Breathtaking advances in biosciences

Workout notes 4 miles to yoga, 4 miles back. Left “next to pinkie” toe cramped a bit coming up the MLK hill.

I am having trouble sleeping (as I frequently do after an ultra) but I have had a blast looking at some of my favorite science blogs.

Biosingularity doesn’t publish new posts very often but when they do…they publish a good one.

Longevity genes and not eating much: check out this post:

Scientists at the University of Washington and other institutions have identified 25 genes regulating lifespan in two organisms separated by about 1.5 billion years in evolutionary change. At least 15 of those genes have very similar versions in humans, suggesting that scientists may be able to target those genes to help slow down the aging process and treat age-related conditions.

The study is published online by the journal Genome Research on March 13.

The two organisms used in this study, the single-celled budding yeast and the roundworm C. elegans, are commonly used models for aging research. Finding genes that are conserved between the two organisms is significant, researchers say, because the two species are so far apart on the evolutionary scale — even farther apart than the tiny worms and humans. That, combined with the presence of similar human genes, is an indication that these genes could regulate human longevity as well. [...]

But this is especially interesting:

Previous studies have found that drastically restricting the caloric intake of organisms, an approach known as dietary restriction, can prolong their lifespan and reduce the incidence of age-related diseases. TOR inhibitors are being tested clinically in people for anti-cancer properties, and this work suggests they may also be useful against a variety of age-associated diseases.

“What we’d like to eventually do is be able to mimic the effects of dietary restriction with a drug,” explained Matt Kaeberlein, another senior author on the paper and a UW assistant professor of pathology. “Most people don’t want to cut their diet that drastically, just so they may live a little longer. But someday in the future, we may be able to accomplish the same thing with a pill.”

Surprise, surprise: eating less (to a point) can be good for you. Obviously, starving sucks.

Bio-designs: piggybacking on evolution to produce new types of life, or helping current organisms repair themselves.

The talk part of this video takes 15-16 minutes, then there is an equally long question and answer period.

But this talk shows how bioengineering has advanced so as to be able to:
1. Create organisms (from existing ones) to do various things (e. g., kill e-coli)
2. Help organisms repair damage (e. g., recover from radiation damage)
3. Grow new, more effective biol-fuels.
4. Guard against existing (and not yet here) diseases.
5. Create new vaccines.

Yes, ethical issues are raised too.

Enjoy Craig Venter’s talk:

Social Comment: when I see stuff like this, I get depressed when I hear our presidential candidates arguing on whether the old creation myths are somehow literally true. The gap between our smartest individuals and the more average ones is simply staggering.

And no, I don’t consider myself to be one of the smarter ones; intellectually speaking, I have more in common with a frog than I do with guys like this.

Speaking of frogs, watch one eat a snake:

They are predators, aren’t they?

And this shows how they freeze during winter. About a week ago I recalled finding a toad coming out of winter hibernation.