Buddhini Samarasinghe 
Molecular Biologist
Beschäftigung: Scientist
ProfilesRankDas ist der Rang von 'Buddhini Samarasinghe' in der Liste aller Google+ Profile.: 1,343 (GenderRankFür das Geschlecht 'nicht angegeben'.: 2,514)
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Auf CircleCount.com aufgenommen: 07/21/2011That's the date, where Buddhini Samarasinghe has been indexed by CircleCount.com.
This hasn't to be the date where the daily check has been started. (Update nowDu kannst mit nur einem Klick Deine Statistiken aktualisieren!
Das könnte ein paar Sekunden länger dauern.)
Buddhini Samarasinghe has been shared in 155 public circles
Aktivität
Durchschnittswerte für die letzten Postings:
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Letzten Postings
2013-06-16 02:06:04 (1 comments, 2 reshares, 11 +1s)
Have you ever wondered what it's like to give a TEDx talk? How about working at M.I.T.? What sort of excitement comes with working on a project that allows people from across the globe to map neurons through a video game? Come find out when +Buddhini Samarasinghe and +Scott Lewis interview +Amy Robinson!
Buddhini and Scott will be together in San Diego hosting this special Google+ Hangout On Air interview with Amy from +Sebastian Seung's computational neuroscience lab at MIT.
This Hangout On Air will be broadcast live and recorded to YouTube. If you have any questions or comments for Amy or the hosts, please feel free to leave them here on the event page, through the live Google+ shares, via YouTube or on Twitter using the hashtag #ktcHangout .
Buddhini's Twitter:@DrHalfPintBuddy
Scott's Twitter:@BaldAstronomer
Amy's Twi... mehr »
2013-06-07 01:57:34 (9 comments, 2 reshares, 54 +1s)
A full panorama on the USS Missouri I am encased in a photo bubble!
2013-06-07 00:26:57 (7 comments, 1 reshares, 33 +1s)
View from aboard the USS Missouri at Pearl Harbour. Clearly, I'm liking this panorama function.
2013-06-06 22:30:29 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 23 +1s)
Gorgeous sunny day at Pearl Harbour. Trying out a panoramic view from the USS Bowfin.
2013-06-03 05:33:10 (7 comments, 1 reshares, 55 +1s)
Gorgeous sunset from our balcony here. With +Scott Lewis and +Siromi Samarasinghe
2013-05-31 01:57:17 (7 comments, 0 reshares, 41 +1s)
Look at what I found at the airport! With +Scott Lewis
2013-05-16 01:48:48 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 22 +1s)
Tomorrow, the White House is kicking off "We the Geeks," a new series of Google+ Hangouts to highlight the future of science, technology, and innovation here in the U.S.
Our first hangout includes an extraordinary panel of innovators from around the country who will discuss the elements of an "all hands on deck" effort to pursue Grand Challenges.
Tune in tomorrow at 2pm ET: http://at.wh.gov/l4lUD
#hangoutsonair #WeTheGeeks
2013-05-15 04:59:09 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 31 +1s)
[+] This is my Earth, and it's fine... It's not perfect, but it's mine. [+]
There have been quite a few changes going on in my life as of late. And with all of these changes, it could be extremely easy to get sucked into the undertow of stress and frustration... However with the support of some really fantastic friends (the majority of which I met here on Google+), I've been able to keep my chin up above water until this wave moves back out to sea.
The past year or so that I've been really involved here on Google+, I've had the fantastic opportunity to engage with countless of you. Whether it be from posts on each other's stream, the multitude of Hangouts on Air I've hosted or been a guest on, or even in the largest community on G+, the Space community... Not to mention actually meeting many of you in person! This is a reminder to ... mehr »
2013-05-12 04:18:59 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 31 +1s)
Looks like a beautiful sunset in a few minutes on the Big Island.
2013-05-10 05:27:41 (8 comments, 16 reshares, 42 +1s)
Battling Antibiotic-resistant Microbes with Milky HAMLET
• Infections from antibiotic-resistant bacteria is a huge problem in our healthcare system. Prior to the discovery of antibiotics, bacterial infections usually meant a death sentence. But now these weapons against bacterial infections are becoming less and less effective because bacteria have evolved resistance to these drugs, thanks to widespread overuse of antibiotics in the healthcare, food and agriculture industries. It's now become an arm's race, and we seem to be on the losing side.
