biomuse

Science Friday Kids Connection, April 18, 2003: Hour Two: Ancient DNA

2005-11-25T17:00:00.000-08:00

What a great site to find out about fossils and start thinking what we can learn from them about ourselves and our origins!! This site is "for kids' but it is an appropriate and fun place for adults of all ages (up to at least 89) to begin an intriguing journy through the study of areas of our past that you might not know much about -- paleoecology, archaeology, evolutionary biology and ancient DNA that may help unlock many of the secrets of present day life. Discover the joy of learning and share these discoveries with your children and grandchildren!

"You thought your bell-bottom jeans were old. Siberian DNA has them beat by 400,000 years!

A new method of sample core drilling has enabled scientists to extract ancient plant and animal DNA fragments from soil taken from permafrost in Siberia. Estimated to be between three and four hundred thousand years old, the plant DNA allows paleontologists to reconstruct the ancient environmental history of that region and may hold clues to solving the mystery of the disappearance of its large mammals such as woolly mammoths and bison. Similar samples taken from sediment in a New Zealand cave revealed DNA from 29 species of plants and two species of moa, a giant, flightless bird that became extinct several hundred years ago."

Get Science | Amazing Web Sites For Interested Minds

2005-10-10T09:57:00.000-07:00

FirstScience.com is a premier resource for science on the web. It offers science articles in various categories including space, physics, biology, earth science and technology. It also hosts science quiz, links, science and nature poems, games, webcams, fact files, science links, a free newsletter and comprehensive environmental, space and science news. Its aim is to make science fun as well as accessible. FirstScience.com is committed to bringing an outstanding service every hour of every day.

Medical and Molecular Biology Databases

2005-05-08T08:19:00.000-07:00

Medical and Molecular Biology Databases
LINKS: Molecular Biologist's Companion
The Web abounds with an ever-growing number of molecular biology and medical databases. For help finding the one you need, try this annotated directory of links compiled by Josef Koenig of the Medical University in Vienna. Under categories such as genomics, pharmacology, and ethics, the directory lists annotated links to hundreds of sites. To find out how bacteria handle toxins, for example, hop over to the database hosted by the University of Minnesota that records bacterial breakdown pathways for nearly 900 compounds. Some entries include links to publications on the database--thanks to Netwatch in Science Magazine
Volume 308, Number 5723, Issue of 06 May 2005
©2005 by The American Association for the Advancement of Science.

SCIENCE

2005-05-01T00:20:00.000-07:00

SCIENCE: "These links provide access to many fields of science with particular emphasis on biology, chemistry and physics since these are our areas of primary curricular emphasis. Additional links to other areas such as astronomy, anthropology, and meteorology are also included."

CSULB Biochemistry Links

2005-05-01T00:08:00.000-07:00

CSULB Biochemistry Links: "Biochemistry Links for
CSULB Students and Faculty"

Welcome to the Molecular Level

2005-04-24T18:24:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Molecular Level
Tools for Structural Biology Education and Training
Gale Rhodes, Professor of Chemistry, University of Southern Maine

This is an excellent starting point for students and teachers alike to begin their experience and get help with with some of the tools of Bioinformatics such as BLAST searches and 3D molecular graphics. Users can bone up on protein structure while learning to use the molecular modeling software DeepView and RasMol. The Bioinformatics Tutorial offers practice problems and test your learning skills. An excellent site for beginners to serious students of all persuasions who want to develop the necessary skills to thrive in the new era of genomics

Molecular Immunology

2005-04-14T19:13:00.000-07:00

Molecular Immunology
"Signs of our protracted struggle against pathogens show up in our genome--up to 10% of our genes may help build or operate body defenses. Learn more about the molecular and genetic underpinnings of the immune system in this primer written by medical student Daniele Focosi of the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology in Trieste, Italy. Packed with links and original pages, Molecular Immunology is an outline-style guide aimed at upper-division college students and above."

It's in the Blood! A Documentary History of Linus Pauling, Hemoglobin and Sickle Cell Anemia - Special Collections - Oregon State University

2005-04-14T19:10:00.000-07:00

It's in the Blood! A Documentary History of Linus Pauling, Hemoglobin and Sickle Cell Anemia - Special Collections - Oregon State University
"When he wasn't probing the secrets of chemical bonds or championing vitamin C, chemist Linus Pauling was often puzzling over hemoglobin. "It's in the Blood!" from Oregon State University in Corvallis chronicles the chemist's more-than-60-year fascination with the blood's oxygen-hauling molecule. The high point came in 1949, when Pauling and his colleagues discovered that hemoglobin from patients with the hereditary illness sickle cell anemia behaves differently than hemoglobin from healthy people does, inaugurating the concept of a molecular disease. The low point came in the 1960s, when Pauling campaigned for laws regulating childbearing by sickle cell disease carriers and urged that they be tattooed on the forehead for easy recognition."

The ULTIMATE tree-ring pages!

2005-04-14T19:04:00.000-07:00

The ULTIMATE tree-ring pages!: "the Ultimate Tree-Ring web pages, designed to be the ULTIMATE source for information on the science of Dendrochronology. I've designed these pages to be easily understood by people at all levels of education, from elementary school students to high school students, from first grade teachers to college professors. You won't find anything fancy here - I want these pages to be readable, enjoyable, and (most of all) educational."

