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Tuesday, 10 June 2008 |
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Ed Hutchinson talks about his research interest of understanding the elusive influenza virus
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Tuesday, 10 June 2008 |
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Can simple biological systems be built from standard, interchangeable parts and operated in living cells? Or is biology simply too complicated to be engineered in this way? The international Genetically Engineered Machine Competition (iGEM) is an open design challenge for student teams that addresses this difficult question. Using a library of standardised biological components known as BioBricks, groups of undergraduates from around the world spend their summers designing and assembling biological devices to build genetic machines.
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Tuesday, 10 June 2008 |
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Through accidental or malicious use, synthetic biology poses potential risks. Can those risks be managed effectively?
The new engineering discipline creates novel organisms and gives life to designs that bypass evolution. In a way that is reassuring, because left to its own devices in a non-laboratory environment, a synthetic system would struggle to survive longer than a few hours. But scientists will naturally work to create much more persistent organisms.
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Tuesday, 10 June 2008 |
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Genetic engineering is often described as more of an art than an engineering discipline. The difficult and time consuming methods of transferring individual genes between organisms are unpredictable and often rely on luck. |
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Tuesday, 10 June 2008 |
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Current research in synthetic biology typically takes one of two approaches: assembling known natural systems into networks to perform specific tasks, and creating artificial modules to expand the range of organism function. |
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Tuesday, 10 June 2008 |
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Far from the living world, DNA is equally a contender for a surprising potential technological novelty: biocomputing. Information can be stored very efficiently in the DNA molecule (in quaternary code) and is naturally compact, or 'zipped', due to the tight spatial distribution of its constituent bases. It has been demonstrated over a decade ago that even a complex computational problem can be solved using DNA. At present a molecular computer is little more than a 'soup' of several strands of DNA in which different inputs interact to produce a certain output. Its most appealing features are an astonishing computing speed, several orders of magnitude faster than a supercomputer, and a natural capacity for parallel processing along several different DNA strands.
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Tuesday, 10 June 2008 |
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Biology is full of fascinating marvels, performing complex processes at the nanoscale and with low energy demand. A new generation of engineers is now adding design and intention to biology by crafting newly built genetic parts into microorganisms and living cells. They promise a vast range of applications, from biomedicine to energy production, and the emergent field-synthetic biology-has the potential to bring about a major revolution in the technological landscape of the future.
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Tuesday, 10 June 2008 |
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Classical Biology has traditionally tried to understand existing life. But in the last five years, a brand new science has emerged that turns the paradigm on its head
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Tuesday, 10 June 2008 |
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Oliver Jones explains how to use knowledge of individual behaviour and an ageing technique to save entire populations of ever decreasing fish populations |
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Tuesday, 10 June 2008 |
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Sue Kirk walks us through the role of fluid dynamics in controlling crowds |
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Tuesday, 10 June 2008 |
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Mico Tatalovic investigates the case for plant intelligence |
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Tuesday, 10 June 2008 |
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James Bullock unravels the mysteries of the rainbow |
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Tuesday, 10 June 2008 |
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Benjamin Pearson follows new efforts to map out thoughts as they happen
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Tuesday, 10 June 2008 |
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Susanna Cooke investigates translocations and their role in cancer
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Tuesday, 10 June 2008 |
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Jonathan Birch explains how the modern scientist arrived from Cambridge some 170 years ago
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Written by Chloe Stockford
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Tuesday, 10 June 2008 |
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Chloe Stockford discusses newly employed plagiarism software
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Written by Christopher Adriaanse
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Tuesday, 10 June 2008 |
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Chris Adriaanse talks to Dr Rosemary Hall about her research on human nutrition and risks of obesity and diabetes
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Tuesday, 10 June 2008 |
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Dear Dr Hypothesis,
I'm a James Bond fiend, and take great pleasure in building working replicas of all his gadgets and gizmos. However, one that's really got me stumped is that disappearing car of his, it would certainly help to reduce those speeding fines! Is there no way science can offer me some assistance?
Bond, Arnold Bond
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Tuesday, 10 June 2008 |
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Mico Tatalovic reviews student science publications currently produced by various UK universities.
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Tuesday, 10 June 2008 |
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With the current furore of interest in our global climate change problem, it was time for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to publish their knowledge for all to see. This takes the form of a four-piece report Climate Change 2007 - The Physical Science Basis set to be complete by December of the same year. The first of the texts was released in early October with promise of "representing the first major global assessment of climate change science in six years"; policymakers and the general public alike were keen to get a glimpse. This sought-after report has received much interest with so much media coverage focused on climate change and last year's Nobel Peace Prize being awarded to Al Gore and the IPCC for their ongoing efforts to raise awareness in the area.
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Tuesday, 10 June 2008 |
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It is not often that one has an opportunity to elaborate upon orgasms without feeling awkward and perhaps a little guilty. However, Elizabeth A. Lloyd's new book on evolutionary biology offers an intellectually irreproachable analysis of this frequently misunderstood topic with exemplary clarity and precision.
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Tuesday, 10 June 2008 |
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Matt Brown, Editor of Nature Network London, entertained BlueSci and friends in the cosy surroundings of The Anchor recently. In an informal discussion over drinks, Matt generously shared his insights on the scientific publishing industry, based on his experience of a conventional publishing house setting and his current role at the Nature Network website.
Matt also told the assembled audience about the future plans for expansion of Nature Network and had some thought-provoking ideas about the future of peer-reviewed publishing in the coming age of which the Nature Network is an excellent exponent.