• Despite this problem, we don't really have any new drugs. All we can do is re-engineer existing drugs, and obviously these drugs have the same associated resistance mechanisms. An effective, alternative strategy is to use agents to sensitize the antibiotic-resistant bacteria first, and then use the anti... mehr »
2013-05-07 21:50:45 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 17 +1s)
Gold or Green?
Good article discussing the realities of Open Research.
"But how best to achieve this universally desired goal? The gold route would shift the financial burden (because academic publishing has to be paid for somehow) from journal subscribers to the authors of articles. The green route would require all universities to deposit an open-source version of articles in their institutional repositories"
"There are problems with both routes. Under gold, universities would still end up paying. Their budget for journal subscriptions would fall. But they would have to meet the costs of "administrative charges", if publication were not to be restricted to affluent academics who could pay their own way"
"Under green, there might be a delay before articles became freely available in open-source repositories, reducing ... mehr »
2013-05-06 00:32:43 (3 comments, 1 reshares, 12 +1s)
Scott Lewis is hanging out with 4 people right now in a live Hangout On Air! #hangoutsonair
2013-05-04 02:35:02 (11 comments, 1 reshares, 59 +1s)
Orchids of Hawaii
One of the things I love about living in Hawaii is the abundance of gorgeous orchids that grow so effortlessly here. I always meant to photograph the ones that could be found around campus but never got around to it until now.
The amazing thing about these orchids is that I've never seen anyone tending to them. All of these orchids are growing on tree trunks around campus. In my experience, orchids are very high maintenance, and yet these plants seem to thrive despite the lack of attention, flowering so often that people just ignore them. Indeed, I got a few double takes for walking around with my camera photographing them!
#FloralFriday
2013-05-01 06:54:40 (24 comments, 38 reshares, 70 +1s)
H7N9: A virus worth watching
Thanks to the two Virology Hangouts on Air that +Scott Lewis and I hosted ("Going Viral" - SciSunHOA from 28 April, 2013 and http://goo.gl/1WO5Q), I have viruses on my mind (in a good way!). So it was with interest that I read about the recent outbreaks of H7N9 in China. If you want a nice primer on why influenza strains have these letters to their name, read +Deeksha Tare's post here (which explains the significance of Hemagglutinin and Neuraminidase: http://goo.gl/CnQLX).
• H7N9 is an animal influenza A virus that has crossed the species barrier to infect humans. The first human infection was reported in China two months ago, and the latest WHO report confirms a total of 108 cases and 22 deaths thus far. The virus has now spread beyond mainland China as a case has been reported in Taiwan.
• One pre... mehr »
2013-04-29 06:29:46 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 12 +1s)
[+] "Going Viral" with +Vincent Racaniello [+]
Did you miss the +ScienceSunday Hangout On Air that +Buddhini Samarasinghe and I hosted earlier today? Have no fear! After some editing and processing, the final version is now up on YouTube! Vincent shares with us his insight into the fascinating world of virology, how he became interested in these obligate intracellular parasites, what current and potential students can do to become successful in science, as well sharing some of the phenomenal work that's been done over the decades in this field.
Next week, Vincent will be returning to the show as we hold a panel discussion on the H5N1 "Ferret Flu" virus that has caused such a controversy in the news. Is this some killer strain that's going to wipe out a large chunk of the human population, or do we need to take a deeper look into the data bef... mehr »
2013-04-28 21:18:59 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 10 +1s)
Join hosts +Buddhini Samarasinghe and +Scott Lewis for another “SciSunHOA”, a live Google+ Hangout On Air broadcast, brought to you by +ScienceSunday. This episode, Professor +Vincent Racaniello joins Buddhini and Scott to discuss his work in virology. Vincent is a professor of microbiology and immunology at Columbia University. His research includes the study of poliovirus (Polio), rhinovirus (Common Cold), and other RNA viruses. His work focuses on how our immune systems interact with these viruses, how they cause disease, while also discovering new viruses in wild animals.
Outside of the lab, Vincent is involved in many science outreach efforts, including hosting the excellent podcast series This Week in Virology (TWiV). You can read more on his website here (http://www.virology.ws/) We’re all very excited for this episode of “SciSunHOA” as Vincent is not only a brilliant scientist, but also ... mehr »
2013-04-26 10:08:51 (0 comments, 3 reshares, 19 +1s)
[+] "Going Viral: Science Sunday HOA [+]
Join +Buddhini Samarasinghe and I this Sunday afternoon as we have another +ScienceSunday Hangout On Air with guest +Vincent Racaniello, Professor of microbiology and immunology at Columbia University.