Macroevolution: Phylogeny & Classification

2005-03-17T22:33:00.000-08:00

Macroevolution: Phylogeny & Classification: "Macroevolution
Developing Phylogenetic Relationships & Classification Schemes
PrinciplePhylogenetic relationships attempt to trace evolutionary history.
Classification is designed to organize related groups into a taxonomic hierarchy.
Cladistics is a method to test evolutionary hypotheses on speciation. "

The Caminalcules

2005-03-17T22:30:00.000-08:00

The Caminalcules: "The Caminalcules are artificial animals created by the late Professor Joseph Camin of the University of Kansas as part of a study of how taxonomists classify real organisms. Sokal (1983) describes the complete set of Caminalcules, then spent much time seeing whether existing methods of phylogenetic nference could reconstruct the 'actual' tree for the group, which Camin made up as he developed the Caminalcules. In this practical we will use the Caminalcules to explore the problem of classification, with emphasis on using the principle of parsimony to find the best tree. "

Evolution on the Web for Biology Students

2005-03-17T22:27:00.000-08:00

Evolution on the Web for Biology Students: "Evolution on the Web for Biology Students

The headings on this page correspond roughly to the topics I cover in Principles of Biology II. There is a lot of junk on the web so don't assume that everything you read is true. However, the sites listed here seem to be of high quality."

Introduction to Cladistics

2005-03-17T22:26:00.000-08:00

Introduction to Cladistics: "Cladistics in Brief
An introduction to Cladistics

This module provides a brief introduction to the philosophy, methodology, and implications of cladistic analysis. Many of the terms that you will see along the way are underlined, high-lighted and followed by an '*',e.g. evolution*, which means that they are included in the UCMP Glossary of Phylogenetic Terms. Each of these terms can be clicked on for a brief definition.
After you've read through the pages on the implications and methodologies, you will be armed in the ways of cladistics. Therefore, if you dare, you can take a journey into the real world of cladistics. Should you choose to venture on this journey, pray you are well-armed with good luck and wits! "

Cladistics - Student's Notes

2005-03-13T12:20:00.000-08:00

Cladistics - Student's Notes: "Background Information: When early explorers gathered organisms from around the globe, an obvious difficulty arose. How could these many types of organisms be classified so that working with them would not be such a daunting task? The first major classificatory scheme was created by Linneas and relied on classification according to similarities and differences in the key features of those organisms.
But, if we classify organisms with a scheme such as this, and ignore their evolutionary history, we miss the important aspects of the origin of those similarities and differences. Using this perspective in our classificatory scheme, organisms fall into a particular group because they share a common ancestor. Thus, all organisms that have descended from a common ancestor are grouped together, and called a clade. This type of classification is called cladistics and the visual representation of a cladistic scheme is called a cladogram."

Paleontological Experiences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

2005-03-13T12:14:00.000-08:00

Paleontological Experiences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison: "Paleontological Experiences, funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, is designed to give Wisconsin K-12 teachers hands-on training in vertebrate paleontology, using fieldwork and laboratory work. The course is divided into three sections. "

Field Ecology in a Cultural Context

2005-03-02T17:06:00.000-08:00

Field Ecology in a Cultural Context: "Field Ecology in a Cultural Context
Kerri T. Vierling, Jacqueline Bolman, and Kelly Lane

Buffalo in Wind Cave National Park.

Ecological studies that examine how organisms interact with their environment provide a particularly useful backdrop for high school students to both quantitatively and qualitatively explore the natural world. In Hot Springs, South Dakota, we developed a module that integrated modern ecological theory within an American Indian cultural framework. In this weeklong field ecology course, Lakota Sioux high school students explored woodpecker habitat selection and fire ecology. "

Mixed-Method Evaluations: Start

2005-02-21T19:44:00.000-08:00

Mixed-Method Evaluations: Start: "User-Friendly Handbook for
Mixed Method Evaluations"

HHMI: HBCF

2005-02-21T18:58:00.000-08:00

HHMI: HBCF: "MIT Hierarchical Introductory Biology Concept Framework"
An excellent teaching and learning tool

CL-1: Field-tested Learning Assessment Guide (FLAG)

2005-02-21T16:06:00.000-08:00

CL-1: Field-tested Learning Assessment Guide (FLAG)
For science, math, engineering and technology instructors

Curriculum Supplements - High School

2005-02-21T15:46:00.000-08:00

Curriculum Supplements - High School: "Curriculum Supplements - High School, Grades 9-12 "

NIH Office of Science Education (OSE)

2005-02-21T15:44:00.000-08:00

NIH Office of Science Education (OSE)
This is an excellent broad and useful resource for science education appropriate for students, parents and teachers for all grades from K-12. It should be among your first choices to explore for various subjects, projects or lesson planning.

About Blueprint

2005-02-18T21:41:00.000-08:00

About Blueprint: "The Blueprint Initiative is a research program located in Toronto, Canada with a sister node in Singapore. In Toronto, The Blueprint Initiative is part of the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto.

Led by principal investigator Christopher Hogue, Blueprint develops, hosts and maintains public biological databases and Bioinformatics software tools such as BIND, SeqHound and Distributed Folding "

Biochemistry 118Q: Genomics, Bioinformatics & Medicine

2005-02-06T11:27:00.000-08:00

Biochemistry 118Q: Genomics, Bioinformatics & Medicine: "Biochemistry 118
Sophomore Seminar

Genomics, Bioinformatics & Medicine
Doug Brutlag "
Dr. Brutlag describes his course as follows:
"The course will be of interest to students who plan to major in biology or human biology, especially premedical students and biology majors who use molecular biology methods. It will also be useful to those interested in health care policy, intellectual-property rights and ethical issues.

