Opening the genome, Google Apps, Dolly, Citizendum and a video on DNA Fingerprinting February 27, 2007
Posted by Dr. Bertalan Meskó in Genetic testing, genetics, Health, Invention, Medicine, Wikipedia.trackback
Before going to play snooker, I’ve collected the most interesting announcements, news, blogposts on genomics or genetics. And don’t miss the video about DNA Fingerprinting.
In an average cell, only about one in ten genes is active, or expressed, at any given moment, with its DNA open to the cell’ transcriptional machinery… In study published online February 22 in Cell, researchers at The Wistar Institute identify an important new player in the gene-control system, an enzyme responsible for removing certain molecules, or marks, involved in opening or closing chromatin, the material that makes up chromosomes.
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway was settled on May 6, 2002, with 36 employees receiving $2.2 million. In this case, Burlington conducted undisclosed genetic testing in conjunction with medical exams in response to employee claims of increased carpal tunnel systems…
Ten years ago, the birth of Dolly the sheep sparked a media frenzy and a prolonged ethical debate. Today, the arguments have switched focus to stem cells, and the research itself is beginning to change tack.
- A Wikipedia Without Graffiti (SlashDot.org)
Citizendium’s model of editor-approved articles, and editor approval of further edits to those articles, can help to achieve the benefits of collaboration, harnessing the efforts of volunteers, without falling into Wikipedia’s traps… There are still some problems that Citizendium’s differences from Wikipedia won’t solve. Many schools discourage citing Wikipedia not because it’s written anonymously or because it contains errors, but because it’s an encyclopedia.
- Will Google Apps be a Game-changer for Doctor Practices? (Clinical Cases Blog)
I think the idea has a promising future. Google Docs & Spreadsheets has completely changed the way I, and many academic physicians I know, write abstracts and articles. I rarely use MS Word anymore — Google Docs is just so much more convenient.
- Down Syndrome Brain Function Improved In Mice (Medicalnewstoday.com)
US scientists have discovered that an old discontinued drug reduces the mental retardation of mice with a form of Down syndrome. The mice improved their ability to explore, learn and remember things.
How much do the Google programs cost? I assume they are cheaper than Office? Are they better than free programs like OpenOffice?
As far as I know, Google programs are avalaible for free. Me, I’ve used Google Docs several times with just my Google account.
But it’s hard to compare Google Aps with OpenOffice, as Google programs are made for online use. That’s why they’re unique applications.
I think you’re right. I thought I had read that Google was going to start charging for them, but it appears I misunderstood.
Let me rephrase: so do you think that an online program like Google Docs and Spreadsheets is better than a local program like OpenOffice?
You can’t compare them as Google Apps are used online, and OpenOffice is used offline. I just say that Google Apps are as good online as OpenOffice offline.
Really, Ncurse, I’m disappointed in you. As a matter of fact, I can compare them; the online/offline distinction is precisely the basis for comparision. If you are unable to compare them, you should state that, rather than stating that comparison is impossible.
Allow me to illustrate how the two might be compared. (For anyone else reading this, my comments are intended to be illustrative and not necessarily factual—I have never used Google Docs and Spreadsheets.)
OpenOffice has the advantage that everything is under your control. You don’t have to worry about slow connection speeds interfering with your work, and you can work even without an Internet connection (for instance, while travelling).
On the other hand, Google Docs and Spreadsheets stores your documents centrally, making them less vulnerable to a local hard drive crash. You can access them from any Internet-enabled computer; you don’t have to bring a disk or e-mail it to yourself, and therefore you don’t have to worry about different versions of the file. In addition, multiple people can collaborate on Google files.
There! That wasn’t so hard, was it?
The DNA fingerprinting video is really interesting. Thank you for sharing this to us. There was one process that is similar to photo developing. And I also wonder about the extent of the voltage applied to the sample in order to move the DNA content.