The broadcast will go live at 3PM PDT, 6PM EDT, 11PM UTC here on Google+! You can RSVP at the event link below. Hope to see you there!
https://plus.google.com/u/0/events/cnmc6k9gheikf9nu94p7m9cu5us
#ScienceSunday #ScienceEveryday #HangoutsOnAir #Science #Virology #virus #Immunology #biology #MicroBiology #STEM
2013-04-24 09:50:02 (8 comments, 1 reshares, 47 +1s)
Yeast Sexy Time aka Yeast 2-hybrid screen
This is a technique used to find out protein-protein interactions. Using a protein of interest (the bait) you essentially go fishing across the entire human genome trying to find what other proteins the bait physically interacts with (the prey). Wiki has a fairly comprehensive explanation here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-hybrid_screening. It's using two different strains on yeast to mate, hence the 'yeast sexy time'.
Fingers crossed it all works and I get some positive clones back. It's been a long long day. In case you can't tell from the adolescent humour on the notice I posted on the incubator heh.
2013-04-23 23:54:01 (42 comments, 2 reshares, 75 +1s)
Mmmm I love the smell of agar in the morning afternoon.
#labmischief
2013-04-23 01:06:30 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 18 +1s)
For #MusicMonday
I have this song in my head today. Not quite sure why but it's a nice tune.
2013-04-21 00:56:55 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 33 +1s)
Reusable Science
Didn't make it to the AACR meeting this year, but I did score myself a brand new purple Cell Signalling reusable bag thanks to +Chris Wales.
I can add it to my growing collection of sciency shopping bags!
2013-04-18 22:13:57 (25 comments, 20 reshares, 52 +1s)
Interfering with RNA: Part 2, Dicer and the Argonautes
A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post explaining the process of gene silencing, or RNA interference (http://goo.gl/RLZ5j). I wanted to expand on that further today by diving in a bit more into the molecular details of exactly how this happens inside a cell.
• As I explained earlier, the Central Dogma of Molecular Biology is DNA --> RNA --> Protein. This means the DNA blueprint makes a sequence-specific copy of RNA, which in turn acts as a blueprint for a specific sequence of amino acids which make up a protein. So if you could somehow destroy the RNA blueprint (known as the messenger RNA, or mRNA) for a particular protein, this would prevent the protein from being made - no blueprint, no protein. This is what RNA interference, or gene silencing is.
• How does this work within the cell? How can... mehr »
2013-04-18 00:09:29 (25 comments, 34 reshares, 106 +1s)
Interfering with RNA
A birthday tribute to someone I really admire here on G+, who is an amazing mentor and friend. Happy Birthday +Rajini Rao, hope you have a wonderful year ahead and it's been a pleasure knowing and working with you on our many projects together on G+!
A few days ago during our ENCODE Hangout on Air (http://goo.gl/H6KDE), I mentioned microRNAs. I wanted to write a post today about the general mechanism of how a gene can be 'silenced' through a process known as RNA interference.
• As we explained during the Hangout, the Central Dogma of Molecular Biology is DNA --> RNA --> Protein. This means the DNA blueprint makes a sequence-specific copy of RNA, which in turn acts as a blueprint for a specific sequence of amino acids which make up a protein.
• So imagine if you could somehow destroy the RNA blue... mehr »
2013-03-31 23:47:34 (5 comments, 6 reshares, 14 +1s)
Decoding ENCODE
In case you missed it, here's the YouTube link for our G+ Hangout on Air panel discussion on the ENCODE project. The panel discussion was hosted and moderated by myself, +Scott Lewis and +Rajini Rao. We had guests +Ian Bosdet and +Josh Witten.
#SciSunHOA #ENCODE #ScienceSunday
2013-03-31 21:34:47 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)
Join us for another Science HOA, brought to you by +ScienceSunday. An estimated 1% of the human genome codes for genes: those snippets of information that define us as individuals and as a species. What about the vast remainder? Is it the "dark matter" of biology or just "junk DNA"? You may recall the ENCODE project which made a splash in the news with the claim that 80% of the genome was functional. Now comes the push back, with scientists challenging that statement as an overreach. What is ENCODE? What does it tell us and perhaps as important, what does it not tell us? If you have any questions for our panel, please leave them on the Event page as always.