Homework will include using genome and disease databases to determine the function of genes involved in disease. There are no prerequisites for this course."

But I think this is an excellent basis for various bioinformatics and genomics courses for diverse groups of learners such as high school science students, to undergrad and graduate college students, to senior scientists and senior citizen learners (CLE). All that is needed to succeed for these diverse groups is to have a facilitator (teacher) who can help you select an appropriate level of subject matter and evaluate your report writing. If you are a learner without a facilitator, I will try to be one or find one for you.

BioEd Online: Biology Teacher Resources

2005-01-29T07:32:00.000-08:00

BioEd Online: Biology Teacher Resources: "New in Presentations and in the Slide Library
Stem Cells
Stem cells are uncommitted or undifferentiated cells that have the unique ability to become almost any cell of the body. Join us for an introduction into what researchers are finding out about stem cells - as they seek to understand how organisms develop from a single cell and how damaged or malfunctioning cells and tissues are replaced in adult organisms.

View and download the slide set or view the streaming video presentation."

This is an exciting teacher/learner resource!!

System Integration Consulting, Delphi Programming for Biomedical, Life Sciences, Pharmaceutical industries

2005-01-10T21:47:00.000-08:00

System Integration Consulting, Delphi Programming for Biomedical, Life Sciences, Pharmaceutical industries: "G&G has experience in working with Biomedical, Life Sciences, Biotechnology, Pharmaceutical, and Clinical Trial industries in providing a number of custom applications, software solutions and IT services, including data mining, data warehousing, database development, system integration consulting solutions and more."

Rho, Inc.: Results. Right. On Time.

2005-01-10T21:42:00.000-08:00

Rho, Inc.: Results. Right. On Time.: "Helms, Russell W. 'An Introduction to Analysis Databases.' DIA 18th Annual Workshop for Clinical Data Management, Philadelphia, PA."

GeneEd - The Science You Need to Know�

2005-01-10T21:31:00.000-08:00

GeneEd - The Science You Need to Know�: "GeneEd has the most extensive scientific and life science e-learning content library in the industry, having developed several thousand learning objects, which are 2-7 minute animations presenting a single concept. These learning objects focus on the mission-critical training issues that life science organizations face every day, from R&D, clinical, manufacturing and regulatory, to sales training and patient education"

CADDblog

2005-01-10T21:13:00.000-08:00

CADDblog: "CADDblog
Computer Aided Drug Design"

Functional Genetics

2005-01-10T21:02:00.000-08:00

Functional Genetics: "The genetic method of gene discovery has previously been limited to such primitive organisms as bacteria and yeast, which typically possess no more than a single copy of any gene. Random disruption of a bacterial gene � its only copy � would instantly reveal a trait (phenotype), permitting the gene's straightforward isolation and characterization. Genetic research of this nature is ongoing, occasionally pointing to similar (orthologous) genes in humans, although their roles may differ dramatically. But FGI's direct approach to the identification of a gene and its function has not previously been feasible in diploid mammalian organisms. Possessing a duplicate of virtually every gene, one copy's inactivation is rarely expressed in mammalian cells. Inactivating both copies simultaneously without knowledge of a gene's sequence was impractical, if not impossible. By developing the random homozygous knockout (RHKO) technology, however, Drs. Stanley Cohen and Limin Li have transformed the genome-wide analysis of unknown mammalian genes. FGI is uniquely capable of inactivating unknown genes, and relying on the resulting traits to guide the discovery and validation of disease-relevant genes"

discovery_systems

2005-01-10T20:50:00.000-08:00

discovery_systems: "Using its proprietary technology on the human genome, Genomix has constructed GenomixDB�, a curated catalog of novel pharmaceutically relevant genes, alternatively spliced forms and proteins. GenomixDB, includes novel receptors, growth factors, cytokines, chemokines, interleukin variants, and many others types of proteins implicated in human health and disease, with each gene linked to evidence for splice variation and tissue expression. GenePool� represents Genomix' unique and comprehensive view of the human genome, from which entries in GenomixDB are derived. GenePool provides a contig by contig view of the genome that integrates EXP6� gene content with other sources of gene, protein, functional domain, structure and single nucleotide polymorphism information. GenePool enables customers to mine the genome based on the analysis produced by Genomix, and understand drug design decisions within the context of splice variation, protein structure and SNPs."

science_and_technology

2005-01-10T20:48:00.000-08:00

science_and_technology: "Genomixhas developed and applied a unique set of analytical methods for discovering and cataloging pharmaceutically relevant genes and novel gene splice variants in the human genome. Early versions of Genomix' technology have been central to analysis generated by such companies as Celera Genomics and Doubletwist. Recent advances at Genomix have created EXP6TM, an entirely new capability that is being used exclusively within Genomix. EXP6 uses machine intelligence and expert systems methods to combine genomic DNA sequence with reference sequences such as expressed sequence tags (ESTs). The result is a new way to interpret the human genome that provides significantly greater gene detection sensitivity and a capability to comprehensively catalog alternatively spliced gene forms."

www.genset.fr

2005-01-10T20:40:00.000-08:00

www.genset.fr: "Therapeutic candidate

Unlocking the secrets of the human genome - validating therapeutic candidate linked to human disease :

With fifteen years expertise in Human Genetics, the mission of Serono Genetics Institute is to contribute to the enrichment of our pipeline with new therapeutic proteins and targets.

