Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Kates Playground And Raven Riley Lesbian Fun

Juan Ramón Lacadena

When you hear about this Zaragozano who was born in 1934, has the feeling of being at one of those people who were born to make a stage. Juan Ramón Lacadena is an affable-looking man, a gesture sure and strong tone, he gives to his dialectical knowledge of a lifetime devoted to science. He is a member of the English Society of Genetics, of which he was founder and president for five years and just left his office as Professor Emeritus at the University Complutense of Madrid, where he was professor of genetics for almost thirty and five years. It is also Corresponding Member of the Royal National Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences Institute of Spain, and Academician of the Royal Academy of Pharmacy Institute of Spain.
Today, with the kindness that always shows, has agreed to grant an interview to talk about science and literature, and as always, his words are presented as the keynote of a genius who assumes his condition with a lucid simplicity.




(interview published in the magazine 13 elcoloquiodelosperros, May de2006)

José

Antonio Garrido (JAG). Good morning, Juan Ramón. Let's start talking about science and society that word has come to accept but it took getting used to: cloning. When in February 1997 was announced to the world the existence of a cloned sheep named Dolly, the holder of a tabloid-tinged newspaper read: "Today the sheep, tomorrow the shepherd." Moreover, quite often the literature has addressed the issue of human cloning and the future societies with catastrophism resigned. Do you think this is merely a literary or believes there are reasons to be really as pessimistic regarding the future and use the tools that science brings in the hands of man?

Juan Ramón Lacadena (JRL). Good morning José Antonio. More than dyes sensational, I would say that the holder of that article wanted to be prophetic. I've used many times because I think it was a wise editorial marketing. In fact, after the sheep Dolly was cloned animals have been more than a dozen species of mammals: mouse, cow, goat, rabbit, pig, horse, mule, deer, cat, dog, etc. Since we may assume that advances in genetics of reproduction and embryology laboratory and domestic mammals can be extrapolated to humans, that means to achieve in the human species is not a question rather than decision, money ... and ethics. However, the reality today is very difficult being human cloning. Dismissing the fraudulent research conducted in 2004 and 2005 by Dr. Hwang in Seoul National University who accumulated more than sixty human embryos obtained by nuclear transfer technique, the experimental reality is reduced to two embryos, one of which failed to pass the six-cell stage and the other just reached the blastocyst stage. But again, if there are no ethical and legal barriers to end could be reached to obtain cloned human embryos.

JAG. In February 2001 published the human genome sequence, while in September 2005 was that of the chimpanzee which was revealed in the journal Nature. Comparative analysis of both sequences conclude that the number of protein-coding genes in both cases is around 20,000-a number considerably lower than expected, at least for the man, and orthologous proteins (equivalent) to which these genes result are extremely similar. Given this fact it raised a number of bioethical issues such as what makes us human and chimpanzees do to them or in what sense these developments has led the small differences to become what we are. What is your opinion?

JRL. Indeed, early drafts almost complete human genome sequencing were released simultaneously in 2001 by two private research groups and groups that competed in the race and that coordinated, respectively, Drs J. Craig Venter and Francis Collins. Three years later, in 2004, the International Consortium presented the final sequence almost 99% of the human genome.
Regarding the question that makes me remember that at the Conference on "The Right to the Human Genome Project" which was organized by Dr. Santiago Grisolia, held in Bilbao in 1993, Dr. Venter spoke of interest to undertake the "Chimpanzee Genome Project" as a basis for comparing our genome with the chimpanzee, our closest evolutionary relatives among the species that have survived in the process of evolution phylogenetic line Pongids since in the line of hominids only the human species has survived. Well, actually, as you say, in 2005 presented a first draft, still incomplete - of the chimpanzee genome. In comparing the two genomes, yours and ours, it follows that we share about 99% of DNA sequences. However, they are cute and we are human beings. Why is this so? What makes us different?
have written thousands of pages trying to establish the differences between humans and chimpanzees or any other species of great apes such as gorillas and orangutans. Intellectually satisfying to me the following answer: Humans have three singularities that have no other animal species: 1) We are educated individuals, ie are genetically capable of using symbolic language. Human culture began when the first hominid was able to tell a fellow his symbolic language by something he had done. 2) We are religious subjects; ie, are genetically equipped to wonder about the meaning of life, our origin and destination. We are able to transcend ourselves questioning the existence of God and freely accept afirmativativa or negative response. Do you think that a chimpanzee can make such statements? 3) We are ethical subjects, ie, are genetically equipped to foresee the consequences of our actions, to make value judgments distinguishing right from wrong and choosing freely to do good or evil.
In this context it could refer to the Great Ape Project which seeks to extend to chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans the community of peers who constitute beings human. The Great Ape Project, which began in 1993 led by the philosopher Peter Singer has recently undergone a social debate in Spain, having been presented by the Socialist Group in the Congress of Deputies a non-legislative proposal urging the Government to adhere to the Project.

