Different Kinds of Chromatography

Chromatography is a technique used to isolate the various components of a mixture and this makes its application in analysis of biomolecules very important. It is used to separate and analyse the complex DNA sequences and other compounds, and also the concentration of the samples. There are many types of chromatography used in the study of biomolecules which range from DNA/RNA to recombinant proteins and antibodies. Here are some types of chromatography that you should know about.

High Performance Liquid Chromatography

Small particles and High pressure is required to carry out this type of liquid chromatography. HPLC has many forms and its application revolves around drug analysis and other forensic applications. There are forms of HPLC which specifically deal with enzymology and purification of other biomolecules.

Why Can't We Take Biology 101 to a Higher Level to Keep the Student's Interest?

Let me ask you something? Are we selling our kids short with the No Child Left behind Act? Shouldn't we be pushing our kids to think, reason, and adapt? Shouldn't they be using the information which we force into their heads through rote memorization in positive ways? There are many programs which NASA is doing in our local schools around the country. When it comes to such difficult subjects such as biology, I say we take it all to a higher level. How high you ask?

How about as high as we can get, how about space?

"Why Can't We Take Biology 101 to a Higher Level to Keep the Student's Interest?" How so you ask? Well, for instance why can't our high-schools talk about NASA's Astrobiological Research and ask the students the tough questions and have them do real inquiry and research, perhaps look stuff up in the latest scientific journals. Let me give you an example;

Does Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields Modify Brain Waves Permanently?

Is it possible that long-term exposure to electromagnetic fields could eventually change your brain waves, therefore changing the way you think, how you process information, and what sort of chemical splashes your brain delivers based on your observations, studies, reflections, and memory retrieval. Now then, and you must realize this is purely speculation, and my comments come from observations of many individuals over several decades now, so, I have this little personal theory I'd like to share with you along these lines.

You see, I've met many individuals who have worked in places under a constant electromagnetic energy field. Perhaps they worked in a hydroelectric plant, a telephone switching station, in an air traffic control facility, or they work in the communication facilities at a military installation. Now then, before you chock off this theory of mine and throw it into the category of; conspiratorial theories, I'd like to remind you that the brain is actually an electromagnetic organic device.

The Basic Mechanics of Bumblebee Flight

It was once postulated that a bee is an absurdity; mathematically it can't produce the lift necessary to fly. However, this statement in itself was nonsensical to the obvious proof that bees do fly, because they can and therefore there must be something wrong with the math, not the insect. This simple understanding of flight was derived from what was known about aerodynamics, but applying the mathematics of flight of an aeroplane to that in an insect is very much a question of scale, as well as evolutionary ingenuity.

If one applies the mathematics of a rotating disk (such as in a helicopter) to that of an insect, it becomes apparent that the wing size of an insect (such as a bumblebee) is not large enough to generate the downward thrust of air, despite their incredible speeds.

How Do Plants Control the Shoot:Root Ratio

Both Carbon and Nitrogen are essential in plant development. The carbon is the fuel for cell division, growth and a respiratory substance and the Nitrogen enables amino acid production and DNA synthesis. In turn this growth causes the shoots and roots to extend and consequently there is normally a fixed ratio between how the plants allocate these resources.

The intimate association between these to essential compounds is effected by the way the plant acquires them. The Nitrogen enters the plant through the root in the form of Nitrates and the Carbon enters in the form of CO2 and is converted to sucrose: the photoassimilate. The Nitrates move up through the xylem from the, carried by the capillary action of the water. The sucrose, produced by photosynthesis, is exported into the phloem and is then transported down to the roots to enable sufficient metabolism in the light deprived areas of the plant. In general, the source for the Carbon is the sink for the Nitrogen and visa versa.

The Biochemical Basis of Plant Adaptations to Drought and Salinity

In a stochastic environment, plants' sessile nature means that variations in water availability have detrimental effects on the plants metabolism. The availability of water for its biological roles as a solvent and transport medium, as an electron donor in the Hill reaction, and as an evaporative coolant is often impaired by environmental conditions such as drought and salinity. The oxidative stress that results from these environmental perturbations has profound biochemical responses within the plant's genetic architecture. As both these stresses impact on the water availability of the organism, they will share many response mechanisms despite being fundamentally different stimuli.

Both drought and salinity stress the cells by increasing the concentrations of ions in the cytosol. Increased ion concentrations can have osmotic effects causing the plant to lose control over water flux; furthermore, high concentrations of ions have extremely negative impacts on the tertiary structure of proteins, which form the basis of all cellular machinery.

