New researchout of the University of Pennsylvania reveals yet another fascinating aspect of gene expression regulation. In the higher species genes are not one continuous DNA segment. Instead there are intervening segments within genes known as introns (intervening regions). Many introns are quite long and some are short. After a gene is copied by the transcription machinery (known as RNA polymerase), resulting in an mRNA transcript, these major and minor introns are spliced out of the mRNA by the major and minor spliceosomes, respectively. The new research shows that the minor spliceosomes can be turned off, thus turning off the expression of that gene.  Read more

[precursor to Denyse’s post Darwin in the School’s Lobby has a new] From the Ultraman Series we have the Science Patrol: From DC Comics, we have the Justice League of America: So what do you get when you put together these two fictional ideas? The NCSE’s latest: NOTES: 1. And the NCSE might even have a march to go along with their latest offering: [youtube etUJdWg4Ypc] 2. Denyse will post on the NCSE latest shortly 3. Photo Credits: http://www.chrisroberson.net/uploaded_images/Science-Patrol-710762.jpg http://ncse.com/files/blog-images/blogLogo.jpg http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100310031007/superfriends/images/f/f7/Justice_League_of_America_(FOUNDERS).jpg

YECs are very interested in mechanism of accelerated nuclear decay. Ironically, so is the mainstream in order to find better methods of dealing with nuclear waste instead of burying it underground (or worse putting it in containers and tossing it in the sea). Here is a breaking development published in a peer-reviewed article in 2013: Accelerated alpha-decay of uranium isotopes induced by exposure of aqueous solution of uranium salt with gold nanoparticles to laser radiation a pre-print of the work is available here: Accelerated alpha-decay of 232U isotope achieved by exposure of its aqueous solution with gold nanoparticles to laser radiation One notable highlight was that nuclear decay was accelerated by a factor of 6-trillion! In other words, the half-life Read More ›

I had advocated Barry Setterfield’s decaying speed of light model as a possible mechanism for seeing distant starlight on shorter time scales than billions of years. At this time I need to appraise those who have followed my defense of Barry’s theory, that I no longer think Setterfield’s versions of the c-decay are workable as stated. Although we still have potentially anomalous data points in the measurement of the speed of light that could argue for a universal, isotropic decaying speed of light (as reported in Nature), and even though Joao Magueijo, John Barrow, Paul Davies have argued for the possibility that the speed of light was universally faster in the past, I have not been able to resolve difficulties Read More ›

In a previous thread I summarized geneticist Jeff Tomkins findings that demonstrates human DNA is not 98% similar to chimps but more on the order of 70% (and even that is a generous estimate). Tomkins has a book out that goes into the details I sketched out here. More Than a Monkey NOTES: photo credits: Amazon.com