This +ScienceSunday panel discussion will be hosted by +Rajini Rao, +Buddhini Samarasinghe and +Scott Lewis. Joining us will be +Ian Bosdet and +Josh Witten, two scientists that have written extensively about this topic. We... mehr »
2013-03-29 22:03:22 (6 comments, 2 reshares, 44 +1s)
Rewards of being a teacher
Yesterday was my last day at work before going on sabbatical leave, and ended my period as Head of Department of Chemistry. I was touched and deeply moved by the appreciation shown by my students whom I have often nagged, and corrected to put them on the right path. Here are some tributes I received.
2013-03-28 03:37:31 (16 comments, 2 reshares, 78 +1s)
I'm not sure what these flowers are called but I absolutely love how there isn't a single leaf in sight, and the whole tree is draped in bright yellow brilliance against the grey skies.
2013-03-26 23:58:39 (8 comments, 3 reshares, 32 +1s)
The Winds of Change?
One can only hope that the traditional model for publishing academic research is on it's way out. I do suspect it will still be quite a while before the mindset of "all bets are off if you stand to get a Nature or Science paper from this" wears out though.
Also http://chrisbourg.wordpress.com/2013/03/23/my-short-stint-on-the-jla-editorial-board/
"The best Taylor & Francis could come up with was a less restrictive license that would cost authors nearly $3000 per article. The Board agreed that this alternative was simply not tenable, so we collectively resigned. In a sense, the decision was as much a practical one as a political one"
#ScienceEveryday #OpenAccess
2013-03-24 23:54:47 (8 comments, 7 reshares, 32 +1s)
Nano World Hangout on Air
This is easily one of the most exciting HOAs I've been involved in. +Jon Hiller showed us a meteorite sample, the eye of a fly, and many other amazing samples live on air. If you missed it live, it's definitely worth watching on YouTube (link below). Many thanks to my awesome co-host +Scott Lewis for helping make this happen :)
#ScienceSunday #SciSunHOA
2013-03-25 11:29:29 (152 comments, 269 reshares, 948 +1s)
Venomous Evolution
• Snake venom is mostly made up of many different proteins; some of these proteins are toxins while others are nontoxic proteins with pharmacological properties.
• Toxin proteins are large multi-gene families and arose from genes of proteins that do not code for toxins, followed by evolutionary modification. The evolution of toxin proteins occurs through a process known as gene duplication (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_duplication), where a duplicated gene is free from selection pressure to functionally diverge, creating 'families' of structurally related proteins that have slightly different functions.
• Snake venom acts by targeting natural biological processes in their prey, such as neuronal signalling or blood clotting. So it comes as no surprise that we can often use these venom molecules to our advant... mehr »
2013-03-23 05:34:41 (10 comments, 4 reshares, 26 +1s)
[+] NASA = Now Another Sequestration Amputee?? [+]
I was originally going to share out the original article I found, thanks to +Jason Major, but decided it would be much more appropriate if I quoted the memo from SpaceRef.com stating that all Education & Public Outreach is to immediately cease in response to sequestration.
This is something that hits extremely close to home, and not just because I may not have a position this summer as a result of this. +NASA's Education & Public Outreach is something that opens the eyes of thousands, if not millions of people to the magnificence of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Having participated in E/PO quite recently, I was absolutely astounded by how inspired I was by the young children that were so eager to not only look at the large model of the +NASA Webb Telescope, but insistent upon learning more about ... mehr »
2013-03-22 04:00:05 (13 comments, 0 reshares, 63 +1s)
Despite living only 10mins walk from the ocean, I don't come out here nearly as often as I should. Some days it's really nice to be out here and watch the setting sun to the crashing of the waves while clearing my head. Living in Hawaii definitely does have its advantages.
2013-03-21 22:21:56 (3 comments, 14 reshares, 26 +1s)
America, the World's Jailer?
Another thought-provoking article from Glenn Greenwald about the prosecution persecution of journalist Barrret Brown. Ominous echos of the Aaron Schwartz incident here.
