The Flowing of the Dao

Towards a direct interface with our own respective genomes!

Three Boston University biomedical engineers have created a genetic dimmer switch that can be used to turn on, shut off, or partially activate a gene’s function. Professor James Collins, Professor Charles Cantor and doctoral candidate Tara Deans invented the switch, which can be tuned to produce large or small quantities of protein, or none at all.

The research detailing their new switch, “A Tunable Genetic Switch Based on RNAi and Repressor Proteins for Regulating Gene Expression in Mammalian Cells,” appears in the July 27 issue of Cell.

This switch helps advance the field of synthetic biology, which rests on the premise that complex biological systems can be built by arranging components or standard parts, as an electrician would to build an electric light switch. Much work in the field to date uses bacteria or yeast, but the Boston University team used more complex mammalian cells, from hamsters and mice. The switch has several new design features that extend possible applications into areas from basic research to gene therapy.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-07/bu-bub072607.php

Cenodoxus is one of several mediaeval miracle plays by Jacob Bidermann, an early 17th century German seminarian and prolific playwright. Jacob Bidermann’s treatment of the Legend of the Doctor of Paris is generally regarded as the primary source of inspiration for Goethe’s Faust.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cenodoxus

Recently in the DefendYourGod and ChristianCorner chatrooms on Stickam many good discussions have been had.

Many battles have been had as well.

Yesterday I compared the DYG room to Cerebrus, the mythological hellbeast from Greek lore who guards the entrance to Hades. You have the Muslims, the Christians, and the Atheists battling it out. They come close to biting eachothers’ heads off; it’s funny to see.

Yesterday I even battled Jon(SoldierInGodsArmy) over the destiny of the universe.

Stickam is like a reactor of sorts, a human particle accelerator. You have to experience it to understand.

Anyway … Zyklo shared this tale yesterday. This play, apparently, the inspiration for Goethe’s ‘Faust’ (which is huge.)

Worldpeace,
Ben

Funniest part is Asimo robot when it says, “I’ve memorized your face.”

Towards a linguagenesis. What is it with some humans that seek the ultimate origin of things? I quote Amadeus the Stampede “if you don’t know where you’re from you ain’t never gonna’ know where you’re going.”

I have this conversation with SPEKS in our correspondences. Terence quotes McLuhan saying, “we drive into the future using only our rear view mirror” (Terence McKenna on the Art Bell Show, 1997-05-22.) In response to McLuhan, SPEKS writes, “our past dictates our present and what is to come, looking through the rear view distracts one from the present. The planet Earth travels at a speed of 1037 1/3 mph, on a tilt, on its way around the Sun so whether one stands on their zenith facing east or west the planet will continue to move …”

The scientific are preoccupied with this and similar adventures … tracing the origins of mankind, finding a fundamental particle, explaining the genesis of the World. The religious, conversely are more preoccupied with “the World that is to come.” Sad to say but they don’t really much care about The Past in this sense.

The irony being that they obsess over various ancient semi-historical texts … it is an odd balance. Both unwittingly serve as reinforcement for the others efforts. The Religious are consumed by the future, what it holds, etc. The Religious set sail into The Future with an old compass (Torah, The Holy Bible, Al-Qur’an, etc) whilst The Scientific travel into The Past utilizing advanced compass technologies and updated charts.

It’s an extremely peculiar dichotomy.

The Scientific peer into The Past to give us in The Present a better idea of our existential location so that we can move in leaps and bounds. In this sense it’s not so much in knowing The Universe as it is in knowing oneself.

The Religious prophesy The Future to help further quarantine the dimensions of humankind so that we might make that quantum leap to a state of absolute total universal harmony.

We can all fly …

A controversial research project is trying to trace all human language to a common root. Many scientists think that fully modern human language enabled a “great leap forward” 50,000 years ago. And because scientists surmise that language arose only once, they believe that before leaving Africa to colonize the world, all humankind spoke as one.

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