Endosymbiosis in doubt

Researchers have provided compelling evidence to discount one of the mainstream views in biology regarding the evolution of eukaryotic cell structure. Eukaryotic cells are those which make up virtually all complex, multicellular life on Earth. They are markedly different from that of prokaryotes (bacteria and archaea); they have a cell nucleus that contains DNA as well as mitochondria and other structures. Bacteria and archaea on the other hand merely have free-floating DNA within the cell membrane. One mainstream theory in biology suggested that the structures in eukaryotes originated as disparate organisms eventually forming a symbiotic relationship, called endosymbiosis.

Temple Smith and Hyman Hartman, from Boston University and MIT respectively, conducted research on a particular structure found in many eukaryotic cells called cilia. Cilia are hairlike projections from a cell which help move and sense the environment. These are one of many structures believed to be originated from endosymbiosis. However, Smith and Hartman, through newly available genomic techniques, were able to determine that genes responsible for the cilia have a uniqueness that could not be present in the simple organisms believed to be part of the endosymbiosis. Therefore, it is suggested that the cilia must have arisen from within via evolutionary forces not yet understood.

While this research can only speak with regard to cilia alone, the notion can be easily extrapolated for the many other structures in eukaryotic cells as well, casting much doubt over the notion of endosymbiosis.














(image shows electron micrograph scan of cilia in human trachea)

The Color of Pomegranates by Sergei Parajanov (1968)

Mi Hombre Paco

Invisible people

Largely inspired by the recent posts on mad daps concerning homlessness, I realized that avanti popolo rarely directly involves pressing social issues. Motivated by a general interest in paradigm shifts of cultural perspectives ushered in by the creative minds behind technological and artistic evolution, the topics at most involve a mere instrumental step toward social transformation. I hope to aggregate notions pertaining to culture properly-so-called and not the passing masquerade of dreams and diversions taken as culturally relevant.

Homelessness is a global issue that has been exacerbated by the current economic crisis. As more enter a state of financial panic, fewer are looking at the circumstances of others. Although little media attention is given to the issue other than an index for our economic zeitgeist, social media has stepped in to fill the void. The availability of cameras and social networking is an impetus toward the decentralization of mass media and at the forefront of this movement are the initiatives of those like Mark Horvath.

Horvath was once a TV executive in Hollywood. Fourteen years ago, a drug addiction, a lost job and a house foreclosure sent him out onto the streets. Sober and off the streets, now equipped with little more than a car, a laptop, and a digital camera, he utilizes social media outlets like twitter to show the realities behind homelessness and the people afflicted with the stigma. Further, he created a website, Invisible People, which is a video blog interface with the shunned voices and unseen faces of homeless individuals from all walks of life. In spite of warnings and threats from government officials and homeless service agencies for Horvath not going through the "proper channels" to expose the issues around homelessness, he has remained committed to his project. While it might not be a solution to put a roof over anyone's head, hopefully it transforms ideas about who these people are.

L'Immoretelle by Alain Robbe-Grillet (1963)

BioArtist Eduardo Kac

Viral batteries

Also published in Science, MIT genetic researchers have succeeded in engineering bacteriophage viruses to build both the anode and cathode of rechargeable batteries.
Three years ago, a team of MIT researchers were able to create virus-built anodes, engineering the viruses to coat themselves in cobalt oxide and gold before assembling together into a nanowire. The missing piece was to create the cathode. The problem lay in the fact that most candidate materials were not highly conductive to permit the flow of electrons. The newest MIT group to approach this challenge realized that the viruses engineered to coat themselves in iron phosphate and then attach to a conductive carbon nanotube would solve the problem.

The viruses are non-harmful to humans (bacteriophages only infect bacteria) and the battery manufacturing process uses all non-toxic checmicals. Not only is the process environmentally benign, it is also inexpensive. Further, the batteries permit a great deal of plasticity in their design as the anode and cathodes can be organically constructed to fit the shape of the container.

The next step is the pursuit of materials such as manganese phosphate and nickel phosphate to allow higher voltage and capacitance. The current prototype is only a typical coin-size battery and is limited to the use of about 100 times. Future projects hope to break the use limitations and increase the size. The aims of these researchers are ultimately set for green car batteries.

Autonomous science

I'll assume we are all familiar with the steps of the scientific process. Whether or not scientific research actually follows this canonical procedure, ever since the onset of our digital age, it has not been uncommon for parts of scientific research to be delegated to the realm of robotics and computing. From experiments screening for data to sequencing genomes, software has even been developed to crunch numbers from experimental research to arrive at conclusions. Never before has the human element been removed from the equation until now. British designers from Aberystwyth University in Wales have reaped the benefits of scientific discovery from their autonomous mini laboratory system, dubbed 'Adam.' The artificial intelligence lab-bot hypothesizes, conducts experiments, and formulates conclusions all without any human intervention aside from cleaning any waste product in experimentation.

Adam observed data about baker's yeast to form hypotheses about as of yet uncovered parent genes for enzymes therein. Subsequently, experiments were constructed to test these hypotheses within Adam's fully equipped robotic centrifuges, pipettes, incubators, and growth analyzers. The end result was a conclusion that pointed to three new genes that together coded for a particular enzyme. These findings were published today in Science.

Of particular interest from these discoveries is how these tests that can be run autonomously even on the likes of baker's yeast might relate to our own livelihood. The rise of genomics has given credence to a biological truism that regardless of species, a protein that successfully performs a specific biological function will have that protein structure repeated. Therefore, understanding the biology of other systems can and often will map onto the human genome to help us understand our own biology.