Natural Science Forum / Biology / Evolution

Proton pump inhibitors (or "PPI"s) are a group of drugs whose main
action is pronounced and long-lasting reduction of gastric acid
production. They are the most potent inhibitors of acid secretion
available today. The group followed and has largely superseded another

'Junk' DNA proves functional
In a paper published in Genome Research on Nov. 4, scientists at the Genome
Institute of Singapore (GIS) report that what was previously believed to be
"junk" DNA is one of the important ingredients distinguishing humans from

New cell division mechanism discovered
A novel cell division mechanism has been discovered in a microorganism that
thrives in hot acid. The finding may also result in insights into key
processes in human cells, and in a better understanding of the main

Hi!  I've put together a video of me - discussing the idea of a
"memetic takeover" - and put it on YouTube:
 http://alife.co.uk/essays/memetic_takeover/
Enjoy,

Computers are as important to modern scientists as test tubes, but we
know surprisingly little about how scientists develop and use software
in their research.  To find out, the University of Toronto, Simula
Research Laboratory, and the National Research Council of Canada have

Wiki has a nice article summarizing the major theories of abiogenesis:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abiogenesis
There are plenty of interesting links to further reading.
Here are the contents:

Nobel laureate Harold Varmus discusses the intersection of cancer
biology and cancer medicine. Varmus, president of Memorial Sloan-
Kettering Cancer Center in New York, earned his Nobel Prize for
discovering retroviral oncogenes that can cause cancer. That work

Some of you may recall Harpending's and Quintana's studies that
revealed human adaptation rates soared 100 fold after the "Cultural
Explosion" 60,000 BCE. Leveling this curve to an average of around 25
fold results in the same number of mutations as in the 1.5 million

Study finds value in 'junk' DNA
For about 15 years, scientists have known that certain "junk" DNA --
repetitive DNA segments previously thought to have no function -- could
evolve into exons, which are the building blocks for protein-coding genes in

Science 17 October 2008: Vol. 322. no. 5900, p. 404
DOI: 10.1126/science.1161527
Adam P. Johnson, H. James Cleaves, Jason P. Dworkin, Daniel P. Glavin,
Antonio Lazcano, Jeffrey L. Bada

Here's another look at Miller's experiment
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/science/nature/7675193.stm
Tom Hendricks
http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/U/UV_origin_of_life.html (UV paper)

October 7, 2008
How did self-replicating molecules come to dominate the early Earth? Using
the mathematics of evolutionary dynamics
Martin A. Nowak can explain the change from no life to life

"A bug discovered deep in a goldmine and nicknamed "the bold
traveller" has got astrobiologists buzzing with excitement. Its unique
ability to live in complete isolation of any other living species
suggests it could be the key to life on other planets."