, so I'd expect research on chimps to be rather informative regarding human biology.

They're our closest living relative. Denisovans and Neanderthals are closer extinct relatives for which we have genetic information. There're a series of skeletons available for more ancient species that are closer to us than chimps (and that are closer to chimps, obviously)

 

[Andvare]

No.
In general, and I'm borrowing from the biology department here, you have to be in the same genus to be able to crossbreed.
The liger is from two parents of the same genus, as is the mule, for example.
Chimps and humans share the family, but not the genus.

 

[The_J]

Has already been tested, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humanzee , but without success.
The different chromosome number is not a total issue, see horses and donkeys.

The question has two sides, the technical and the ethical side.
The second one totally prevents thinking about the first one. With advanced techniques in that area...who knows? But there will not be any advancements in that area.

And I'm also not competent in that field, ignore me .

 

[uppi]

No-one expects you to read Newtons original paper "Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica", well partly because it's in friggin latin, but mostly because there is no need.
I also didn't read Einstein's original, German (yeah, not going to happen), papers when I studied the Theory of Relativity.

They have been expanded on, improved, partly debunked and so on.
Other than the historical value, why should you?

It is quite interesting how the things we take for granted were found out and how much of the significance of their research was grasped back then. And it lets you spam more references in the introduction of your thesis

My question:
As the first examples of quantum effects in biology have been found, how much of a role does quantum physics play in biological systems in your opinion?

 

[Mark1031]

What jobs do the biologists here have/want in the future?

 

[Mark1031]

It is quite interesting how the things we take for granted were found out and how much of the significance of their research was grasped back then. And it lets you spam more references in the introduction of your thesis

My question:
As the first examples of quantum effects in biology have been found, how much of a role does quantum physics play in biological systems in your opinion?

What are these effects? I'm not aware of much of a role for quantum effects in biology. I did read a paper ages ago by an old Nobel prize winner that postulated things he called dendrons and psychons having quantum interactions (I think he was loosing it). From the paper:

It is proposed that the whole world of consciousness, the mental world, is microgranular, with mental units called psychons, and that in mind-brain interaction one psychon is linked to one dendron through quantum physics.

 

[El_Machinae]

Mainly visual detection of magnetic fields. But photosythesis requires quantum effects for energy transfer

 

[The_J]

As the first examples of quantum effects in biology have been found, how much of a role does quantum physics play in biological systems in your opinion?

Like Mark says: No idea which effects are meant, so...probably no effect at the moment.

What jobs do the biologists here have/want in the future?

A quiet one .
(-> no idea how to interpret the question; field of work? Or is anything else meant?)