chemical ecology

Evolutionary theories of epigenetic drift

September 15, 2017
James Kohl
Adaptations, Diseases & Disorders, Ecology, Model Organisms, RNA Directed, RNA-mediated epigenetic regulation of gene expression, RNA-mediated gene silencing, Variations
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Testing Two Evolutionary Theories of Human Aging with DNA Methylation Data My summary: Outside the context of food energy-dependent biophysically constrained pheromone-controlled viral latency, mutation accumulation (MA) and disposable soma (DS) provide possible explanations for the existence of human aging. For example, age-differentially-methylated sites across the genome showed significant MA-consistent increases in heritability with age or significant DS-consistent decreases in heritability. Their results supposedly show that both MA and DS play a role in explaining aging and aging-related changes but…

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Did evolution autophosphorylate your kinases? (3)

October 24, 2016
James Kohl
Adaptations, Alternative Splicings, Diseases & Disorders, Ecology, Model Organisms, RNA methylation, RNA-directed DNA methylation, RNA-mediated epigenetic regulation of gene expression, RNA-mediated gene silencing, RNA-mediated toxicity, RNA–Mediated Epigenetic Heredity, Variations
One Comment

Did evolution autophosphorylate your kinases? (1) Did evolution autophosphorylate your kinases? (2) See also: N6-Methyladenosine in Flaviviridae Viral RNA Genomes Regulates Infection Reported as: Chemical tags affect ability of RNA viruses to infect cells Dynamics of Human and Viral RNA Methylation during Zika Virus Infection Reported as:  Zika virus infection alters human and viral RNA My comment: Virus-driven hecatombic evolution of all pathology is linked from the failure of energy-dependent phosphorylation to biophysically constrain the RNA-mediated damage to DNA via…

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Base pairs, olfaction and RNA thermometers

September 22, 2016
James Kohl
Adaptations, Alternative Splicings, Diseases & Disorders, Ecology, Light Energy, Model Organisms, Neuronal Plasticity, Nutrigenomics, Physics, RNA Directed, RNA methylation, RNA-directed DNA methylation, RNA-mediated epigenetic regulation of gene expression, RNA-mediated gene silencing, RNA-mediated toxicity, RNA–Mediated Epigenetic Heredity, Variations
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RNA thermometer controls temperature-dependent virulence factor expression in Vibrio cholerae (2014) Excerpt: The stem-loop can be stabilized by strengthening the base pairing between the fourU element and SD sequence through the substitution of G-C base pairs, and this results in an elevated melting temperature (10). Conclusion: RNA thermometers represent a simple yet elegant mechanism for controlling temperature-dependent gene expression and may be more widespread among pathogenic bacteria that interact with mammalian hosts than is currently known. See also:  MicroRNA Stability…

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Hydrogen-atom energy in DNA base pairs

September 19, 2016
James Kohl
Adaptations, biophotonics, Diseases & Disorders, Ecology, Light Energy, Model Organisms, Neuronal Plasticity, Physics, RNA Directed, RNA methylation, RNA-directed DNA methylation, RNA-mediated epigenetic regulation of gene expression, RNA-mediated gene silencing, RNA-mediated toxicity, Variations
One Comment

See also: Consciousness is simply food rearranged Role of Double Hydrogen Atom Transfer Reactions in Atmospheric Chemistry Abstract excerpt:  Hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) reactions are ubiquitous and play a crucial role in chemistries occurring in the atmosphere, biology, and industry. My comment: The link from physics to chemistry and the conserved molecular mechanisms of biologically-based RNA-mediated cell type differentiation has been the focus my works for more than 20 years, even before I knew what I would need to explain…

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Models of scientific literacy

February 8, 2016
James Kohl
Adaptations, Diseases & Disorders, Ecology, Human Pheromones, Model Organisms, Neuronal Plasticity, Nutrigenomics, Pharmacogenomics, RNA Directed, RNA-directed DNA methylation, RNA-mediated epigenetic regulation of gene expression, RNA-mediated gene silencing, RNA-mediated toxicity, RNA–Mediated Epigenetic Heredity, Variations
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Scientific Literacy Redefined Researchers could become better at engaging in public discourse by more fully considering the social and cultural contexts of their work. By Cynthia Brandenburg | February 1, 2016 Excerpt: …any truly productive conversation about why their fears are scientifically unfounded must be predicated upon an understanding of what caused those fears in the first place. My comment: “A Fear of Pheromones” led many researchers to ignore the fact that metabolic networks must be linked to genetic networks…

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Atomic-resolution of cell type signaling

August 17, 2015
James Kohl
Adaptations, Ecology, Model Organisms, RNA Directed, Variations
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Scientists discover atomic-resolution details of brain signaling Excerpt: Both parts of this protein complex are essential… but until now it was unclear how its two pieces fit and work together. My comment: RNA-mediated amino acid substitutions are fixed in the organized genomes of all genera via the experience-dependent de novo creation of receptors. Receptors allow nutrients into the cell types that must be differentiated to be functional. Differentiation occurs via changes in energy that link Schrodinger’s claims to quantum biology…

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Jumping back: Science or Pseudoscience?

December 5, 2014
James Kohl
Ecology
One Comment

Daily Comment November 21, 2014 European Science’s Great Leap Backward By Michael Specter Excerpt 1) “When politicians reject verifiable data and reputable research and rely instead on politics or desire, the results can be devastating.” Excerpt 2 with my emphasis) “…scientific organizations from around the world… have strongly endorsed the safety of G.M. foods. (It should be noted that the U.S. can claim no superiority in our approach to evidence-based science, as demonstrated by the fact that nearly half of…

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Are evolutionary theorists 'nob ends'?

October 20, 2014
James Kohl
Adaptations, Diseases & Disorders, Ecology, Model Organisms
3 Comments

Interview – Prof Brian Cox and Robin Ince Robin Ince “Am I wrong to sometimes be scared of science idiots?” Brian Cox  “…my favoured response would be: ‘you bunch of utter nob ends’.  See also:  “The problem with today’s world is that everyone believes they have the right to express their opinion AND have others listen to it. The correct statement of individual rights is that everyone has the right to an opinion, but crucially, that opinion can be roundly…

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The new light of chromosomal rearrangements

January 20, 2014
James Kohl
Adaptations, Ecology, Human Brain, Human Pheromones
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SCIENCE Seeing X Chromosomes in a New Light By CARL ZIMMER JAN. 20, 2014 NY TIMES Excerpt 1: In the journal Neuron, a team of scientists has unveiled an unprecedented view of X-chromosome inactivation in the body. They found a remarkable complexity to the pattern in which the chromosomes were switched on and off. My comment: The remarkable complexity of nutrient-dependent pheromone-controlled chromosomal rearrangements that led to difference in sex chromosomes was detailed in our 1996 Hormones and Behavior review article in the section on: Genetic…

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