Ah, Summer Time...

Hola folks. It seems I was unable to post on a consistent basis once school started after last summer. I apologize to any of the readers who had come to expect regular postings and to those whose comments to which I failed to respond. Nevertheless, it's summer time and I'm baaaaaaack. I hope to continue beyond summer this time around. Hopefully, any former and future readers will find the postings stimulating or interesting regardless of whether the topic is educational or recreational. Yes, it's still all about living, learning, and loving! I urge all readers to leave comments and share your thoughts regarding the various posts.

So I shall begin with an article titled The RNA revolution: Biology's Big Bang, which is on the front page of The Economist. The article emphasizes the importance of RNA to field of Biology. For all the talk of DNA and cloning we hear of, the article shows the importance of RNA in medicine. It draws an analogy between the changes the discovery of the neutron brought forth for the field of Physics in the 20th century and how RNA will transform the field of Biology in the 21st century. I will not bother to recap the article as you can all read it for yourself but that's about the gist of it.

Source: The Cell Nucleus.

The picture above shows the Central Dogma in Biology. According to this, DNA is transcribed into RNA (in a process called transcription) and RNA is translated into protein (in a process called translation). The article struck me particularly with the fact how much DNA and cloning are emphasized in the popular culture when its during the transcription process where the cell controls and regulates its behavior. It is after all the RNA transcript which allows the necessary protein to be made in the cell and whose creation is regulated to allow the cell to operate over its lifetime. DNA replication or cloning only allows another DNA to be made and preserved, but it is RNA which allows it to be expressed. Not having RNA is comparable to having a small boat while being deserted in the middle of the ocean without oars!