My peak productivity is roughly from 5 PM to 8 PM. It has nothing to do with my mental state or caffeine intake. It is simplt because that is the time when I can concentrate on my work without being interrupted almost continuously by emails, telephone calls, my boss, my coworkers etc.
In a feat of "molecular time travel" the researchers resurrected and analyzed the functions of the ancestors of genes that play key roles in modern human reproduction, development, immunity and cancer. By re-creating the same DNA changes that occurred during those genes' ancient history, the team showed that two mutations set the stage for hormones like estrogen, testosterone and cortisol to take on their crucial present-day roles
"If those two mutations had not happened, our bodies today would have to use different mechanisms to regulate pregnancy, libido, the response to stress, kidney function, inflammation, and the development of male and female characteristics at puberty," Thornton said
Understanding how the genetic code of a protein determines its functions would allow biochemists to better design drugs and predict the effects of mutations on disease. Thornton said the discovery shows how evolutionary analysis of proteins' histories can advance this goal, Before the group's work, it was not previously known how the various steroid receptors in modern species distinguish estrogens from other hormones
They found that just two changes in the ancient receptor's gene sequence caused a 70,000-fold shift in preference away from estrogens toward other steroid hormones. The researchers also used biophysical techniques to identify the precise atomic-level mechanisms by which the mutations affected the protein's functions. Although only a few atoms in the protein were changed, this radically rewired the network of interactions between the receptor and the hormone, leading to a massive change in function
Huh. For a second there my brain thought: "FTL? Faster Than Light (travel)? WTF!"
There is a reason they call it that.
Spideroak for my most essential work related things, home backup for everything else.
Can it go up to eleven!?
At eleven who cares, right?
Ok people. Please but any Unity hate posts in this thread. Thank you.
Exactly. Just leave me allone with 3D. Regarding content, it doesn't add much to the experience.
the news broadcast will be this detailed when the BIG ONE is actually about to hit?
Zombies spotted in Chelyabinsk
Not just that, but why is this under science.slashdot.org? Maybe idle... maybe.
My next phone will have Ubuntu on it.
You make a good point here. Usually a starting-point for totally new physics are unexplained measurement results like the Michelson - Morley interferometry measurements. With this in mind, there are some really big questions out there, like: what is dark matter/energy. The answer to which may be paradigmshifting stuff. On a less dramatic note, we still don't understand what makes high temperature superconductivity work. Understanding this phenomenon could lead to revolutions in "ordinary" condensed matter physics (not to mention a few Noble prizes).
Lots of folks confuse bad management with destiny. -- Frank Hubbard