The discovery of innovative therapeutic candidates is based on an in-depth understanding of disease biology that is underpinned by human genetics. Initially, a variation in biological function is associated with the disease. Then genetics is used to identify specific proteins involved in the diseased

biological function. These specific proteins are then validated for clinical development by genetically linking their participation in a specific molecular pathway to the disease. Finally, the proteins can be used either as targets for drug development or directly as therapeutics to modulate or restore the proper physiological function."

Cellular Genomics Inc.

2005-01-10T20:38:00.000-08:00

Cellular Genomics Inc.: "Cellular Genomics Inc. (CGI) is a drug discovery and development company that is dedicated to developing breakthrough therapeutics for large unmet medical needs across a broad range of diseases. CGI's current drug discovery and development programs address compelling, well-validated targets for major clinical indications in cancer, angiogenesis, and autoimmune / inflammatory diseases. Promising drug candidates representing potential breakthrough, first-in-class therapeutics, have been generated in three rapidly advancing programs."

www.genset.fr

2005-01-10T20:34:00.000-08:00

Department of Pharmaceutical Information Science-Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Science

2005-01-10T14:36:00.000-08:00

Department of Pharmaceutical Information Science-Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Science: "3D Pharmaceutical Structure Database
A comprehensive listing of 3D molecular structures for Japanese prescription pharmaceuticals which can be viewed with either the Chemscape Chime plug-in or the Chemis3D Java applet"

Department of Pharmaceutical Information Science-Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Science

2005-01-10T14:20:00.000-08:00

2005-01-10T14:14:00.000-08:00

Database of 3-dimensional pharmaceutical structures with a web interface for browsing and/or query.

Gene Discovery

2005-01-09T19:52:00.000-08:00

Gene Discovery: "BioSpace News: Gene Discovery"

Tufts CSDD

2005-01-09T19:42:00.000-08:00

Tufts CSDD: "Biospace
Current news about biotechnology products and companies."

Tufts CSDD

2005-01-09T19:13:00.000-08:00

Tufts CSDD: "Tufts CSDD Impact Reports highlight the latest research findings of the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development and summarize key conferences and other events sponsored by the Tufts Center. Published bi-monthly, Tufts CSDD Impact Reports help drug development professionals around the world make critical R&D, regulatory, marketing and sales, manufacturing, and strategic planning decisions."

FDA Clears First of Kind Genetic Lab Test

2005-01-09T18:17:00.000-08:00

FDA Clears First of Kind Genetic Lab Test: "FDA Clears First of Kind Genetic Lab Test
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today cleared for marketing the first laboratory test system that will allow physicians to consider unique genetic information from patients in selecting medications and doses of medications for a wide variety of common conditions such as cardiac disease, psychiatric disease, and cancer.
�Physicians can use the genetic information from this test to prevent harmful drug interactions and to assure drugs are used optimally, which in some cases will enable patients to avoid less effective or potentially harmful treatment choices,� said Dr. Lester M. Crawford, Acting FDA Commissioner. "

Google Search: informatics role in drug development

2004-12-27T09:01:00.000-08:00

Google Search: informatics role in drug development: "/"
Links to google search for role of informatics in drug development made on 12/27/04-rmc

Drug Discovery & Development

2004-12-27T08:50:00.000-08:00

Drug Discovery & Development: "
Building the Discovery Pipeline
Reducing attrition and improving drug safety underlie pharmaceutical discovery efforts in 2004 "
Good source for role of informatics in drug discovery-good ref for CABs

Outpost.com | Product Display

2004-12-24T15:31:00.000-08:00

Outpost.com | Product Display
List & prices of 802.11 'B" routers & WAPs

Outpost.com�|�Wireless-G

2004-12-24T15:24:00.000-08:00

Outpost.com�|�Wireless-G prices & features of airlink wireless router

Outpost.com | Product Navigation

2004-12-24T15:19:00.000-08:00

Outpost.com | Product Navigation
Comparison of WAP prices at outpost.com

Oceanlink | marine sciences education and fun

2004-12-22T17:33:00.000-08:00

Oceanlink | marine sciences education and fun
Available links include: 'ask a scientist, ocean info, career info, teachers resources

Bridge - Ocean Sciences Education Teacher Resource Center

2004-12-22T17:28:00.000-08:00

Bridge - Ocean Sciences Education Teacher Resource Center: " Sea Grant Ocean Sciences Education Center"
There is something here for every level of learner, teacher, conservationist or human being!

NOAA's National Ocean Service: Education

2004-12-22T17:24:00.000-08:00

NOAA's National Ocean Service: Education: "NOAA�s National Ocean Service (NOS) is dedicated to creating innovative products that enlighten students and educators about the breadth of scientific research, technology, and activities conducted by NOS in the areas of oceans, coasts, and charting and navigation."
Formal educational resources are organized within the Discovery Center, a series of products that have been developed for educators and students at the high school level, but easily adaptable for students at the middle school or undergraduate levels. Discovery Center resources include Discovery Kits, Discovery Stories, and the Discovery Classroom.

SeaWorld/Busch Gardens ANIMALS - HOME

2004-12-22T17:17:00.000-08:00

SeaWorld/Busch Gardens ANIMALS - HOME
Fun site with links to education resources and links to teacher activities.

