Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

May refer either to a discrete structural entity defined as a region within which supercoiling is independent of other domains, or to an extensive region, including an expressed gene that has heightened sensitivity to degradation by the enzyme DNA. In education, a general term for areas of learning and behavior, introduced in the 1950s by…

One of the omega-3 (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), DHA is important in the development of the human infant’s brain, spinal cord, and retina tissues. DHA aids optimal brain and nervous system development in human infants. Naturally present in human breast milk and fish oil.  

A double helix that consists of one chain of DNA hydrogen bonded to a chain of RNA by means of complementary base pairs.  

A vehicle (such as a virus) for transferring genetic information (DNA) from one cell to another.  

Products in which “naked” genes (i.e.. pieces of bare DNA) are used to stimulate an immune response (e.g., either a cellular immune response, humoral immune response, or otherwise raising antibodies against the pathogen from which the naked genes have arisen/been derived). A vaccine made by genetic engineering in which the gene that codes for an…

Invented in 1985 by Alec Jeffreys, it is a technique used by forensic (i.e., crime-solving) chemists to match biological evidence (e.g., a blood stain) from a crime scene to the person (e.g., the assailant) involved in that particular crime. DNA profiling involves the use of RFLP (restriction fragment length polymorphism) analysis or ASO/PCR (allele-specific oligonucleotide/polymerase…

Also called gene probe or genetic probe. Short, specific (complementary to desired gene) artificially produced segments of DNA used to combine with and detect the presence of specific genes (or shorter DNA segments) within a chromosome. If a DNA probe of known composition and length is mingled with pieces of DNA (genes) from a chromosome,…

An enzyme that catalyzes the synthesis of DNA. It does this by catalyzing the addition of deoxyribonucleotide residues to the free 3′-hydroxyl end of a DNA chain, starting from a mixture of the appropriate triphosphorylated bases, which are dATP, dGTP, dCTP and dTTP. This chemical reaction is reversible and, hence, DNA polymerase also functions as…

An enzyme that creates a phosphodiester bond between the 3′ end of one DNA segment and the 5′ end of another, while they are base-paired to a template strand. The enzyme seals (joins) the ends of single-stranded DNA in a duplex DNA chain. DNA ligase constitutes a part of the DNA repair mechanism available to…

A nonprofit U.S. organization that was formed in August of 1 994 by a group of research institutions and companies. The Consortium’s first president is Stuart A. Kauffman of the Santa Fe Institute. The Consortium’s purpose is to further the use of molecular diversity as a tool in drug design and in the study of…