BlueSci's presence on Nature Network will help expose our coverage of science news and events in Cambridge to a wider audience equally passionate about science. To find out more, visit BlueSci's forum, enter a discussion or read the BlueSci editor's blog on Nature Network. Matt was even kind enough to write up his visit to Cambridge on his blog. We look forward to developing collaborations with Nature Network in 2008. AM
http://network.nature.com
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Tuesday, 10 June 2008 |
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The zebra mussel is a stripy, freshwater mussel and a public nuisance. At only around five centimetres long, this menace is ranked among the world's 100 worst invasive species. In fact, the female zebra mussel is one of the most prolific reproductive organisms on the planet: they can produce a staggering 40,000 eggs per year.
These pests account for millions of pounds in clean-up costs because, in the past, companies have pumped chlorine through their pipes to remove them. This has proved costly and environmentally unfriendly, so a new prize-winning toxin, launched by the company BioBullets Ltd, has been an exciting solution to this problem.
The first epidemic of zebra mussels colonizing Great Britain was reported in the 1820s in Cambridgeshire. From there the spread was rapid as these filter feeders opened up their shells to remove pollutants but also rapidly took over freshwater areas, migrating easily as they stick to the hulls of boats. Not only do they cover the underside of docks, boats and anchors, they can also grow so close together that they block off pipelines affecting water supplies to cities and hydroelectric power companies.
Dr David Aldridge, lecturer at the University of Cambridge in the Department of Zoology and director and co-founder of the spin off company BioBullets Ltd was thrilled with his prize of Entec Medal at the annual Institution of Chemical Engineers awards: "We are currently looking at how our invention can be applied to control some of the world's other major pests." Recognising and promoting organisations that make an outstanding contribution to chemical and bioprocess industries, BioBullets Ltd beat 32 other competitors to claim the top prize of the evening. BA
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Tuesday, 10 June 2008 |
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Scientists have identified the genetic code that affects the ripening of grapes. Despite the importance of the grapevine around the world, the factors affecting the biochemical and physical changes leading to fruit and flavour development have remained undiscovered until now.
Researchers at the IASMA Research Centre, San Michelle, Italy, studied the Pinot Noir variety of grape over the course of three growing seasons and found more than 1400 genes that affect ripening - some of these are strongly affected by climate changes.
They found that different internal transformations take place during the green (pre-véraison) and red (post-véraison) periods. Initially, light and chemicals such as auxin and ethylene play a critical role in the green grape's metabolism reprogramming.
As the grape moves towards véraison, enzyme anti-oxidant activity is controlled, metabolism slows down and photosynthesis is suppressed, leading to increases in the amount of sugar stored, flavour development and a change in colour.
Meanwhile, American researchers independently identified seven growth phases in the Cabernet Sauvignon grape variety. They mapped out the factors that affected the expression of the genes during each phase and how they influenced processes such as circadian rhythm, aroma, flavour and colour.
These new advances may help grape growers to set the right conditions for grape growth such that vintage grade wine can be grown year after year. AR
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Tuesday, 10 June 2008 |
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University of Cambridge scientists have established a revolutionary networking site for scientists, based on advances in Web 2.0.
Social networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook and Bebo have boomed in the last few years. Cambridge scientists have built a site that not only develops networks between users, but provides tools to facilitate research collaborations as well: SciSpace at www.scispace.net.
'eMinerals scientists' based in the Department of Earth Sciences realised how difficult it is to communicate between researchers who work at different length scales. In their case they needed a tool to span from the molecular to the global scale. SciSpace was born, merging the collaborative functionality of wikis with the communication capabilities of social networking sites. The site has now been running for six months, and is already being used for European and trans-Atlantic collaborations and the production of a number of publications.
SciSpace was built and is maintained by the National Institute for Environmental eScience and members of the eMinerals project, using Elgg technology. Access to the site is free and open to any scientist worldwide. KA
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Tuesday, 10 June 2008 |
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Stewart Carnally discusses science fiction and its potentially accurate predictions
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Monday, 21 January 2008 |
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Synthetic Biology is heralded as the next engineering revolution: supplying technology that could match or even surpass that of the IT and semi-conductor sectors in its impact on society. The "Carlson Curves" highlight an exponential acceleration in DNA sequencing and chemical synthesis since the late 1980's, and also their resemblance to Moore's Law, that computing power will double every 18 months. If this pace is maintained then by 2010 a single lab worker will be able to sequence 10^8 or synthesize 10^6 bases a day, and like the computer industry costs are falling as fast as power increases. The era of biological systems by design has arrived. |
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Monday, 21 January 2008 |
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Everyone I know who works in the field has a favourite tent-story. The tent blew away; the tent flooded; the tent was invaded by ants; the tent was lost somewhere between Heathrow and the Third World. All of these I have experienced. My most interesting tent-story, however, involved a hippo. |
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Monday, 21 January 2008 |
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Issue 11 of Bluesci, Cambridge's Science Magazine, is out now in printed form, available from your College Porter's Lodge, or your Department. You can also download a PDF here. 
Also, check out these bonus online features to accompany articles from the magazine:
An old-fashioned tent story - A special, extended version of the Away From the Bench article about African rock art.
Synthetic biology: further considerations - A further analysis of the Focus topic: synthetic biology. A longer, more technical article that touches upon and extends the issues mentioned in the magazine Focus section. |
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