Virtual Frog Dissection Kit Version 2.0

2004-12-22T17:13:00.000-08:00

Virtual Frog Dissection Kit Version 2.0: "Virtual Frog Dissection Kit

This award-winning interactive program is part of the 'Whole Frog' project. You can interactively dissect a (digitized) frog named Fluffy, and play the Virtual Frog Builder Game. The interactive Web pages are available in a number of languages."

Science Links Page--Page 3

2004-12-22T17:11:00.000-08:00

Science Links Page--Page 3: "

The Nanoworld Home Page

GRADE LEVEL: All ages; Secular

COMMENTS: Two things to visit at this site that will help in your science program. First, THE IMAGE GALLERY. Don't have a microscope? Not to worry...here in this gallery you can view all sorts of things under an electron microscope...human hair, pollen, an ant, blood cells, bone marrow...169 images are on file here. Secondly...want to view a mystery item and have a guess? Click on the 'WHAT IS IT' QUIZ? You will not only get to guess what the item is, but you will get to see all the incorrect guesses (they won't list your name unless you get it right). When 20 people have guessed a mystery image correctly they announce what that image is!

Scanning Electron Microscope

GRADE LEVEL: All ages; Secular

COMMENTS: In a similar vein to the above link, find more images here. Click on IMAGE GALLERY and when you click one of the two levers your will get to see if you can guess whether the image is Animal, Vegetable or Mineral. They will then tell you if you are right or not and will tell you what the image is. Great fun with microscopic images...kids as well as adults are usually fascinated by the microscopic world. Clicking on the other lever will bring up a huge image gallery to wade through. "

Welcome to NetVet Veterinary Resources and the Electronic Zoo

2004-12-22T17:09:00.000-08:00

Welcome to NetVet Veterinary Resources and the Electronic Zoo: "NetVet & the Electronic Zoo originate from the vivid imagination and late night web-surfing of Dr. Ken Boschert, a Veterinarian at Washington University's Division of Comparative Medicine, located in St. Louis, Missouri. Among this server's Web Pages are numerous views of Veterinary Medical and Animal resources available on the Internet and beyond. See What's New and be sure to visit this week's best animal-related Web site, the Pick of the Litter."

Biotechnology Programs in NH

2004-12-14T14:45:00.000-08:00

Biotechnology Programs in NH: "Biosciences in New Hampshire
Biotechnology Programs

Most educational programs in the State of New Hampshire provide generalized liberal arts training in life science fields such as biology or biochemistry. The NHCTC program is the first of its kind in the State and is designed to offer applied education and job training specifically in the field of biotechnology. A second program is recently underway at Plymouth State College."

MacOS X Setup

2004-12-14T13:38:00.000-08:00

MacOS X Setup: "MacOS X Setup
To simplify our MacOS X setup, we switched over to NetBoot. This is a solution integrated in MacOS X 10.3. To keep our server environement streamlined, we serve the images from a Linux server. MacOS X server is only used to create the images"
MAC and Linux!

FDA/CFSAN - For Kids and Educators

2004-12-13T22:35:00.000-08:00

FDA/CFSAN - For Kids and Educators
fun page for possible lesson plans and K-12 activities

Toyota TAPESTRY - The Program

2004-12-13T22:13:00.000-08:00

Toyota TAPESTRY - The Program: "Introduction
Over the past 14 years, the Toyota TAPESTRY grant program, sponsored by Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. and administered by the National Science Teachers Association, has awarded 552 grants totaling over $5 million to teachers in the United States and U.S. Territories. This year, 50 grants of up to $10,000 each and a minimum of 20 'mini-grants' of $2,500 each are available to K-12 teachers of science. To apply for funding, qualified teachers must write a Toyota TAPESTRY proposal and submit it for receipt at NSTA by January 19, 2005."

BioEd Online: Biology Article: Ancient mammal genes reconstructed

2004-12-13T21:52:00.000-08:00

BioEd Online: Biology Article: Ancient mammal genes reconstructed: "Ancient mammal genes reconstructed
Sequenced genomes provide key for tracing ancestral DNA"
"What do the elephant, the armadillo and the slime mould have in common? They are all about to have their genomes sequenced by researchers at the US National Human Genome Research Institute, according to plans unveiled on 4 August. In total, 18 species have been selected; they form an eclectic mix designed to shed light on both the human genome and the evolution of the entire tree of life."
Interesting resource for science education!

chickNET - bioinformatics

2004-12-13T16:57:00.000-08:00

chickNET - bioinformatics: "Bioinformatic Tools
123 Genomics - a Genomics, Proteomics and Bioinformatics Knowledge Base
Animal Genome Size Database - a comprehensive catalogue of animal genome size data
BCM Search Launcher - on-going project to organize molecular biology-related search and analysis services
BLAST - (Basic Local Alignment Search Tool) is a set of similarity search programs
Chicken codon usage
EBI - European Bioinformatics Institute
Expasy - Expert Protein Analysis System "

Features

2004-12-10T23:01:00.000-08:00

Features: "Pexit is about connecting people and computers together. It�s about communication. It�s about unifying all the systems and platforms that are out there. It�s about making life easier for you. Here are some of the features in Pexit:
Multiplatform - Use on computer platforms from Windows� to Apple� to Linux� and Unix� "
It is free and multiplatform!

