I was thinking about engineering plants or algae to use a derivative of melanin instead of chlorophyll... or using a derivative of melanin grown with genetically engineered yeast or bacteria and extracted and purified as something to print on thin-film solar cells or something.
They shine a laser at a blood sample, actually. This is only useful for detecting melanoma at an early stage of metastasis, where it's made it into the blood, but hasn't yet formed any noticeable tumors in areas of the body other than the skin.
TFA talks about gold nanoparticles being attached to cancer cells and used the same way. It's fairly standard for the new nanotech-based imaging modes (attach a magneto- or photo-responsive molecule to a ligand that attaches itself to a surface protein that's overexpressed in cancer cells, and see where the molecule attaches). Targeted drug delivery is being done the same way.
Because of melanin, melanoma is the only type of cancer whose cells will strongly absorb all wavelengths of light, emitting ultrasounds that stand out from those of other cells.
How difficult would it be to modify melanin to produce electricity (or even sugar) from light? It sounds like it has a much wider absorption spectrum than chlorophyll, which could make things very interesting for genetic engineering and/or solar power!
Absolutely. Here are some rules to defend at multiple layers against SQL injections (using SQL Server as an example; YMMV on other DB servers):
- Run your web application as a user that connects to the database server and has rights only to SPs and views on the database; this works because the SPs and views have full access to database data, but the user can't access the data except through those pre-defined means
- Encapsulate calls to those SPs and views inside carefully constructed functions/objects/etc. and force all developers to communicate with the DB through those functions/objects
- Inside the functions/objects, use parametrized queries for calling all SPs and SELECTs on views in order to avoid any potential for evil
This way, if someone messes something up at one level, the other two levels are hopefully there to protect against any potential vulnerability. Also remember to, if possible, never store DB authentication information in plain text.
They do have controlled drugs in development (two that I know of off the top of my head) that can temporarily increase telomerase activity. I don't know how well targeted they are, though, and to me that's important, because in my mind, if you have a precancerous cell and you turn up telomerase activity then WHAM, you've just triggered a malignancy.
First of all, TFA says that one of the two teams of scientists working on this is basing their work on the MRL mouse, which can and does regenerate internal organs, including severed spinal cords.
Second of all, this may increase lifespan, but would not provide immortality. Human cells stop reproducing after a certain number of reproductions. The cell chromosomes have end-cap like things called telomeres which are shortened with each mitotic cycle. When they get too short, the cell stops reproducing. This is to prevent too many mutations from accumulating after a while. Generally, if cells divide without shortening the telomeres, they're usually malignant tumor cells. So to get immortality, you'd have to augment the mitotic cycle to a) "spellcheck" the chromosome copying, and b) prevent the telomeres from being shortened.
According to this CNN article, it's actually a $600 million mission. The probe itself is capped at $80 million, yes, but the entire mission's cost also includes getting the probe and its mother ship into lunar orbit, dropping the probe, and getting the mother ship to fly through the plume and search for water vapor.
Some of us work weekends, whether it's NOC-type shift work, or whether it's just extra work that needs to be done because hey, we're geeks, and we make the world go 'round.
I'm in a NOC with half a dozen people sitting around me and not even cubicle divisions for privacy. They don't say anything about me reading Slashdot, and haven't yet made any funny comments about me reading some pink website all day, but I'm sure glad nobody was looking when a cartoon cock popped up on my screen.
I think HIPAA already prohibits considering genetic information a pre-existing condition unless it is a factor in an existing condition that has manifest itself. This means that if you're genetically predisposed to diabetes but don't have diabetes at this point, health insurance companies can't exclude diabetes from a new policy for you as if you already had it.
No, mitochondria use sugar to manufacture ATP from ADP, and other parts of the cell use the ATP to power their processes and thereby convert it back to ADP.
The three-dimensional cells could also be useful in space applications, where power is in constant demand and launch weight is critical. Ultimately, they also could be used in developing nations where low-cost electrical power is vital to expanding economies.
Their management team looks top-notch (ex-Intel, NIST, etc.); their partners include Sandia, Stanford, and Berkeley; and their investors include Stanford and Sergey Brin and Larry Page.
Slashdot Mirror
I was thinking about engineering plants or algae to use a derivative of melanin instead of chlorophyll... or using a derivative of melanin grown with genetically engineered yeast or bacteria and extracted and purified as something to print on thin-film solar cells or something.
They shine a laser at a blood sample, actually. This is only useful for detecting melanoma at an early stage of metastasis, where it's made it into the blood, but hasn't yet formed any noticeable tumors in areas of the body other than the skin.
TFA talks about gold nanoparticles being attached to cancer cells and used the same way. It's fairly standard for the new nanotech-based imaging modes (attach a magneto- or photo-responsive molecule to a ligand that attaches itself to a surface protein that's overexpressed in cancer cells, and see where the molecule attaches). Targeted drug delivery is being done the same way.
