Journal The Fun Guy's Journal: 178.4 Ask A Scientist 9
Every now and again, I see JEs where slashdotters invite questions, sometimes related to the author's area of expertise in real life, sometimes on any topic. This is predicated on the assumptions that a) people have questions that they would like to put to a real, actual, working database administrator/poet/political activist/chef/whatever, but b) don't know any in meatspace that they could talk to face-to-face.
I've had a number of posts that comment on the fact that they've never met a real live scientist before. I'm surrounded by them all the time, and have been for years, so I sometimes forget that we tend to be a somewhat isolated demographic. This is an odd situation to be in, since scientists are such a common sight in movies, TV shows and in books, usually portrayed with an exorbitant amount of power and influence over the hidden workings of the world. Frankly, I shudder to think of the paperwork that would be involved in building a Global Death Ray.
So, despite the fact that my list of Friends is vastly shorter than many other's lists of Friends, I'd like to offer a Q &A opportunity. Here's your chance to Ask A Scientist. I'm a microbiologist by trade, but, like most scientists, I'm interested (and reasonably knowledgeable) in a pretty wide range of topics.
Horizontal Gene Transfer (Score:2)
Or do you support some other theory on what cause the distinct trees of life that gave birth to more complex organisms in the "Origin of Species" way.
Or maybe you don't buy into the whole Darwinian thing...
Re:Horizontal Gene Transfer (Score:2)
The homologous gene sequences are pretty suggestive that a gene that was fairly fully formed made a jump from A to B, rather than both A and B retaining the gene from a shared precursor organism. The supposition of horizontal tranfser requires some kind of mechanism. Fortunately, there are several.
Viruses are the big one. It's been repeatedly demonstrated that virsuses can transfer RNA and/or DNA from one organism to another. Having various pieces of a gene migrate
Re:Horizontal Gene Transfer (Score:2)
On a side note, how much of the world shares the same most recent common (matrilineal) ancestor?
And now, for something completly different, ff black holes at lhc are small like 10^-27 meters, the length that Dan Visser
predicts, could their existence be infered even if they can not be seen
directly by the product of their decay via hawking radiation even if they are
smaller in length so the
Re:Horizontal Gene Transfer (Score:2)
It depends on how you define your groups. Among primates, the homology is better than 95%. Among all mammals, it's more like 30-35%. Completely, 100% shared among all living things? Probably less than 1%.
On a side note, how much of the world shares the same most recent common (matrilineal) ancestor?
How many humans, you mean? Everyone. We're all descended from one matrilineal heritage, al
Re:Horizontal Gene Transfer (Score:2)
If black holes at lhc are small like 10^-27 meters, the length that Dan Visser predicts, could their existence be infered even if they can not be seen directly by the product of their decay via hawking radiation even if they are smaller in length so they could not be seen directly?
Anyway, no need to answer. An intresting read (at least for me) is http:://www.cerncourier.com/main/article/44/9/22/1 [http]. Whic
The Obvious Question First (Score:2)
I enjoyed taking science classes in college but I was not all that good at them. I lacked the constant attention to detail that seems to be so requisite in the job. So I guess what I would honestly like to know is what your typical day is like. What do you do? What is the balance between research and writing and begging for grants?
Re:The Obvious Question First (Score:2)
I own one white lab coat, with my name stitched in red over the left pocket. I got it when I worked in a hospital. As it happens, I never wear it in my current job. I work with Biosafety Level 2 [medterms.com] human pathogens, and we don't have a laundry facility on site that can handle lab coats that are contaminated with these bugs. I use cellulose-fiber disposable lab coats. Depending on how hard you are on them, they'll last for a few weeks or mon
Re:The Obvious Question First (Score:2)
Re:The Obvious Question First (Score:2)
I recently posted in one of my journal entries [slashdot.org] a complete book chapter discussing ethical and economic considerations relaating to advances in biotechnology. This is considerably easier for laymen to read than most of what I write.
A list of my more recent pub