Education Links

2004-12-10T19:19:00.000-08:00

Education Links Excellent current reference list for Education-oriented sites covering tools and tutorials for Bioinformatics and molecular biology

CPD Courses

2004-11-29T08:02:00.000-08:00

CPD Courses: "Courses

In order to provide suitable training to businesses seeking to develop an understanding of the emerging informatics discipline, we are offering several courses at Masters level to be taken as Continuing Professional Development (CPD). Courses last between four and six days and require attendance at the University for the duration of the course. Additional private study may be completed off-site. "

INTERNATIONAL INFORMATICS COURSE

2004-11-28T23:40:00.000-08:00

INTERNATIONAL INFORMATICS COURSE: "Evidence-Based Medicine:
Summarizing the Evidence for clinical use"

Labexplorer - Medical Informatics Links on Labexplorer.com

2004-11-28T23:20:00.000-08:00

Labexplorer - Medical Informatics Links on Labexplorer.com

2004-11-28T23:18:00.000-08:00

: "In order to realize a new vision for health care through the use of
information technology, the report called for a sustained set of
strategic actions, embraced by the public and the private health
sectors, which will be taken over many years. The Framework outlined
four major goals: inform clinical practice with use of EHRs,
interconnect clinicians so that they can exchange health information
using advanced and secure electronic communication, personalize care
with consumer-based health records and better information for
consumers, and improve public health through advanced biosurveillance
methods and streamlined collection of data for quality measurement and
research."

HHS - U.S. Surgeon General's Family History Initiative

2004-11-28T23:15:00.000-08:00

HHS - U.S. Surgeon General's Family History Initiative: "U.S. Surgeon General's Family History Initiative
My Family Health Portrait Download
Welcome to the My Family Health Portrait download page. From this page, you can download the My Family Health Portrait software and install it on your home computer."

Genomics|HuGENet|Reviews Menu

2004-11-24T16:47:00.000-08:00

Genomics|HuGENet|Reviews Menu: "A HuGE Review identifies human genetic variations at one or more loci, and describes what is known about the frequency of these variants in different populations, identifies diseases that these variants are associated with and summarizes the magnitude of risks and associated risk factors, and evaluates associated genetic tests. Reviews point to gaps in existing epidemiologic and clinical knowledge, thus stimulating further research in these areas."

Genomics|HuGENet|Case Studies

2004-11-24T14:40:00.000-08:00

Genomics|HuGENet|Case Studies: "Welcome to the Office of Genomics and Disease Prevention�s HuGENet� Case Studies Series, an on-line presentation designed to sharpen your epidemiological skills and enhance your knowledge of the genetics of chronic diseases."
Broader list of educational case studies by CDC-excellent resource!

Genomics|HuGENet|Case Study|IBLAST Case

2004-11-24T14:37:00.000-08:00

Genomics|HuGENet|Case Study|IBLAST Case
Fictional Scenario To Test Your Knowledge of Gene-Environment Interaction: Rheumatoid Arthritis, Herbal Supplements and Fictitious Rheumatoid Arthritis Gene
-Cool way to set up an online instructional case-study approach with assessment

BioPortfolio Home page

2004-11-24T12:23:00.000-08:00

BioPortfolio Home page
Must have link to Bio- Genomic & Pharm-News

Forensic Bioinformatic Services

2004-11-23T19:35:00.000-08:00

Forensic Bioinformatic Services: "Alarmingly, less than 1% of court cases involving DNA are reviewed by experts working on behalf of the defense. Genophiler� automates the presentation and review of forensic DNA analyses to help assure that defendants and their attorneys are made aware of any commonly encountered problems that have occurred during the typing or interpreting of the DNA evidence associated with their case. With Genophiler�, the equivalent of five to ten hours of expensive expert analysis can be accomplished with a minimal amount of setup time. Results, primarily in the form of easily opened files that illustrate the electropherograms that are used to support the conclusion of a DNA profile 'match' and a spread sheet that summarizes the most important features of the observed DNA profiles, are routinely available in less than one business day. "
So is all the evidence unassailable? Why doesn't the defense have expert analyses?

Theatre Bay Area

2004-11-06T16:30:00.000-08:00

Theatre Bay Area: "TIX Bay Area

Half-Price
Ticket Booth
Today's Half-Price
Tickets
Full-Price
Advance Tickets
TIX By Mail
TIX By Mail FAQ

TIX Bay Area is a walk-up box office selling half-price tickets on the day of performance and full-price tickets in advance to select events.
TIX Bay Area is a program of Theatre Bay Area, a nonprofit organization serving over 300 theatre and dance companies in the 9-county Bay Area.
HOURS OF OPERATION
Tuesday-Thursday, 11AM-6PM
Friday 11AM - 7PM
Saturday 10AM - 7PM*
Sunday 10AM - 3PM*^
Closed Mondays^
*Half-price tickets go onsale at 11AM all days
^Half-price tickets for Sunday and Monday will be sold on Saturday and Sunday"

"ALSO AVAILABLE

Adult Fast Passes and tourist 1, 3 & 7 day transportation passports and MUNI maps.
SF Arts Monthly, Theatre Bay Area, city maps and tourist information.
TIX Gift certificates: come in $10 increments and can be used to purchase anything sold at TIX or TIX by Mail. Gift certificates can only be redeemed in person at TIX or through the mail.
Red & White Fleet Bay Cruises – 1 hour Bay Cruise tour with narration
All Gray Line Tours/ Coach USA sightseeing tours
Victorian Home Walk Tour
Discounted Aquarium of the Bay tickets

TIX By Mail
Check out TIX by Mail, Theatre Bay Area's half-price tickets in advance program. TIX by Mail provides arts lovers with a convenient way to purchase tickets at home and in advance to a wide array of Bay Area performing arts. TIX by Mail is available online" at
http://www.theatrebayarea.org/tix/tixbymail.jsp (copy link to browser!)

