SYSTEMS BIOLOGY

Main article: Systems biology

Spectrometer at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

Systems biology is a relatively new biological study field that focuses on the systematic study of complex interactions in biological systems, thus using a new perspective (integration instead of reduction) to study them. Particularly from year 2000 onwards, the term is used widely in the biosciences, and in a variety of contexts.

Because the scientific method has been used primarily toward reductionism, one of the goals of systems biology is to discover new emergent properties that may arise from the systemic view used by this discipline in order to understand better the entirety of processes that happen in a biological system.

Video in Education

The 2008 Horizon Report lists "grassroots video" as the first of it's "key emerging trends" in educational technology. This is both for distance learning and for traditional face to face classrooms open to incorporating distance learning tools into their practice. The popularity of YouTube amongst both adults and children at a level that has been described as "viral" speaks to it's ease of use. A widely cited report on Digital Youth sponsored by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation stated that "Social network sites, online games, video-sharing sites, and gadgets such as iPods and mobile phones are now fixtures of youth culture." The familiarity of YouTube also ensures that when used for educational purposes it will not remain unused due to difficulties in set up or negative reactions to the inclusion of a "new" product with a steep learning curve prior to use.

Some tasks may be easier with some technologies than with others, and thus the introduction of a new technology may inspire certain uses.Yet, these activities become widespread only if the culture also supports them, if they fill recurring needs at a particular historical juncture. It matters what tools are available to a culture, but it matters more what that culture chooses to do with those tools. (Henry Jenkins)

For the most part, YouTube has not yet entirely made the jump from "cultural phenomenom for entertainment" to "respected platform for academic discourse" in the way that products such as iTunes and iTunes University have. (Though there is a site called TeacherTube that acts as a repository for educational videos, it does not have all the functionality of YouTube.) One of the reasons why the video platform may not have gained the academic credibility that iTunes University has may have to do with the video media versus audio media. The adoption of iTunes as a platform for academic and educational materials did not challenge the constructionist (and sadly, often traditional educational) norms of teacher as content expert and the student as passive recipient of information. Lectures and speeches could easily be put into iTunes for students to access at any time and anywhere. Certainly, more constructivist approaches have also emerged in the audio platform that is accorded by iTunes, but the replicating of "taped" lecture was nothing new even if iTunes allows for a more widely distributed audience.

Video, however, may not be an area that teachers are familiar with especially in creating video content that utilizes the visual medium in an asynchronous manner. The need to produce a video over an audio recording suggests that the speaker is doing something more than simply giving a lecture behind a desk. Face to face teachers need to be at least fluent in understanding the ability of how to convey a message effectively through the visual medium of video. The benefit of this fluency is that this powerful medium alllows for asynchronous learning that does not sacrifice the ability for both students and teachers to benefit from non-verbal communication.

Example in Action:

http://www.youtube.com/v/V96_PjlrVQc&hl=en&fs=1

In the YouTube video linked above a teacher uses music, rap and dance to explain fractions in a way that certainly appeals to students differently than would a video of a demonstration at the chalkboard. While this video may have been created for viewing in a face to face classroom, for distance learners, the students might be encouraged to ask their questions either textually or to reflect on their learning by creating a video response or creating their own video explaining a different mathematical concept.

Cell biology

Cell biology (also called cellular biology or formerly cytology, from the Greek kytos, "container") is an academic discipline that studies cells – their physiological properties, their structure, the organelles they contain, interactions with their environment, their life cycle, division and death. This is done both on a microscopic and molecular level. Cell biology research encompasses both the great diversity of single-celled organisms like bacteria and protozoa, as well as the many specialized cells in multicellular organisms like humans.

Cell biology is that branch of life science,which deals with the study of cells,their properties,structure,organelles,interactions with environment,life cycle,division and death.

Knowing the components of cells and how cells work is fundamental to all biological sciences. Appreciating the similarities and differences between cell types is particularly important to the fields of cell and molecular biology as well as to biomedical fileds such as cancer or developmental biology. These fundamental similarities and differences provide a unifying theme, sometimes allowing the principles learned from studying one cell type to be extrapolated and generalized to other cell types. Hence, research in cell biology is closely related to genetics, biochemistry, molecular biology and developmental biology.
Understanding cells in terms of their molecular component.

Proteins (red and green stain) at different locations in a cell.

Each type of protein is usually sent to a particular part of the cell. An important part of cell biology is the investigation of molecular mechanisms by which proteins are moved to different places inside cells or secreted from cells.

