So what's going on in science this week?
1. Scan the net for a science current event that has been reported within the last week.
2. Create a posting with the following:
A. The link to the article
B. A summary of what the article was about (must be at least 2 paragraphs)
C. Please remember to include your name!
Bonus points will be awarded for thoughtful work! I get to be the judge as to what is thoughtful!!
Scientists understood the structure of DNA as one-dimension. Scientists didn't understand how different parts of DNA were folded in the nucleus. Researchers at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research have investigated the three-dimensional structure of DNA folds in a chromosome's nucleus.
ReplyDeleteGenes are looked at in textbooks as a one-dimensional line. Genes are arranged so that two parts of the gene are very close in 3-D but far away linearly. By knowing how DNA folds in the nucleus, scientists have a better idea of the regulatory process of genes.
This research opens a new area of understanding of the DNA. Cancers, such as leukemia, are caused because of the translocation of two genes. Knowing the 3-D structure of the chromosome, there can be a better understanding of how diseases can come, be prevented, and maybe even cured.
Link: http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2012/04/11/powerful_sequencing_technology_decodes_dna_folding_pattern.html
-Rosh Bharthi