JAG. A few weeks ago was approved in the House of Congress the Law on Assisted Human Reproduction Techniques legalizing preimplantation genetic diagnosis, a technique that allows to detect certain abnormalities in the embryo and transferred to the womb only embryos genetically "normal" for chromosomes studied. With this technique could prevent diseases such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy or Fanconi anemia. But the Catholic Church, as in many other aspects related to the advancement of science, has given its public disapproval. It seems that the disagreement Science-Church was total. Do you think that one point on which both could-or should we say "should" ... - merge? Are they really immiscible Catholic doctrine and the future of science?

JRL. The question to me is very complex and require much time and space to respond. I'll start answering at the end: I do believe that science and belief are compatible and who are required to understand. Moreover, I can say I am a believing scientist and I do not consider them a kind of intellectual schizophrenia because I know how far and where to begin Scientific Belief. What you can not do is mix things up as happened, for example, the controversy "creationist" evolution "in the United States. Often happens in such controversial issues that scientific knowledge is so great that knowing "how" things happen are confused with the "why." On these issues I have written many articles and a small book titled "Faith and Biology." Responding
now the first part of your question I will say that in my opinion, the issue of embryo selection, and when speaking of selection must be aware that the other side of the coin is the elimination of embryos, is not a problem religion, but an ethical problem which solves each according to their own well-founded criteria. A few years ago I decided to leave the laboratory bench to devote all my time for reflection and interdisciplinary dialogue between genetics, which is my profession, and Bioethics. I have never regretted that decision, so much so that in 2004, my seventy years, got the degree master's in Bioethics.

JAG. Literature and science are creative fields or knowledge, despite having much in common, have traditionally presented separately and divergent. However, there are many writers who have played with success in his novels scientific issues such as Jules Verne or Aldous Huxley, to name only the most famous, and scientists who have developed their literary work recognized success as is the case Conan Doyle, Asimov or Doctor Marañón. Do you think that respect for entering a field that is considered alien may be causing us to lose great literary treasures famous writers or scientific training?

JRL. I am all in favor of an intellectual activity that combines scientific knowledge and skills as a writer. Here I would like demarcation of two situations: one is the scientist who is also a writer of great literary value, say for example Dr. Marañón, which you mentioned, and another scientist who is also a great promoter. Science popularization is needed to educate society. It is important to know how to convey in language accessible to the average citizen the realities and research achievements. Moreover, in these current times in which scientific advances are so spectacular, but still full of problems ethical, it is our duty to communicate to society the more complex issues as clearly as possible, helping the city form its own view of topics in principle difficult to understand. This is to avoid "social manipulation" that sometimes accompanies the "genetic manipulation" and not confuse "public opinion" with "public opinion."

JAG. The work of junior Prince of Asturias Award for Technical and Scientific Research, the Portuguese neurologist Antonio Damasio, has been instrumental in understanding how brain areas which are involved decision making and behavior, and sets the brain basis of language and memory. Do you think genetics should have the final word on it, having set the foundations of human behavior in the gene sequence of the individual?