Most proteins are synthesized by ribosomes in the cytoplasm. This process is also known as protein biosynthesis or simply protein translation. Some proteins, such as those to be incorporated in membranes (known as membrane proteins), are transported into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) during synthesis. This process can be followed by transportation and processing in the Golgi apparatus. From the Golgi, membrane proteins can move to the plasma membrane, to other subcellular compartments, or they can be secreted from the cell. The ER and Golgi can be thought of as the "membrane protein synthesis compartment" and the "membrane protein processing compartment", respectively. There is a semi-constant flux of proteins through these compartments. ER and Golgi-resident proteins associate with other proteins but remain in their respective compartments. Other proteins "flow" through the ER and Golgi to the plasma membrane. Motor proteins transport membrane protein-containing vesicles along cytoskeletal tracks to distant parts of cells such as axon terminals.

Some proteins that are made in the cytoplasm contain structural features that target them for transport into mitochondria or the nucleus. Some mitochondrial proteins are made inside mitochondria and are coded for by mitochondrial DNA. In plants, chloroplasts also make some cell proteins.

Extracellular and cell surface proteins destined to be degraded can move back into intracellular compartments upon being incorporated into endocytosed vesicles. Some of these vesicles fuse with lysosomes where the proteins are broken down to their individual amino acids. The degradation of some membrane proteins begins while still at the cell surface when they are cleaved by secretases. Proteins that function in the cytoplasm are often degraded by proteasomes.

UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECT (UFO)




2007-California-Last month (April 2007), my wife and I were on a walk when we noticed a very large, very strange "craft" in the sky. My wife took a picture with her cell phone camera (first photo below). A few days later a friend (and neighbor) lent me his camera and came with me to take photos of this "craft".

We found it and took a number of very clear photos. Picture #4 is taken from right below this thing and I must give my friend credit as I was not brave enough to get close enough to take this picture myself! The craft is almost completely silent and moves very smoothly. It usually moves slowly until it decides to take off.

Then it moves VERY quickly and is out of sight in the blink of an eye.

MORE THAN ANYTHING I simply want to understand what this is and why it is here?

2007-Big Basin, California-Okay, where to begin -- yesterday I was up around big basin for my assignment like I've been mentioning for the last couple weeks -- the theme for those that don't remember was photographing something at a small scale against a large scale backdrop to contrast scales and to play with depth of field etc -- I chose to photograph a couple of flower/weed things growing right on the edge of a drop off with the valley in the background -- I'm still using the rebel xt I bought off mark which is slr so I'm looking at everything through a viewfinder when I notice something _appear_ in the distance, like just pop out of nowhere --

I look up and there is this _huge_ who-knows-what-the-xxx _floating_ in the distance and rotating very slowly and jerkily (is that a word lol) -- almost by reflex I take another shot which is focused in on it this time and go to stand up but practically fall over because I cant even think straight --

I was able to get one more shot which came out kind of blurred and then the thing _vanished_ -- like, as in, now you see it now you don't -- I attached the pictures so you guys can check them out before I really decide to do something with them -- are these going to the 6 o'clock news or what -- any feedback would be great before i make a major decision here -- also btw I attached three pictures the first is when it _first_ appeared right as I was taking a shot of the flowers but I wanted you guys to see everything i saw -- sorry I only got 3 pix but this thing was seriously gone in like a matter of secs.

BIGDOG ( ROBOTS )

A pair of BigDog robots

BigDog is a dynamically stable quadruped robot created in 2005 by Boston Dynamics with Foster-Miller, the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the Harvard University Concord Field Station.

BigDog is funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in the hopes that it will be able to serve as a robotic pack mule to accompany soldiers in terrain too rough for conventional vehicles. Instead of wheels or treads, BigDog uses four legs for movement, allowing it to move across surfaces that would defeat wheels. The legs contain a variety of sensors, including joint position and ground contact. BigDog also features a laser gyroscope and a stereo vision system.

BigDog is 1 metre (3.3 ft) long, stands 0.7 metres (2.3 ft) tall, and weighs 75 kilograms (170 lb), about the size of a small mule. It is capable of traversing difficult terrain at 5.3 kilometres per hour (3.3 mph), carry 154 kilograms (340 lb) and climb a 35 degree incline. Locomotion is controlled by an onboard computer that receives input from the robot's various sensors. Navigation and balance are also managed by the control system.

BigDog was featured in an episode of Web Junk 20, as well as articles in New Scientist, Popular Science, Popular Mechanics, and The Wall Street Journal.

On March 18, 2008, Boston Dynamics released video footage of a new generation of BigDog. The footage shows BigDog's ability to walk on icy terrain and recover its balance when kicked from the side.

External links

• Boston Dynamics's BigDog site
• Boston Dynamics Big Dog at YouTube (Video demonstration)
• Collection of BigDog videos