Author: rwball

Changes in the environment, either at the level of cells, or on an organismal scale, can activate enzymes that chemically modify the DNA or DNA-associated proteins in such a way that gene expression is altered. For instance, it’s been shown that parental neglect of young mice, causes a number of their genes to be turned … Continue reading Take two HDAC inhibitors and call me in the morning

Proteins are the workhorses of the cell. They catalyze important reactions, provide support and scaffolding, transport packages through the cell, signal between cells, and do many other vital functions. Proteins are made by following instructions from genes. Protein expression is very dynamic, with old or damaged proteins being replaced by new proteins on a daily … Continue reading Long Live the Proteins!

This week’s paper describes a newly discovered visual method used by jumping spiders to determine the depth of objects. Jumping spiders need to have good depth perception so they know how far to jump to attack their prey, which include fruit flies. Organisms use different methods to determine depth, such as binocular vision in humans … Continue reading Objects in mirror may be farther than they appear