A follow-up to my first video, this is a quick-and-dirty look at how the DNA code gets translated to make proteins. Enjoy! Il y a des sous-titres en français disponibles en cliquant sur le bouton “CC” sur YouTube. Continue reading
Tag Archives: cells
Jargon: Chemotherapy (A treatment modality by which potent chemicals kill fast-growing cells)
Chemotherapy: A medical treatment modality, commonly used against cancer, by which strong chemicals are used to destroy rapidly dividing cells. One of the classic characteristics of cancer cells is that they divide uncontrollably: they can thus be killed by agents that target fast-growing cells. Unfortunately, chemotherapeutic drugs also, by their very nature, target healthy cells … Continue reading
H-huh-N-what? The Bingo Lottery of Flu Viruses
It may seem as if flu viruses get chosen based on a sluggish and never-ending game of bingo. H1N1? … Does anyone have H1N1? The next number is… H7N9. Please check your cards, the number is H7N9…. H5N1… do we have a bingo? Please bring your card in to be validated. The prizes tonight include … Continue reading
Jargon: Tumour Suppressor (A gene whose underexpression can help drive cancer)
Tumour suppressor: a gene whose regular function is to inhibit the division of a cell. When the expression of this gene is blocked, the cell divides much more than it should, which can lead to cancer. A useful analogy is that of a car. When the expression of a tumour suppressor is disrupted, it can … Continue reading
Phosphate, Sugar, and a Ring or Two: A Recipe for Disaster (or DNA)
I have written about DNA before (regarding proteins and in the context of crime scene investigations). What I have not broached yet is the physical constitution of the DNA molecule. The media (appropriately) keep things simple when a news story involves genetic concepts by talking about “letters”. DNA is the “code of life” made up … Continue reading
The Interrogation of Mr. DNA, Part 3 of 3: Detection
Previously, on The Interrogation of Mr. DNA: A woman, found dead in her apartment. Our lab rat, Greg, has managed to amplify 13 repeats in both the victim’s sample and an unknown sample, potentially from her murderer. These repeats differ in length between individuals. Can Greg count them and compare them? Will he accomplish this … Continue reading
Cancer: The Nature of the Beast
Horror writer H.P. Lovecraft wrote in Supernatural Horror in Literature that “the oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown”. I would argue that nowhere is this more visible in modern medicine than where the “C” word is uttered. Cancer. This simple … Continue reading
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