Gene Machine: The Race to Decipher the Secrets of the Ribosome

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There are still respected scientists who think genomic sequencing is doomed to stay forever in the labs, absorbing funds in absurd proportion to the benefits they provide. Cynics are advised to recall what Kenneth Olsen, founder of minicomputer maker Digital Equipment Corp., once told the World Future Society: "There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in his home."

A part-memoir, part-educational account of the race to solve the ribosome structure, culminating in the grandest of victories.Stelios Chatzimichail has joined our group as a postdoc, to work on single-molecule studies of single-cell bacterial isolates for rapid testing of antimicrobial resistance. Welcome!

evaluate appropriate data for the relative influences of genetic and environmental factors on phenotype. DNA technology in the diagnosis and treatment of human diseases. Alteration of the sequence of bases in DNA can alter the structure of proteins (A-level only) The enzymes restrict a viral infection by cutting the viral genetic material into smaller pieces at specific nucleotide sequences within the molecule. This is why they are called restriction endonuclease (‘endo’ means within) The narrative about the role and secrets of ribosomes is disappointingly matter-of-fact. The author has failed to share the awe he might have felt in revealing the heretofore hidden details. The scientist’s idea of a paper for publishing in a journal is too far away from an ordinary reader’s preference of what is interesting. The book is a veritable Who’s Who of the rapidly growing field of structural biology in general and ribosomes in particular. The author has had a great collaboration with like-minded scholars from across the globe. There are many photographs of co-workers and even rivals. The illustrations given as part of the description are not at all helpful. Relevance has not been a parameter for inclusion as we even see a conceptual diagram of a four-stroke internal combustion engine as part of the narrative.This book presents some valid advice to novices in scientific research. The author asks them not to be hesitant to ask questions, however basic it might be. He justifies it by claiming that no question is too stupid to ask if you want to know the answer. It is also a bare necessity for present-day researchers to belong to the top-line institutes and laboratories. Advanced science has now become a team effort transcending national frontiers and continental boundaries. The members of the theoretical and testing facilities should be known to each other, otherwise it would be difficult to obtain and manage precious time allocated for using sophisticated machines. Jonathan was born in 1963 in New Haven, Connecticut, to a family of entrepreneurs. He earned a B.S. in chemical engineering from Carnegie Mellon and an M.S., M.Phil, and Ph.D. in biology from Yale. Rothberg is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering, is a trustee of Carnegie Mellon. and an Adjunct Professor of Genetics at the Yale.

I think [being] an outsider allows you to see things with a fresh perspective that isn’t obvious to people who are either part of the culture or part of the field. They are used to thinking in a certain way. And you come in there and say, “Wait a minute. Why is everybody doing it like this?” When people come in from a different field or different country, they bring a new perspective sometimes. That’s why I’m a big fan of people moving around in science. Science often benefits from this global [churn]. I’m a big fan of people moving around in science What it is really like to be a scientist, especially a scientist who has been awarded the “most nobel” scientific prize of all? I remember reading Craig Ventner's book about racing to sequence the human genome. It read like a novel. I couldn't look away as Ventner spilled all the secrets about his personal life as well as all the nasty, behind the scenes antics that arise when scientists compete. I remember thinking he seemed a bit bitter, but I didn't care because I wanted to know everything I could about this usually hidden side of scientific discovery. Ramakrishnan's book is very similar in that it allows the reader to witness the arguments, insecurities, and questionable tactics scientists engage in when trying to outdo each other. This cookie is set by the provider mookie1.com. This cookie is used for serving the user with relevant content and advertisement. Invented by engineer and entrepreneur Jonathan Rothberg, such desktop gene machines could transform medicine, agriculture, nanotechnology and the search for alternative fuels. Using DNA sequencing, Rothberg says, doctors in the not-too-distant future will finger genetic weak spots in tumors and treat cancer patients with customized drugs. (This is already happening at some cancer centers.) Kids born with rare diseases will get large portions of their genome decoded to pinpoint the cause, eliminating guesswork and misdiagnoses.Mirjam Kummerlin has won a prestigious Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds fellowship to join us for her PhD/DPhil. Congratulations, and welcome to the group! The author gracefully gives credit to as many people as he could although at times such an account becomes overwhelmingly too detailed.