It is not uncommon to hear science referred to as a tempting mistress or a lovely lady. Scientists see their study as more than just observations and measurements, but as a fascinating and complex entity that never fails to surprise and entice them to continue learning. Hearing stories of how researchers lost track of time and worked through the night are not shocking or awe-inspiring any more. It is just taken as a part how Scientists function. How does an area of study that is so diverse lead so many people to become obsessive and passionate?
I don't have an simple answer to that question. I could go into my personal thoughts or share philosophy of others on the subject, and thought I am not saying it will never be discussed, for now I will just comment that science is the study of the world around us; The heartbeat, the breathe, the touch, of the world on our collective perceptions of nature. It is as vast as the stars millions and billions of light-years away, as common as a slight breeze rustling the trees, and as minute as the electrons in the atoms in the DNA, in each one of our cells. Though it is my intention to write about science in a broad matter, I will often focus on the tiny "worlds" that make up cells and how that works, since that is often where my mind wonders during idle moments.
A vast array of past anecdotes and philosophy tends to be the common intro, but I find that becomes repetitive and is often the fasted way to get people to tune out. Genetics is no more complex than any other branch of science, but often, because it deals with molecules that can not be seen without very expensive and technical equipment, I find that it is easy to feel overwhelmed by the subject for those who tend to shy away form discussions of science. So our problem becomes how to reasonably arrive at a common ground where factual information is being disseminated but does not lead to an overwhelming feeling for readers. That has to start from understanding a few basic principles of science, and occasionally taking a leap of faith and believing me when I skim over details that would take too long to explain in a post. I also want to warn you, it is also easy to get overwhelmed by the language of science. The jargon that escapes so freely out of a scientists mouth. I will often refer to acronyms or long complicated words, I will do my best to define each one, but I encourage you to follow these adventures in science with me, please ask me for clarity on anything that you do not understand. We are also living in a miraculous age which gives of close to the breadth of human knowledge at our finger tips, so for questions that I can not answer to your satisfaction, I encourage you to begin your study for yourself. Curiosity leads to the best types of discovery.
An intro into my World of Genetics
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| Figure 1. |
DNA is commonly referred to as the "Building blocks of life". It is made up of molecules that fit together to form long very complex strands. Each DNA molecule makes up the "letters" in a set of blueprints (genes). For a size estimate, if an animo acid (which is coded for by three molecules of DNA) was the size of a ping pong ball, the size of the nucleus (which is the cellular compartment which contains the DNA) would be a sphere that was 2.5 miles across. As you can imagine, this gives ample space for the "letters" to arrange themselves in basically limitless possibilities. These limitless possibilities are what has allowed the vast diversity of life in the world around us, from the lovely aromas of the lilies in the morning, to the smiles from a stranger you see every day. DNA is made up of four different molecules, Adenine, Thiamine, Guanine, and Cytosine. These four molecules are referred to as the 'bases'. They make up the "letters" in the blueprint as referred to above. Unlike the English alphabet, there are only four "letters" in the genomic code. A combination of these letters in varying length compose the blueprints of the living universe. In humans, this works out to be about 25,000 different blueprints (genes). Tiny variations/mutations in these blueprints encode for all of the variety that we see among humans, from eye color to skin pigmentation.
It is clear to see how quickly genetics can become overly complex. I have just brushed the surface of the topic and have skimmed/skipped most of the gritty detail. We will be taking a calm stroll through the literature as this blog progresses. Expounding on small topics so that we don't lose perspective as we cover each one. Next week we will focus on Gregor Mendel and his Peas as well as other experiments which lead to a better understand of heritable traits.
"Still round the corner there may wait
A new road or a secret gate
And though I oft have passed them by
A day will come at last when I
Shall take the hidden paths that run
West of the Moon, East of the Sun."
-Cameron
It is clear to see how quickly genetics can become overly complex. I have just brushed the surface of the topic and have skimmed/skipped most of the gritty detail. We will be taking a calm stroll through the literature as this blog progresses. Expounding on small topics so that we don't lose perspective as we cover each one. Next week we will focus on Gregor Mendel and his Peas as well as other experiments which lead to a better understand of heritable traits.
"Still round the corner there may wait
A new road or a secret gate
And though I oft have passed them by
A day will come at last when I
Shall take the hidden paths that run
West of the Moon, East of the Sun."
-Cameron