JRL. For many years, in my books and my classes Genetics at the University come to argue that the "behavior" is the last component of development, starting with cell proliferation, cytodifferentiation, histogenesis, organogenesis and morphogenesis. By analogy, in Developmental Genetics of the gene is passed unidimensional and leaf morphogenesis blastodermic dimensional two-dimensional and multidimensional behavior.
How to define the behavior? For me, the best definition of behavior I read Professor Pinillos: behavior can be understood by "any reaction to any stimulus." The virtue of this definition is so simple that covers all types of behavior, from taxis tropism and simpler to more complex behaviors such as reflexes, instincts, learning and intelligence.
The study of behavioral genetics has several difficulties such as: 1) The difficulty of defining and assessing the character wants to study. 2) the distance so great that there are genetic-speaking-between genotype and phenotype or behavior pattern. Think of the receptors that receive the stimulus, the nervous system or endocrine intermediary process it and effectors that carry out the response and all of them may be genetically determined. 3) Thirdly we must consider the influence of the environment that can interfere with and modify the action of genes. In genetic studies of human behavior must be very careful, we can not say without more that everything is due to genes, the DNA sequence in the terms of your question, or that genes play no role and that everything is due to the environment, as is sometimes heard to say. In humans there are many behavioral traits in which there is no doubt that there is a genetic influence and environmental influence, the important thing is to try to ascertain the extent to influence both components. In many situations to escape the absolute genetic determinism, going to the "bias" or "sensitivities" in terms of probabilities.

JAG. Books like "The Naked Ape" by Desmond Morris, "The Panda's Thumb" by Stephen Jay Gould, the well-known and best-selling novel by Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene "deal, so pleasant and entertaining, along with scientific rigor, such issues as the evolution of the species, paleontology and genetics, and have a more than acceptable reception of the public. Do not you think that scientists should put more often grounded to develop an informative work that would contribute to bringing science to society?

JRL. I have already referred earlier to the popularization of science. What happens is that there are many fine scientists who either orally or in writing disclose know science, as well as being good scientists are bad teachers.

JAG. In the book "The Selfish Gene" the theory that the author tries to develop is to say something like that chicken is the tool that holds the egg to give rise to another egg (English writer famous aphorism of Samuel Butler), but brought genetics. That is, a living organism is structurally more than what their genetic material required to be. Do you think that this assertion leaves us helpless in regards to human behavior? What would take place ethics and morality, if the end of the day are nothing more than the consequence of what we need to perpetuate our genes?

JRL. Your question is somewhat reductionist and frustrating if things were to exactly as you the poses. When fertilization occurs in two gametes form a zygote, after a wonderful genetically controlled development process will result in an individual of the species to which belong the gamete in question: a mouse, a dog or someone human, as appropriate. Responding in a manner similar to an earlier question you raised me in this interview, the genetic information that is developing that body enables him to be what it is and behave accordingly. Being the result, quotes, our genes do not prevent us from developing our moral attributes.

JAG. It is little more than sixty years since Avery, MacLeod and McCarty demonstrated that the "transforming principle" responsible for the phenomenon of bacterial transformation was the deoxyribonucleic acid, ie, that DNA is the hereditary material. A few years later a very young Watson (he was only 25 years by then) and the British scientist F. Crick published the structural model of the double helix in the journal "Nature." Since then, genetics has made great strides and a dizzying pace. Does the immediate future so "generous" in terms of major discoveries or development of fundamental techniques of genetic engineering mean?

JRL. Yes The golden rule of research has three components: 1) raise an important question, 2) choose the appropriate biological species to try to answer it, and 3) use the methodology most appropriate conceptual and instrumental. I once did a study on the history of genetics in the light of the Nobel prizes, giving the casual fact that genetics began with the rediscovery of Mendel's laws in 1900 and the Nobel Foundation began life in 1901, and is that you can make a parallel study of the history of genetics and Nobel prizes awarded to scientists from the fields of genetics. Until the year 2005 was awarded the Nobel Prize 31 times to 66 scientists in the field of genetics, either by their great conceptual ideas which represented important milestones in genetic science, such as, for example, answer the following questions: What are genes? How to organize and convey? How and when they express themselves? How do you change? - Scientific or analytical techniques introduced which allowed progress in new areas of research such as, for example, techniques for sequencing and amplification of DNA, recombinant DNA molecules, site-directed mutagenesis, monoclonal antibodies or restriction endonucleases. All years, when they approach the dates in the month of October are made public the new winners do my own pool, I think the pioneer scientists in the fields of genomics, embryonic stem cells or transgenic knockout mice by homologous recombination, for example, may be future candidates to be awarded the Nobel Prize.