"Brown may not be as cuddly as Swartz, and certainly does not have the same roster of influential friends. Nor can it be categorically argued that Brown did nothing wrong (just as many of Swartz's most ardent defenders acknowledged about him): that YouTube video, made when he was admittedly struggling with impaired judgment, was certainly ill-advised"
"But none of that should matter. The claim with prosecutorial abuse is never that the person targeted is a perfect being or even that he never did anything wrong. The issue with prosecutorial abuse is that the punishments being meted out are wildly disproportionate to the alleged acts when the trivial... mehr »
2013-03-13 03:37:09 (18 comments, 29 reshares, 63 +1s)
Sequencing HeLa
This is excellent news. HeLa cells are the oldest and most commonly used human cell line. You might be familiar with HeLa cells already if you have read +Rebecca Skloot's fantastic book "The Immortal life of Henrietta Lacks" (http://rebeccaskloot.com/the-immortal-life/).
HeLa cells are derived from cervical cancer, and have been used in countless experiments, ranging from AIDS/HIV research to the development of the Polio vaccine and of course, cancer research. More often than not, the reference genome that these experimental results are compared to is the sequence from the Human Genome Project. But recall, the HGP sequenced DNA from normal human cells, not cancer cells. What would the genome sequence of a cancer cell look like?
For the first time, researchers at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory have sequenced HeLa cells. And the... mehr »
2013-03-11 06:34:23 (3 comments, 5 reshares, 22 +1s)
Join us for another Science HOA, brought to you by +ScienceSunday as we talk to Dr +Jon Hiller about electron microscopy! Jon is a electron microscopist in the Nanoscience & Technology Division at Argonne National Laboratory. Jon’s research includes the development of state-of-the-art electron and ion beam instrumentation for materials and nanoscale research. He is most well known for his work in 3 dimensional Focused Ion Beam (FIB) tomography and complex sample fabrication for electron microscopy. His characterization of diamond thin films has lead to the development of the artificial retina.
We will be discussing all this, along with a live on air demonstration of scanning electron microscopy! Jon has also kindly offered to allow you, the audience to choose any objects that you would like to see under the electron microscope! So if you have any questions for Jon, or suggestions for s... mehr »
2013-03-09 03:33:08 (18 comments, 1 reshares, 19 +1s)
My 2013 "Put Your Money Where Your Posts Are" Challenge
Nearly every day I see someone on G+, Twitter, or elsewhere posting about the gender gap in STEM. A lot of wonderful people cite a lot of hard data about the disparity, and then we all nod and agree that it's bad.
+Girlstart makes a real difference every day by ensuring girls who aren't likely to get good access to STEM education or won't be encouraged to stick with it get the resources they need to pursue education and a career in these fields.
Help me raise money to send girls to STEM camp. Last year I set a modest goal and it was exceeded fast, so I bumped it up to $900 - enough to fully fund a STEM camp experience for three low-income girls. We didn't quite make it, but this year we will!
Donate large or small amounts as you can, and share this page wide and far. Help me ... mehr »
2013-03-08 19:35:17 (64 comments, 9 reshares, 34 +1s)
Public Service Announcement
I don't usually do this for trolls that target me, but it appears that this profile specifically targets women for harassment. If he has you circled, you might want to consider proactively blocking and/or reporting to prevent future attacks. A brief scroll through his profile shows that he has reshared posts with personal attacks against many of the women actively promoting equality in the STEM fields here on G+.
2013-03-08 09:52:38 (18 comments, 8 reshares, 42 +1s)
Bees Buzzing on Caffeine
• Nectar from certain flowering plants contain caffeine; citrus flowers, and coffee plant flowers. It seems that bees fed on a diet of caffeinated nectar have improved memory, and desire for more caffeinated nectar.
• Scientists compared this phenomenon to Pavlov's dog; "It's a little bit like Pavlov's dog," explains Phil Stevenson of the Royal Botanic Garden in Kew, UK. "When Pavlov rang the bell, the dog salivated. And in this case, when the bee detects the smell, it extends its proboscis"
• The scientists then tested if the bees would respond differently to caffeinated nectar flowers Vs normal sugary nectar flowers. Indeed, it turns out that bees feeding on the caffeinated nectar were three times more likely to remember the flowers 24 hours later. The caffeinated bee had better memor... mehr »
2013-03-08 07:52:13 (5 comments, 2 reshares, 14 +1s)
#STEMinspire Week March 8th - 15th 2013
In honor of International Women's Day on March 8th, +STEM Women on G+ would like to invite you to join us in celebrating the many inspiring Women in STEM fields, both past and present.
Is there a story about a STEM Woman you recently read that inspired you? Is there a particular STEM Woman that you feel does not enough attention? Did your high-school math teacher inspire you into choosing your current career? Write about them! Tag your posts with #STEMinspire , and also tag +STEM Women on G+, +Buddhini Samarasinghe and +Rajini Rao to make sure we don't miss them.
