michaelerule
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Michael Rule (M, 24)
Pittsburgh, US
Immortal since Dec 25, 2007
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    Now playing SpaceCollective
    Where forward thinking terrestrials share ideas and information about the state of the species, their planet and the universe, living the lives of science fiction. Introduction
    Featuring Powers of Ten by Charles and Ray Eames, based on an idea by Kees Boeke.
    From michaelerule's personal cargo

    [transmitted from the future]
    "Forget Jurassic Park, forget digging through fossilized and shredded remnants of DNA. With modern informatics algorithms and the vast database of genomes gathered by robotic sequencers, we are able to travel back in genetic time. We can statistically infer the genome of any common ancestor of any surviving group of organisms. We can even tell you the structure of extinct viruses, when said viruses were last contagious, and how deadly they were at the time. If a rouge state should gain access to our servers, they would have the ability to resurrect the greatest plagues in the history of life on Earth."

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    Comments:


    marianne     Mon, Apr 6, 2009  Permanent link
    but... who said that ?
    michaelerule     Mon, Apr 6, 2009  Permanent link
    This is original writing, presented in quotes because I intend it be said by a fictional, near future character.
    gamma     Mon, Apr 6, 2009  Permanent link
    "Ice man" found in Austrian Alps has made his fame even in South Park...
    now we remember only his genes.
    http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/explorer/3108/Overview
    (terrible)
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%96tzi_the_Iceman

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Can genes build a spaceship?

    Batteries of the future need to deliver more energy, and they need to be smaller. Researchers at M.I.T. think they have developed a technology that can, as they say, pave the way for these batteries of the future—using viruses. The development was peer-reviewed in the April 3 issue of the journal Science.

    Scientists genetically engineered a bacteriophage—a virus that infects bacteria but is harmless to humans. A few years ago the team created a virus that coated itself in cobalt oxide and gold and self-assembled into a nanowire for the battery’s anode. The cathode’s a little more complicated. In the most recent publication, the team created viruses that coat themselves in iron phosphate and then grab onto carbon nanotubes. This creates a powerful cathode.

    The working cathode and anode make the virus-battery comparable to more expensive existing battery technologies. The team is now preparing to look into using other materials such as manganese phosphate that could lead to higher voltage. They say this could hold the promise of relatively inexpensive, nonpolluting, lightweight powerful batteries—a holy grail for an energy revolution.

    —Cynthia Graber
     http://www.sciam.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=viruses-make-a-battery-09-04-06 
    michaelerule     Mon, Apr 6, 2009  Permanent link
    hmm... more pontification !:

    All sciences will eventually become algorithmic sciences. We are only beginning to see the transformation of molecular biology into an algorithmic field. Now researchers have demonstrated effective reprogramming of the chemical and structural properties ( the two become hard to distinguish at fine scale ) of the viral proteins to create self-assembling nanoscale components. This research opens up a new nanoscale fabrication technique that can be programmed in borrowed and modified biological structures. As our control over genetics and protein structure increases, we can expect a seamless integration of the products of genetically engineered organisms into everyday life.

    I am very excited to watch this happening in my lifetime, and at the same time terrified.
     
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