Farai

Energy companies are racing to develop new ways of developing a renewable and sustainable source of fuel. Manipulation of biological systems seems key in developing cheaper bio fuels. some of the methods being employed in in harvesting bio-fuels from microorganisms are biomass fermentations for producing alcohols, modified photosynthetic systems for producing second generation fuels. It is likely that one or more of these technologies will take root. Ultimately, the chances for success appear to be good as society increasingly looks to replace non-renewable fuels, for both economic and environmental reasons. I found this article quite useful in writing my #BS1009 essay on microrganisms - Farai from Bookmarklet

You might want to check out other posts on http://www.microbiologybytes.com/blog... - Dr Alan Cann

Finally started to settle into the new semester. I am keeping up with all my lectures and I'm finding it lot easier to understand the lecture material. I especially enjoyed today's #MB1031 talk by Dr Tobin on Alzheimer's and Malaria. Two seemingly unrelated illnesses but may potentially have common treatment target. What made it better was that it complimented the #MB1004 lecture by Dr Norman we had had earlier. - Farai

see http://ff.im/xzlUe Bennett LT1 2 to 5 pm #uolbioscicareers - Dr Chris Willmott

thank you.. - Farai

Understanding the rate of base substitution mutation holds the key to understanding the rate of molecular evolution. This article discusses the detection of spontaneous base substitutions in C. elegans. Spontaneous single base substitutions in C. elegans over many generations have been shown to have lead to evolution of the species. Most of these substitutions were found to be transitions base substitution. These mutations were found to have been caused by oxidation of cytosine to form 5- hydroxyuracil. I find the article quite interesting because it ties in with the #BS1009 practical and the #MB1005 lectures. - Farai from Bookmarklet

The first week has quiet good. I`ve not been pedestrian about my revision. I`m enjoying the the practicals and the lectures are pretty interesting as well. Each lecture has made appreciate more the applications and importance of molecular biology from a research and clinical point of view. The days are pretty long and can be a bit tiring but all thing considered, I'm loving it. - Farai

Hey your in my group for tutorial hope to see you next tuesday. - Aisha Shakel

This is an interesting article on how far genomic studies have gone in identifying genes that may put individuals at predisposition of developing Type two diabetes. My #MB1030 presentation was on type 2 diabetes so I found it quite interesting. The article talks about how the identification of variations in in the genes that are known to contribute to type two diabetes could mean potentially personalised treatment for the patients. - Farai

I agree. It's a nice experience and I really enjoyed listening to presentations and learn from it. :) - Ni Ni Moe Myint

It was a bit scary at first.. I forgot what was on my slides.It came back to me later... I realised If things go wrong, you need to keep your composure and it is more important to speak clearly and concisely in order for people to understand you - Farai

I have certainly realised the importance of time management. I have also learnt that revising lecture notes after a lecture is essential in understanding the concepts of new topics. Most important of all; If you are having trouble understanding a topic, don't be shy, ask for help.... - Farai

Congradulations! - Paskuwal Kosalie Mendis

Well done, keep up the good work :-) - Shubnum Razak

Well done!! - Feyisayo Fadero

Our group of boys beat two groups of girls. Loved the competition for sweets! - Mohamed

They had little kit kats.. I really wanted one... - Farai

I found this article relevant to the #BS1015 lectures we are currently having on metabolism and a some of what talked Dr Willmott talked about in his lectures. This article describes the importance of the hydrophobic scaffold in the internal architecture of kinases in the formation of the active site. The structure of kinase like proteins called pseudokinases is described in great detail. The article also describes how eukaryotic protein kinases have evolved together with their dynamic molecular switches to bring about highly regulated activation/deactivation of various biological processes - Farai

I can log on but I can't access anything :( - Emmanuelle

finally sorted. I can log on now. Would've have been nice if the sent an email warning us there might be problems.. - Farai

#BS1015. Post translational modification of amino acids is crucial in the regulation of structure and function of proteins. This article describes the importance of acetylation of lysine, histones and chromaitids. Chromatid acetylation has been shown to play a big role in maintaining the integrity of the genome during cell division in prokaryotes by regulating the cohesion between sister chromatids in the S phase. There's a lot more on the importance of acetylation of different groups. This article re-enforces what Professor Cundliffe talked about in his lectures. Really interesting read. - Farai

#MB1030 essay: Interesting article on the role genomic studies have played in the identification of risk factor genes that are believed to cause gioblastomas, a type of brain cancer. the National cancer institute in the US set up a database storing known cancer markers and these are being studied down to the molecular level in the hope to find a cure. - Farai

was just doin the same thing farai, not as easy as it looks hey mate? - Mayank Patel

I'm absolutely terrified of doing the both presentations.... I know what I want to say but i keep messing my words up because I try get through each slide as quickly as possible in case I go over the time limit - Farai

im scared about getting the timing wrong - Said

There's no need to be worried - this week's presentation will only be to a maximum of 6 of your peers - Dr Chris Willmott

#BS1015 This is a very useful and informative article on how transcription is controlled by specific enzymes. the article also investigates the relationship between cell size and how genes are expressed. There is an in depth description on the functional intricacies involved in the expression of genes and how they are affected by the size of of the cell. There is quite a lot of information that relates to the lectures Prof Cundliff gave on transcription regulation and the lecture given Prof Fry on Nek2. - Farai

#BS1015 This is a nice article on the importance of ribosomes. It talks about their significance and how Venkatraman Ramakrushnan identified the structures of the ribosomal OF 70S sub units. - Farai

#BS1015 This article describes the role that RNA POL II plays in the synthesis of mRNA and single nucleotide RNA in eukaryotic cells. it compliments a lot of what Prof Cundliff talked about in the lecture he gave on transcription. RNA POL II is a holoenzyme made up of 12 subunits and is incapable of specific promoter recognition. the article describes the shape of the active site and how RNA POL II affects nucleic acid translocation. This article is a very good source for background knowledge on the mechanics of mRNA synthesis - Farai