Gene Theft and Green People?...

I have been asked several times by middle school students if it would be possible to give humans the genes to carry out photosynthesis. It’s been theorized by a few of these students that this would solve some major nutrition problems in places currently plagued with drought. I always smile...

Ribosome Discoveries Recognized in 2009 ...

The 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry will be shared between Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, Thomas A. Steitz and Ada E. Yonath for discovering how ribosomes function at the atomic level. Ribosomes are molecular machines composed of RNA and protein that perform the critical function of translating messenger RNA...

2009 Nobel Prize in Physics goes to Kao,...

Telecommunications were the subject of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physics. This year’s award will be split between two discoveries that have had a broad impact on contemporary life – fiber optics and charge-coupled device (CCD) technology. Charles Kuen Kao will receive half the Prize for laying...

Blackburn, Greider and Szostak share Nob...

Nobel Prize week kicked-off today with the announcement of the Prize in Physiology or Medicine. As predicted on these pages, Elizabeth Blackburn, Carol Greider, and Jack Szostak shared the award for discovering telomeres and telomerase. This is particularly good news for Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory,...

Sleep Science...

Have you ever wished there were more hours in the day? I know someone who insists on extending his days by consuming energy drinks. In his opinion, sleeping is a waste of precious time. Unfortunately, for most humans, 8 hours of sleep is required to function properly. Some people can manage with far...