Gene Expression

The vast majority of genes are expressed in the proteins that they encode. This occurs in two main steps: Transcription of DNA into RNA and then Translation of RNA into polypeptide chains that fold up into proteins.

Transcription

Initiation: The segment of DNA to be transcribed is split apart by RNA polymerase. RNA polymerase needs to first attach to a promoter code sequence, which is a sort of indicator sequence that shows the polymerase where to start transcription and provides a secure foothold

Note: Proteins called activators and repressor regulate the transcription speed

What Does Water Do For The Body?

All around us is a little molecule that is found in the air, makes up all the rivers, lakes, and streams, and is more important to life than any other. This little guy is a simple combination of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom, but is so important to our existence that when scientists are looking for worlds that might have life, they look for water first. No water, no life. Water, maybe life.

The fact is that water makes up about 70% of our bodies. Cells are mostly bags of watery stuff floating around. Some cells have more or less, but some, like blood cells, are made of as much as 90% water. Most of this water is a mixture of substances within cells are a common molecule existing within a larger one, but there is nowhere that water alone is stored in the body with the exception of the bladder. And of course it is only stored here until excretion and is still a combination of water and other waste products, although it is more than 95% water.

Top 10 Things You Wish You Knew About Butterfly Wings

We tend to admire butterfly wings for their captivating beauty. Our negligence in overlooking other fascinating facts about these wings is therefore quite excusable... but wouldn't you like to know more? Here are our top ten (well, maybe more) facts that you will be excited to learn.

Butterflies Have Scaled Wings

The scientific name for the butterfly/moth family is Lepidoptera. This word is derived from Greek roots meaning "scale wings." For scientists, the most obvious feature that separates butterflies and moths from other insects is their scaled wings. While we may not notice this immediately, closer inspection of a butterfly reveals the fact that their wings are made from tiny scales that are actually bulbous, modified feathers. The pigments of the scales on their wings come either from chemical pigments such as melanin or from plants and waste that build up during metamorphosis. 

Would a Human Brain Grow In a Square If It Were Grown in a Box - I Believe the Answer Might Be Yes

Can we grow add on brains, or configure a human brain in a different space? I believe so. I'd like to discuss this with you for moment, from a philosophical and theoretical biology stand point. You see, on or about June 20, 2011 I had written an interesting article titled; "Why Can't We Install an Add-on Carbon Nanotube Encased Brain Inside a Human Chest Cavity?" where I reasoned that it would be possible to build an add-on brain and attach it to the current human brain.

It also seems that since we can now grow brain tissue using stem cells in a Petri Dish that we can build an organic brain, allowing it to grow in any shape we wish. Okay so, before I get into my basic theory of why I believe that a human brain can grow in a square, or a sphere, I'd like to have you consider some other intriguing information;

First, go read an article in Neuroscience on March 29, 2012 titled; "Brain wiring a no-brainer? Scans reveal astonishingly simple 3D grid structure.

10 Big Animals Discovered Since 1900

1. OKAPI

By saving a group of Congolese Pygmies from a German show-man who wanted to take them to the 1900 Paris Exhibition, Sir Harry Johnston gained their trust. He then began hearing stories about the okapi, a mule-sized animal with zebra stripes. In 1901, Sir Harry sent a whole skin, two skulls and a detailed description of the okapi to London, and it was found that the okapi had a close relationship to the giraffe. In 1919, the first live okapi were brought out of the Congo River basin, and in 1941, the Stanleyville Zoo witnessed the first birth of an okapi in captivity. The okapis, striking in appearance, are now some of the most popular attractions at the larger, more progressive zoological parks of the world.

2. MOUNTAIN NYALA

Amazing Terra Cotta Sculpture From Iron Age

One of the earliest examples of sophisticated sculpture in sub-Saharan Africa came from the Nok culture, an Iron Age civilization. The culture appeared around 1000 B.C. and mysteriously vanished around 500 AD in the region of West Africa.

In 1928 Lt-Colonel John Dent-Young was leading mining operations in the Nigerian village of Nok. Close to the village and the Jos Plateau region one of his miners found a small piece of terra cotta sculpture. Later, terra cottas scattered at various depths throughout the Sahel grasslands were unearthed. The sculptures range in size from small pendants to life-size figures. Today several items of them can be seen at the Barakat Family Museum. One of them is worth of our special attention, a 31x 16 cm sculpture of a sitting couple.

Memorialized in clay, this couple represents a pair of conjoined, or Siamese, twins who makes the artifact unmatched and breath-taking.