‘Junk’ Deoxyribonucleic acid

The human genome contains a staggering twenty two thousand separate genes which where first sequenced in 2000. Our genetic structure is comprised of over 3 Billion base pairs of genes that line up and come together forming the 22,000 genes that make up our being. Thats just 2% of the entire human genome which is in contrast to the other 98% which has been considered inactive and useless. Well recent research from The ENCODE project ( The Encyclopaedia of DNA Elements) has in the words of Time magazine been revealed as a ‘buzzing universe of bio chemical activity’. Scientists believe that this will allow us to understand the genetic basis of human disease this discovery has completely opened up gene based research to new possibilities. For example the non gene portion of the human genome is comprised of a highly active live wire that hosts 4 million constantly active switches or cross talking DNA. This has as mentioned before huge repercussions in the search for knowledge of the roots of disease I find this fascinating it could possibly provide a way of reverse engineering disease In the future medicine will be matched to the patient genetically, your ailment will be matched much more closely and with a greater accuracy and speed to the correct treatment. Just imagine the implications of this combined with the ideas floating around in the world of Nano technology such as the delivery of drugs to specific cells in the treatment of cancer and various types of tumours.

The God Particle

The God Particle other wise known as the Higgs Boson after physicist Peter Higgs the guy who coined the term for the particle that supposedly completes the standard model of particle physics. The Standard Model explains that the universe is comprised entirely of matter (Fermions) and force (Bosons) its brilliance is derived from being able to explain nearly all experimental physics. And until very recently there has been a gap in the model of an atom and that is what creates mass otherwise known as the Higgs Boson. I find that the discovery of its existence could account for all the unexplained mass in the world as utterly mind melting it will be interesting to see what effect this has on religion society and art.

So whats next for the world of particle physics well one answer is Supersymmetry, Supersymmetry  says that for every particle we know about – things like electrons, quarks, and neutrinos – there is a corresponding superpartner of higher mass. I don’t know about you but we are living in a really exciting time, boundaries are literally being passed into unknown areas and questions the year 2012 is making me want to know more. . . .

“Scientific views end in awe and mystery, lost at the edge in uncertainty, but they appear to be so deep and so impressive that the theory that it is all arranged as a stage for God to watch man’s struggle for good and evil seems inadequate.”

-Richard P. Feynman

 

The Arrow of Science