Smoking stinks

I am glad this law was passed today:

Obama, citing his smoking woes, signs tobacco law.

Professional Polish - Science Careers - Biotech, Pharmaceutical, Faculty, Postdoc jobs on Science Careers

Professional Polish - Science Careers - Biotech, Pharmaceutical, Faculty, Postdoc jobs on Science Careers

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Its always interesting to see the styles of dress at the numerous post-doc and faculty job talk seminars I've been too over the past few years. Some dress very casual, others I've seen dress in suits and ties. For the lab tech job I interviewed for after I finished my M.S. I wore a tie, even if my daily dress for the job was t-shirts and jeans.

The genetics of aspargus metabolism

There have been a bunch of recipes for asparagus on the NY times Wellness blog lately. And then curiously, the vegetable is on the cover of this month's American Journal of Human Genetics . \

ON THE COVER:Asparagus officinalis, or asparagus, has a long and colorful history. It is known to have been enjoyed as a culinary dish since at least the third century CE (De Agri Cultura). This flowering plant, native to Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia, is still widely cultivated as a vegetable crop and enjoyed in kitchens around the world. In addition to asparagus's many culinary uses, it also provides information for genetic testing: ingestion of asparagus leads to a distinct urinary phenotype that serves as a genetic marker (MIM 108390). As early as 1735, written documents reportedly associate the ingestion of asparagus to a distinct urine odor (An Essay Concerning the Nature of Ailments, 3rd ed., 64, 261–262), and by 1956, the terms “excretors” and “non-excretors” were used to describe this polymorphic trait (Nature 178, 748–749). The odor can be explained by the metabolism of this nutrient-rich vegetable. In addition to its nutritional value, adding folic acid, potassium, and fiber to a diet, asparagus possesses several volatile organic compounds that, when broken down, can lead to an odor compared to that of rotten boiled cabbage (Xenobiotica 17, 1363–1371). Several studies have concluded that the autosomal-dominant trait related to asparagus ingestion is that of odorous urine production (Experientia 43, 382–83; North Carolina Med. J. 46, 332–334). However, additional studies have suggested the trait is rather that of olfaction (Br. Med. J. 282, 1676–78; Diatema 11, 37–38; Br. J. Clin. Pharmacol. 27, 640–641). Whether only some people are able to excrete the pungent urine or whether only some people are able to smell the resulting odor, its use as an anecdotal and relevant genetic marker remains interesting today. Special thanks to Matthew Feldman, Johns Hopkins University, for the cover image.

So there you have it, the genetics of aspargus metabolism.

Robert Sarver, are you reading this>

Robert Sarver, maybe you can sell the Suns to the Chinese . I'm sure they would be better owners than you.

Terminator Salvation

I love going to the movies in the summer. I was looking forward to seeing Terminator Salvation , but after reading A.0. Scott's review of it, I'm not so sure. But the review itself is pretty entertaining:

With its clanks and creaks and broken-down contraptions, this movie is a battered Wall-E to “Star Trek’s” sleek and seamless Eve.

Well, maybe I will go see Star Trek instead.

Mendelism by R.C. Punnet

Biology was the first subject I really enjoyed and did well in high school. My first encounter with genetics back then was setting up Punnett squares when we learned about Mendel's Laws. The Punnent square is named after R.C. Punnent , a British geneticist. Via Evolving Thoughts at ScienceBlogs, I found that R.C. Punnent's textbook Mendelism is now online thanks to Project Gutenberg .

Bioinformatics project done in a week!

I had a meeting with my dept. graduate studies director in which he said to me jokingly "I don't see why you bioinformatics people don't get your projects done in a week"

I wish. Instead, I essentially I analyze my data a 100 different times a 100 different ways.