ART HISTORY RESOURCES ON THE WEB: Contents

2004-11-03T22:28:00.000-08:00

ART HISTORY RESOURCES ON THE WEB: Contents
An Extensive list and contents for all periods, cultures and classes

mtDNA for the Daughters and Granddaughters of L. David Roper

2004-11-02T11:25:00.000-08:00

mtDNA for the Daughters and Granddaughters of L. David Roper: "Human mitochondria (the energy-producing organelles outside the nucleus of cells) DNA is passed down generations only through females. Thus, testing of the DNA in mitochondria can aid in establishing matrilineal lines. (Establishing matrilineal lines with documents is more difficult than for patrilineal lines in most European lines because the surnames of females are lost in naming children; exceptions are Spanish and Portuguese.)
mtDNA is a circular structure composed of 16,569 nucleotides, also called base pairs. (It is believed that the mitochondria were originally parasitic bacteria which, through evolution, became symbiotic with the human cell and then became an integral part of the cell; bacterium DNA is circular.) There is a 400 base-pair section labeled 16001-16400 that evolves faster than other sections, so it is used to distinguish human groups that evolved separately. In the table below there are two sets of four rows that list the 400 base pairs: the first row starts at position 16001 and ends at 16100, the second row encompasses 16101-16200, the third row encompasses 16201-16300 and the fourth row encompasses 16301-16400. The Cambridge Reference Sequence (CRS) is the sequence of base pairs for an arbitrary person to which all other persons are compared."
Genetic studies representing one family's efforts to trace their lineage to one of the seven daughters of eve through mitoDNA as well as the male line through the Y chromosome. summary figures of 'Seven Daughters of Eve (by Bryan Sykes)' very good for reference.

12/21/01 - Daughters Of Eve, Mothers of Europe (And America) by Steve Sailer

2004-11-02T11:01:00.000-08:00

12/21/01 - Daughters Of Eve, Mothers of Europe (And America) by Steve Sailer

"Daughters Of Eve, Mothers of Europe (And America)
By Steve Sailer

Oxford geneticist Bryan Sykes, author of The Seven Daughters Of Eve: The Science That Reveals Our Genetic Ancestry just might have what it takes to become another Carl Sagan or Louis Leakey - that rare scientist with both the scientific skills and genius for self-promotion needed to make himself a household name.

Sykes has many talents, as well as some useful vices. As this book shows, he's a fine popular science writer. He also has a sizable ego and a flair for self-dramatization that annoys other scientists but appeals to the public. He often tends to portray himself in The Seven Daughters as a Galileo single-handedly doing battle with the benighted masses of anthropologists and geneticists like Stanford's distinguished L.L. Cavalli-Sforza, who, according to Sykes' not exactly neutral account, just didn't want to admit the importance of his mitochondrial DNA research. "
Very interesting blog as is many of his other current products such as
http://www.vdare.com/sailer/darwinphobia1.htm

Albert Einstein: Religion and Science

2004-11-01T22:31:00.000-08:00

Albert Einstein: Religion and Science: "Now, even though the realms of religion and science in themselves are clearly marked off from each other, nevertheless there exist between the two strong reciprocal relationships and dependencies. Though religion may be that which determines the goal, it has, nevertheless, learned from science, in the broadest sense, what means will contribute to the attainment of the goals it has set up. But science can only be created by those who are thoroughly imbued with the aspiration toward truth and understanding. This source of feeling, however, springs from the sphere of religion. To this there also belongs the faith in the possibility that the regulations valid for the world of existence are rational, that is, comprehensible to reason. I cannot conceive of a genuine scientist without that profound faith. The situation may be expressed by an image: science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind. "

Science Functional Genomics Home

2004-11-01T15:30:00.000-08:00

Science Functional Genomics Home

Science Functional Genomics Resources: Educational Resources

2004-11-01T15:28:00.000-08:00

Science Functional Genomics Resources: Educational Resources
Interesting and current site listing Educational Resources for functional Genomics

PLoS Medicine: New Drugs for Neglected Diseases: From Pipeline to Patients

2004-10-30T18:53:00.000-07:00

PLoS Medicine: New Drugs for Neglected Diseases: From Pipeline to Patients: "In wealthy countries, state-funded research has yielded breakthroughs in molecular biology, chemistry, and engineering. These advances have been taken up by the pharmaceutical industry and applied to drug development for a growing range of illnesses and conditions. As a result, patients have access to new drugs that are better tolerated, more specific, and more effective than old ones.
In poor countries, however, millions of people have yet to experience the benefits wrought by science. The deadly infectious diseases that plague them, such as sleeping sickness, Chagas disease, and visceral leishmaniasis, fail to arouse the interest of drug developers.
The Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi) is a new, not-for-profit organisation set up to correct this fatal imbalance by developing new drugs for these forgotten patients."
Should be discussed in CABs program

PLoS Biology: Breaking Down the Stereotypes of Science by Recruiting Young Scientists