And of course, that's what I get for not hitting "Preview" before "Submit." Imagine a after "cells."
From TFA:
Because of melanin, melanoma is the only type of cancer whose cells will strongly absorb all wavelengths of light, emitting ultrasounds that stand out from those of other cells.
How difficult would it be to modify melanin to produce electricity (or even sugar) from light? It sounds like it has a much wider absorption spectrum than chlorophyll, which could make things very interesting for genetic engineering and/or solar power!
Beer Chess
Asshole
State of the Union Address Drinking Game
Quarters
Sixes
Absolutely. Here are some rules to defend at multiple layers against SQL injections (using SQL Server as an example; YMMV on other DB servers):
- Run your web application as a user that connects to the database server and has rights only to SPs and views on the database; this works because the SPs and views have full access to database data, but the user can't access the data except through those pre-defined means
- Encapsulate calls to those SPs and views inside carefully constructed functions/objects/etc. and force all developers to communicate with the DB through those functions/objects
- Inside the functions/objects, use parametrized queries for calling all SPs and SELECTs on views in order to avoid any potential for evil
This way, if someone messes something up at one level, the other two levels are hopefully there to protect against any potential vulnerability. Also remember to, if possible, never store DB authentication information in plain text.
You're exactly right.
They do have controlled drugs in development (two that I know of off the top of my head) that can temporarily increase telomerase activity. I don't know how well targeted they are, though, and to me that's important, because in my mind, if you have a precancerous cell and you turn up telomerase activity then WHAM, you've just triggered a malignancy.
Telomerase is hyperactive in over 90% of cancer cells... thus the point in my original post that it's linked to malignant tumors. :P
First of all, TFA says that one of the two teams of scientists working on this is basing their work on the MRL mouse, which can and does regenerate internal organs, including severed spinal cords.
Second of all, this may increase lifespan, but would not provide immortality. Human cells stop reproducing after a certain number of reproductions. The cell chromosomes have end-cap like things called telomeres which are shortened with each mitotic cycle. When they get too short, the cell stops reproducing. This is to prevent too many mutations from accumulating after a while. Generally, if cells divide without shortening the telomeres, they're usually malignant tumor cells. So to get immortality, you'd have to augment the mitotic cycle to a) "spellcheck" the chromosome copying, and b) prevent the telomeres from being shortened.
...but I'd probably be hit with a skull-splitting sonic weapon or something.
According to this CNN article, it's actually a $600 million mission. The probe itself is capped at $80 million, yes, but the entire mission's cost also includes getting the probe and its mother ship into lunar orbit, dropping the probe, and getting the mother ship to fly through the plume and search for water vapor.
Some of us work weekends, whether it's NOC-type shift work, or whether it's just extra work that needs to be done because hey, we're geeks, and we make the world go 'round.
I'm in a NOC with half a dozen people sitting around me and not even cubicle divisions for privacy. They don't say anything about me reading Slashdot, and haven't yet made any funny comments about me reading some pink website all day, but I'm sure glad nobody was looking when a cartoon cock popped up on my screen.
I think HIPAA already prohibits considering genetic information a pre-existing condition unless it is a factor in an existing condition that has manifest itself. This means that if you're genetically predisposed to diabetes but don't have diabetes at this point, health insurance companies can't exclude diabetes from a new policy for you as if you already had it.
You say "Gmail's early days" like it's already out of beta or something... :)
Also cheap travel packages to Spain and France!
Dr. Lester Crawford, our FDA commissioner, is a veterinarian.
Check this out.
The Nobel Prize committee is almost as slow as Slashdot. The actual discovery, per TFA, was made in 1982.
No, mitochondria use sugar to manufacture ATP from ADP, and other parts of the cell use the ATP to power their processes and thereby convert it back to ADP.
Also, only eukaryotes have mitochondria.
I would, but I don't speak Arabic.
The three-dimensional cells could also be useful in space applications, where power is in constant demand and launch weight is critical. Ultimately, they also could be used in developing nations where low-cost electrical power is vital to expanding economies.
Missed this paragraph, did you?
I don't think the 120W/in^2 figure is accurate either, but I'm guessing that's the reporter's fault and not the company's.
If only NanoSolar were a public company whose stock price depended on public perception...
Their management team looks top-notch (ex-Intel, NIST, etc.); their partners include Sandia, Stanford, and Berkeley; and their investors include Stanford and Sergey Brin and Larry Page.
I think these guys are for real.
Hey, thanks for the link to your bio-news website, and the Mayo Clinic modified-measles treatment for ovarian cancer study link.
Right now, that's stuff that really matters to me.