Tracking RNA to Pinpoint Time of Death: Better Than Bugs?

0000-0002-8715-2896 DNA is a persistent molecule. Genome sequencing is possible for creatures as ancient as mummies and mammoths. But the messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules that translate a gene’s information into a specific protein are more ephemeral,

Voinnet’s notice count grows, as he notches his 18th correction

Olivier Voinnet, a high-profile plant scientist at ETH Zurich, has earned a mega-correction. It wrapped up a rough year for the biologist, which included his seventh retraction, and a CNRS investigation that found evidence of misconduct. This latest correction, to a paper on the mechanisms behind RNA silencing in Arabidopsis, was published in RNA. The 2007 paper has been cited […]

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Dexter’s Laboratory

As Eva described at Science Studio, it turns out that The Offspring’s Dexter Holland has gone back to working on his PhD in molecular biology after taking some time off to be a rockstar. His thesis is looking at the use of microRNAs by HIV during infections. Holland now as the unofficially required first author paper (PDF link; authored as Bryan Holland) needed to be allowed to defend.

Not only is the name “The Offspring” probably inspired by biology, but the famous lyric “keep ’em separated” was inspired by an experience Holland had pouring plates in graduate school, which you can hear Dexter describe in an interview about his music and science on The Nerdist Podcast.


Filed under: Follies of the Human Condition Tagged: Dexter Holland, Eva Amsen, HIV, Linkonomicon, microRNA, Music, nerdist, PhD, PLOSOne, Podcast, RNA, Science Studio, The Offspring

How to Use the Genetic Code for Passwords

  Need a password for a new device or service? Try the genetic code. Messenger RNA triplets and the amino acids they specify provide nearly endless password possibilities. And it’s timely — the People’s Choice for Science magazine’s Breakthrough of … Continue reading »

The post How to Use the Genetic Code for Passwords appeared first on PLOS Blogs Network.

Cracked Science Video 2: Code

A follow-up to my first video, this is a quick-and-dirty look at how the DNA code gets translated to make proteins.

Enjoy!

Il y a des sous-titres en français disponibles en cliquant sur le bouton “CC” sur YouTube.


Cracked Science Video 1: Dogma

It has begun.

I am starting a series of public science videos in which I will be explaining scientific concepts, criticizing bad science, and debunking pseudoscience. You can think of it as a video version of this blog.

Before you watch the first video, a few caveats born of my self-awareness and perfectionism:

1. I can only get better. I remember recording my first interview for my podcast, Within Reason. Stiff does not begin to describe it. I have, I believe, improved since then. The same goes for the videos. I am hoping to inject more humour in them as I go along.

2. Analogies are imperfect. Some scientists prefer to think of DNA more as a recipe than a blueprint. I believe both analogies have their uses and their limitations. An analogy is just that: a simplified comparison that works in some respects but fails in others. I hope the analogy I chose is good enough to impart a better understanding of the role these macromolecules play in the body.

3. Evidence-based education may change everything. I scripted this video before I started to read about evidence-based education and pseudoteaching. I have learned a lot from these readings and will steer my video series where the evidence leads me. Flashy is good; flashy and memorable is even better when teaching science. So, yes, this video may not check most of the boxes of what we know about good educational videos, but I will improve and I don’t believe in throwing things out until they are perfect. They will never be perfect.

That being said, I hope you enjoy (and learn from) my first video: “Dogma”. And if you think your friends and relatives will like it too, pass it along.

P.S.: The video is close-captioned in English for the deaf and hard-of-hearing and a French track will soon be available, courtesy of vbcom.ca.


In Honor of Dr. Elisabetta Ullu

Kasturi Haldar, PLOS Pathogens Editor-in-Chief, reflects on Elisabetta Ullu’s pioneering contributions to the understanding of molecular mechanisms of RNAi in T. brucei.

On the eve of 25th anniversary of the premier Molecular Parasitology Meeting (MPM) held at the …

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Analyzing splicing via RNAseq

from Eduardo EyrasDuring my postdoc in Jernej Ule’s lab at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge (UK), we studied the genome-wide regulation of splicing (aka, alternative splicing, but these days all splicing is “alternative”). This involved integrating information on protein-RNA interactions with information on splicing isoforms (mRNA transcript variants from the same gene) from next generation sequencing. I could spend hours talking to you about how complicated this type of thing can get. Or, I can show you this figure from Eduardo Eyras.