JAG. Finally, recommend a book, scientific or not, he has left a pleasant aftertaste.

JRL. The last book I read was "Anatomy of scientific fraud" of HF Judson, translated this same year 2006 by Editorial Crítica. I found it interesting but leaves a bitter taste which is a lack of ethical behavior in the world of research. It recommended a book to be discussed and debated in seminars and PhD courses to train young people starting their careers in science, warning them not to succumb to the many pressures that are going to find.

JAG. Thank you very much for everything. It is a pleasure to share a few minutes with someone like you.

JRL. Thank you very much to you. The pleasure is shared.

Monday, December 29, 2008

Does Abercrombie Shirts Run Small?

SUPERSTITION scurvy and would interview

In the Middle Ages, a disease of unknown and that manifested with hemorrhage, hypotonia muscle scarring and loosening of teeth, led to a large number of deaths, especially among the crews of ships. Some felt that this was only a disease of sailors until it was discovered that was endemic in some regions, especially during the winter. Received several names alluding to his fate as "sea fever", but soon was baptized with the name you know it today: scurvy. To find your home
the popular superstition invented hundreds of stories like that produced timber ships or the sea air. Also in its treatment played a role romancing so pilgrims were tested remedies such as coffee intake of salt or mustard.
A mid-eighteenth century an English naval doctor conducted a series of trials involving patients with scurvy sailors to see, finally, that they evolved favorably after adding to your diet orange juice and lemon. And is that scurvy was not an infectious disease, as was then believed, but simply the manifestation of a lack of vitamin C.
However, it took nearly two centuries until in 1912 the Polish biochemist Casimir Funk coined the term v itamins to refer to a number of chemicals, the composition and nature varied, which can not be synthesized by the organism could be considered an exception to this rule is vitamin D, which is synthesized in a non-activated and then mature by exposure to sunlight, and which are essential in human metabolism.
The first compounds of this type that were obtained had in common the presence of a chemical group called amine, which is characterized by a nitrogen atom. And the presence of this group and its vital importance, leading to name them as "vital amines" or vitamins. By the late forties and were identified and defined all the vitamins available and it was then was discovered that not all had the amine group, although the name was already sufficiently established so as not to be altered by this fact.
currently have chemical groups that are only characteristics that define each vitamin, but are not used when classified into either group. For that you use the solubility characteristics and are thus divided into water-soluble vitamins and fat soluble. The water-soluble are those that dissolve in water and are present, among others, in foods such as fruits and vegetables. In this group are the B complex vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B8, B9 and B12) and vitamin C. On the other hand, fat-soluble vitamins are those that dissolve in fats and oils and, therefore, eaten with foods such as liver or eggs. This group of vitamins A, D, E and K. An important difference between soluble and fat-soluble vitamins is that the latter, because they dissolve in fat tissue, can be stored in the liver, not taking required daily intake, while water-soluble are not stored in the body, making to be called up more regularly.
Given the Western way of life, now it is very unlikely that someone could die from a vitamin deficiency, although in theory this would be possible in a case of severe hypovitaminosis. For Furthermore, an excess of vitamins is what is known as hypervitaminosis. In this case, we have seen that the excess can be toxic depending on the vitamin concerned. Thus it is known that vitamins A, or retinol-, D, or calciferol, and B3, or niacin, can become highly toxic in excess, while others, such as B12, or cobalamin, has no toxicity even at doses very high.
Today, scurvy is a minor concern in developed countries, but increasingly are emerging health problems associated with mild vitamin A deficiency. Thus, it is necessary to reinforce the fact that a balanced diet rich in raw plant-source of most vitamins, is essential in human development and in maintaining a healthy state. Science and the welfare state are getting more and live longer. We do, well, the better everyone's responsibility.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Is Bleeding For A Week Ok When Cervical Polyps

WHOM?