We will be posting the best stories throughout the week, starting March 8th, and we hope you can help us turn this week into a memorable celebration of the amazing women in STEM. Please reshare this post so we can spread the word!
2013-03-06 03:36:38 (12 comments, 5 reshares, 29 +1s)
#STEMinspire Week March 8th - 15th 2013
In honor of International Women's Day on March 8th, +STEM Women on G+ would like to invite you to join us in celebrating the many inspiring Women in STEM fields, both past and present.
Is there a story about a STEM Woman you recently read that inspired you? Is there a particular STEM Woman that you feel does not enough attention? Did your high-school math teacher inspire you into choosing your current career? Write about them! Tag your posts with #STEMinspire , and also tag +STEM Women on G+, +Buddhini Samarasinghe and +Rajini Rao to make sure we don't miss them.
We will be posting the best stories throughout the week, starting March 8th, and we hope you can help us turn this week into a memorable celebration of the amazing women in STEM. Please reshare this post so we can spread the word!
2013-03-06 00:36:57 (25 comments, 15 reshares, 52 +1s)
Grey Horses and the Price of Beauty
• Did you know that the coat color in grey horses (six Lipizzaners in the image below) is linked to a mutation in the STX17 gene? Grey horses are born with their base colour (e.g. black, bay, chestnut), which then greys early in life due to loss of pigment cells (melanocytes), a process similar to the greying of hair in humans, which typically occurs much later in life.
• The mode of inheritance of the greying phenotype is autosomal dominant. So a grey horse will be either GG or Gg: non-grey horses carry the gg genotype. This trait has been selected over decades of breeding, because it brings beauty.
• The STX17 gene product is Syntaxin17, a protein found on the cell membrane involved in vesicle transport. It is possible that the disruption in vesicle fusion causes a defect in melanocyte development and pigme... mehr »
2013-03-05 00:33:16 (4 comments, 1 reshares, 10 +1s)
Join us for another Science HOA, brought to you by +ScienceSunday. An estimated 1% of the human genome codes for genes: those snippets of information that define us as individuals and as a species. What about the vast remainder? Is it the "dark matter" of biology or just "junk DNA"? You may recall the ENCODE project which made a splash in the news with the claim that 80% of the genome was functional. Now comes the push back, with scientists challenging that statement as an overreach. What is ENCODE? What does it tell us and perhaps as important, what does it not tell us? If you have any questions for our panel, please leave them on the Event page as always.
This +ScienceSunday panel discussion will be hosted by +Rajini Rao, +Buddhini Samarasinghe and +Scott Lewis. Joining us will be +Ian Bosdet and +Josh Witten, two scientists that have written extensively about this topic. We... mehr »
2013-03-03 10:08:06 (6 comments, 3 reshares, 26 +1s)
Aryabhata Prize
Oh, the snark is deliciously strong in this one. I suspect it's aimed at the recently announced $3m award for life sciences http://goo.gl/vCSTm
"When asked if she thought the newly announced Life Sciences Breakthrough prize would encourage more enthusiasm and dedication from those in the field, Dr Leeson was overwhelmingly positive. "Definitely, this prize will certainly encourage the right sort of behaviour from us researching human health. If only it had come sooner. In the last year alone I made seven separate medical breakthroughs that could have saved thousands of lives, but each time my first thought was 'will I be given millions of dollars by software developers for this?', and the answer was always no, so I didn't tell anyone and burned all my notes to save on cabinet space"
#ScienceSunday
2013-02-26 02:11:14 (13 comments, 42 reshares, 36 +1s)
Sleep Deprivation affects Gene Expression
Not altogether surprising, but still nice to see actual data. The original paper is available here: http://goo.gl/CFWGn
The Guardian has a nice write-up about this too:
"Among the sleep-deprived, the activity of 444 genes was suppressed, while 267 genes were more active than in those who slept for longer. Changes to genes that control metabolism might trigger or exacerbate conditions such as diabetes or obesity, while disruption to other genes, such as those that govern the body's inflammatory response, might have an impact on heart disease. Further genes that were affected have been linked to stress and ageing. Sleep loss also had a dramatic effect on genes that govern the body's biological clock, suggesting that poor sleep might trigger a vicious cycle of worsening sleep disruption. The tests showed that ... mehr »
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