I wish if there be a "GENE FOR HAPPINESS" !!

Monday, January 1, 2010

This is 21st century, the age of Biotechnology. In past few years various advances have been made in the field of genetic engineering. We are able to isolate, incorporate and express genes of desired characteristics from one species to another. Thus we have achieved :

• High beer production by incorporating the genes coding for amylase from yeast to bacteria.
• Human Insulin
• Vaccins
• Hormones

And many such important products have been obtained in significant amounts applying the technology.

For development of such useful products, genes must be identified.It was therefore became essential to know how our genes located in genome. Human Gnome Project (HGP) aimed at  sequencing complete human genome was started in 1990. 13 years of joint effort of scientists from 18 countries and an expense of huge money ($3billion) ultimately lead to success.

Today it is known :

• Nearly 3 billion bases makes up the whole genome.
  
• There are 20,000 to 30,000 genes present in whole genome.
• Majority of DNA do not code for genes (Junk DNA).

A Gene is the basis of life.Its four alphabets A, T, G and C that codes for every thing. All biological processes are due to and controlled by genes. It has a unique property to carry the information encoded in it to its next generations. Every character or property, even tiniest of information is stored in genes.

Hence, there's

A  gene for eye colour
A gene for height
A gene for fairness
A gene for sense and signaling(proteins)
A gene for movement and transport(proteins)
A gene for energy generation(enzymes)
A gene for growth
A gene for DEATH (ageing)

But hold on!!!

Where is the GENE FOR HAPPINESS???
No gene! If there be a gene for happiness, what I would have done is-

1. Isolate it
2. Insert it into a vector
3. And enjoy its expression

If there is excess of happiness then there would be deficiency of hatred (same as if there is light, darkness disappears).And there wouldn't be wars any more.
So if there is no gene for happiness then how do we feel happy?? There might be another cause for it.
Yes, I got it!!!! Cause must be present in region what we call as JUNK DNA. Because junk DNA is a part of DNA, it will inherit in children from parents. This is how nature of parents remain semi-conserved in their sons/daughter...

Genetic Engineering is!!!!

Wednesday, Jan 6, 2010

Hello friends!!!!
Every one of you might have heard about the awesome story of "the Hare and the Rabbit".

What is there in the story??

There were two sweet friends, a tortoise and a hare. One day hare challenges tortoise for winning a race. Tortoise accepts the challenge.
On the decided day and time, race starts. Tortoise was moving slowly but CONSISTENTLY. Hare was moving very FAST but was overconfident.Then seeing that he was far ahead of the tortoise, he thought he'd sit under a tree for some time and relax before continuing the race.He sat under the tree and soon fell asleep. But tortoise was moving consistently without any break. He was aimed at reaching the finish line, how far it be. At the end tortoise wins the race.





Lessons from the story:

Lesson 1: Never underestimate others and overeatimate yourself.
Lessson 2: Be consistent if you want to win life's race.
Lesson 3: Take challenges, how big it be, believe in yourself.


Genetic Engineering creates something new!!

Modifications, mutations, and natural selection takes a huge amount of time to develop a great variety of organism. But we, the human wants every things today and now. We don't want to wait for hundreds or thousands of years.
Genetic engineering is what helping us to finish a making a brand new product of desired qualities without consuming much of our time.

Genetic engineering is all about playing with genes. We replace unwanted genes with new (desired) genes of desired characters or integrates new genes to a genome.

Took the story for example:
let,
Gene A codes for consistency in tortoise.
Gene B codes for the slow speed of tortoise.
Genetic engineering takes desired gene (gene A) and integrates it to the Rabbit Genome (DNA).

And here is a brand new organism Super Hare, which won't loose any race. Similarly we can take hare's genes responsible for fast moving and integrate to tortoise to develop a tortoise that can run. Hurray!!! we got it

Genetically modified tortoise capable of running

Similarly we also can integrate good qualities of others and eliminate bad ones. This is how technically we can make improved humans!!

4th january - Newton the great's bithday

Born on January 4, 1643, Issac Newton is a great physicist, mathematician, philosopher, astronomer,alchemist and one of the greatest scientist of all times.

Sir Issac Newton when he was a boy, was more interested in making mechanical devices than in studying. He made a windmill which could grind wheat and corn, and he made a water clock and a sundial. His teachers thought of him as a poor student.

He wanted to go college but didn't have the money to go. some how he managed to study in college. He had to serve other students, ate leftover meals. But he never missed any opportunity where he could learn. In his college life he was NOT oustanding and NEVER recieved any awards.

His childlike CURIOSITY led him to make some very important discoveries when he became a man. Within a period of a year and half he made three great discoveries:

1. Falling of an apple from tree made him to think. He dis covered "GRAVITY" which is responsible for orbital motion of planets. And of course falling of the apple.
2. Laws of Motion:

• First law, Law of inertia : Object in rest remains in rest and object in motion continues to be in motion until an external force is aplied.
  

  

• Second law : object moves when a force is applied and motion (acceleration) is directly related to amount force applied.

F=MA (M= mass, A= aceleration)

F=1000*0.05 N

• 3rd law : For every action there is equal and opposite reaction.

Friends it is told that great things requires insiration. But who could think; a falling apple could inspire Newton to formulate his "theory of gravitation". Its not just a theory its a LAW, not just a law its "UNIVERSAL LAW OF GRAVITATION".
If Newton could do this. Why can't we.
We all are built with infinite potential within us. The only thing we require is to know it and believe in it. Apple is not small, It inspired Newton and we can see where he is.Every one knows his name!!!!
If we want to obtain such position we must think, think big, think differently
Young scientists needs to develop a broader outlook to serve the society.