2004-10-30T18:19:00.000-07:00

PLoS Biology: Breaking Down the Stereotypes of Science by Recruiting Young Scientists: "Around the world, educators face difficult choices in focusing educational goals with limited resources. In the United States, the No Child Left Behind Act, which guides school funding policy, currently places an emphasis on literacy and math in schools, with the result that best programs and practices in education are increasingly directed toward these two areas. Unfortunately, science education has become a lesser priority. Teachers are not given adequate resources to allow students to �get their hands dirty� during science lessons. If we want a society that is interested and knowledgeable about the need for scientific research, the basic principles of the life sciences need to be integrated early in the pre-college curriculum (Sylwester 2001). We developed the Thomas Jefferson University Science Outreach Program (TJUSOP) to address this key issue and provide inquiry-based educational strategies through collaborative efforts between the university's faculty and partnering school districts"
Good idea for science education project for MAT service project at CSUF?!!

Contributed Programs

2004-10-12T12:40:00.000-07:00

Contributed Programs: "Gene Identification Software sites"
useful for historical & exploratory purposes.

EuG? : A Gene Finding Software

2004-10-12T12:36:00.000-07:00

EuG? : A Gene Finding Software: "EuG? is an open gene finder for eukaryotic organisms. Compared to most existing gene finders, EuG? is characterized by its ability to simply integrate arbitrary sources of information in its prediction process.

As most existing gene finders, EuG? can exploit probabilistic models like Markov models for discriminating coding from non coding sequences or to discriminate effective splice sites from false splice sites (using so-called Window Array Models). Beyond this EuG? is able to integrate information from several signal (splice site, traduction start...) prediction software, similarity with existing sequences (EST, mRNA, 5'/3' EST from full length mRNA, proteins, genomic homologuous sequences)... Based on all the available information, EuG? will output a prediction of maximal score i.e., maximally consistent with the information provided"
"Each source of information is integrated in EuG讥 by a small independant software component, called a "plugin". The plugin is responsible for the integration of the information but also for plotting the information on the graphical output of EuG讥 (if needed) and can also analyze the inconsistencies between the final prediction and the information provided. "

MIT OpenCourseWare | Biology | 7.91J Foundations of Computational and Systems Biology, Spring 2004 | Home

2004-10-11T16:31:00.000-07:00

MIT OpenCourseWare | Biology | 7.91J Foundations of Computational and Systems Biology, Spring 2004 | Home: "Highlights of this Course
The MIT Initiative in Computational and Systems Biology (CSBi) is a campus-wide research and education program that links biology, engineering, and computer science in a multidisciplinary approach to the systematic analysis and modeling of complex biological phenomena. This course is one of a series of core subjects offered through the CSB Ph.D program, for students with an interest in interdisciplinary training and research in the area of computational and systems biology.
This course site includes an extensive listing of bioinformatics tools with links to online resources in the tools section as well as a full set of lecture notes."
This is part of MIT Open Courseware - has an excellent tutorial to start with!

Problems

2004-10-09T23:17:00.000-07:00

Problems
Some bioinformatics problems at end of this chapter
I. The Molecular Design of Life
6. Exploring Genes
6.1. The Basic Tools of Gene Exploration

Digging the Past

2004-10-09T20:06:00.000-07:00

Digging the Past:
Here is a story about inspiring 3rd & 4th graders to be fossil diggers and to help them develop a sense of the world?s different eras and time periods and how the world looked during those times.

"Because I was planning a ?dinosaur and fossil? unit for my third- and fourth-grade classes, I wondered what kind of project I could create for my students that would provide them with the same kind of firsthand experience. I wanted to deepen their understanding of geology and paleontology as subjects and as fields of inquiry. "

The Biology of Food

2004-10-09T19:40:00.000-07:00

The Biology of Food: This is an interesting article from several points of view- including science education as well as the biological concepts and considerations.

Conclusions of author - "Developing an entire course around food has been an interesting and enlightening experience. It has forced me to look deeply into my own way of thinking about the foods and techniques that I encounter every day. It has been a challenge to devise methods that allow students opportunities to practice thinking this same way. It has been enlightening to discover, in some cases, how very differently this group of nonscientists views things that I take for granted. From this experience, I can offer two main conclusions. First, it is important to tie science topics into things that my students have experienced, so that the information feels relevant to them. The focus on food is one way to do this. Second, it is important to give students time to think, interact, and question. The bread baking and fish scenarios described here are examples of ways that this can be done. Not only does this approach result in increased student learning, it also makes teaching more fun."

NSTA - Curriculum Kit: Science and Our Food Supply

2004-10-09T19:23:00.000-07:00

NSTA - Curriculum Kit: Science and Our Food Supply
This may be a useful link for middle to high school teachers as well as those who teach the teachers! It is timely, interesting and engaging for all ages!

what is a gene?

2004-10-09T13:44:00.000-07:00

So, I thought that a gene was a simple segment of my DNA that I inherited from my parents. In the most simple sense it is supposed to code for a protein that I need in some cells for a vital function. I have learned the 'dogma' that genomic DNA is transcribed to RNA (which initially still includes both coding and non-coding segments) then spliced (to remove the non-coding segments - introns and to join the coding segments - exons) before translation to the protein product. What is grossly disturbing in this simple but powerful concept is the very large number of instances that coding sequence is found within the non-coding sequence of genomic DNA!