The idea is not mine, although I would not say it is a stolen idea. I would say, better, borrowed. Anyway, I would like, on day 1 of each month, post on the blog an interview with a notable scientist working in a research center front line.

The interview form 8 to 10 short questions about the state of research in Spain disclosure, personal experience and some questions whose answers will shed light and knowledge on a particular topic.

So I ask for your help. "You who would interview? What would you ask the scientist notable? Post your questions and try to fit them into the puzzle of each interview.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Buckle Sterling Sliver Blanks

MARX AND OPIUM, INTERPRETING THE HISTORY OF THE FUTURE

Karl Marx was born in Germany in the early nineteenth-on, then, Kingdom of Prussia, in the midst of a middle-class Jewish family and a descendant of an important line of rabbis. Nothing seemed to indicate that the little Karl, a young shy, brilliant, could end up becoming one of the most in the history of political thought. And that is just twenty years ago, half the population still lived in countries whose political regimes claimed to be inspired by his thoughts, as most current guerrilla movements under the banner of Marxism as if it's give it a justification are not able to find otherwise.
The two most important books were published Marx undoubtedly The Communist Manifesto and Capital . The first, a letter in which to settle the main communist ideas was commissioned by the League of Communists in collaboration with his friend, el empresario Friedrich Engels, mientras que el segundo es un tratado de economía política en cuya edición también tuvo mucho que ver su compañero de batallas. Pero hay una frase que ha pasado a la historia ligada indisolublemente a la figura de Marx y que curiosamente no aparece en ninguno de estos dos libros. La frase en cuestión es “ La religión es el opio del pueblo ” y el ideólogo alemán la escribió como prólogo para la Crítica de la Filosofía del Derecho , de Hegel.
No han sido pocos los que han utilizado esta frase como arma arrojadiza, aunque también es cierto que la mayoría de éstos no conoce en profundidad el pensamiento de Marx ni han leído his writings. Undeniably, the critical sense of this phrase to religion, but one must know that the founder of communist theory did not consider it a "conspiracy clerical" as was the philosophy of the Enlightenment. For Marx, religion or even recognizing the importance of their role in medieval times, alienated human essence as did the opium, which was half of the nineteenth century legal use and administered as an analgesic, to treat cholera or even as an anesthetic in the form of morphine which, incidentally, is named in honor of Morpheus, representing mythological figure in ancient Greece, the god of dreams. And is that
this time, mid-nineteenth century, anesthesia was first used in surgical procedures and dental extractions. Today, thanks to the use of new drugs and advanced monitoring systems, anesthesia, as well as to have become an essential element for medicine, has gained very high security levels having greatly reduced the complications that only a few years it produced. Today
distinguishes between three types of anesthesia: the local, which eliminates the sensation of pain in a specific area of \u200b\u200bthe body, the regional, which eliminates a region or several members of the body, within the latter is, by example, epidural, and general, resulting in a state of unconsciousness. In addition to the aforementioned state of unconsciousness, all general anesthesia must ensure two basic components such as amnesia and analgesia. Therefore, anesthesia used hypnotics, analgesics and muscle relaxants.
Hypnotics are drugs that the patient sleep, prevent anxiety and produce some degree of amnesia. Among these include halothane, one of the most used historically, but today its use in developed countries is minimal, and nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, which was used as a sedative by the American dentist Horace Wells in 1844 .
On the other hand, analgesic drugs seek the abolition of pain and anesthesia is often used in natural derivatives of opium such as morphine, but also used other, synthetic, that mimic the opioid effect, with more power.
The immobility of the patient is obtained through the use of muscle relaxants derived from curare, a substance obtained from a plant that is abundant in the Amazon basin and has been used for many years by indigenous peoples to immobilize their prey. Achieved with these drugs also reduce the resistance of the cavities for the surgery and to allow artificial ventilation.
When Marx spoke of religion as the opium of the people just wanted to say that it is able to numb the revolutionary spirit of the natural human being. But today it seems not to matter. Each sentence makes this stronghold, as has happened so often with Marxism itself.