Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

An indication of the presence of fungus (e.g., in a sample of grain), when light of an appropriate wavelength is shone on sample. For example, when the fungus Aspergillus flavus infects cottonseed during boll development on the cotton plant, the resultant seed (when harvested) shows BGYF on its lint and linters. That fungus gains entry…

Also called bovine growth hormone. A protein hormone, produced in a cow’s pituitary gland, that increases the efficiency of the cow in converting its feed into milk. Increases milk production in cows, and promotes cell growth in healing tissues of all ages of cattle. Promotes body growth of young cattle.  

A family of proteinaceous growth factors (nine identified as of 1994) for bone tissue formation (e.g., at the site where a bone has been broken). BMPs stimulate a “recruitmenf of bone-forming cells (e.g., to the site of bone injury) which first form cartilage, then that cartilage is mineralized to form bone. Within the realm of…

A method of joining blunt-ended DNA fragments using the enzyme T4 ligase which can join fully base-paired, double stranded DNA.  

A segment of DNA that has both strands terminating at the same base pair location, that is, fully base-paired DNA. No sticky ends.  

A trade organization of firms involved in producing pharmaceuticals from collected blood.  

The process via which a B cell (B lymphocyte) becomes a blast cell.  

A large, rapidly dividing cell that develops from a B cell (B lymphocyte) in response to an antigenic stimulus. The blast cell then becomes an antibody-producing plasma cell. A newly formed cell of any type. Large numbers of blast cells in the peripheral blood indicate that the bone marrow is producing a high level of…

An indicator of a corn plant’s maturity. It refers to a distinctive dark line that forms in each com kemel at maturity.  

An American trade association composed of companies and individuals involved in biotechnology and in services to biotechnology companies (e.g., accounting, law, etc.). Formed in 1 993, the BIO was created by the merger of its two predecessor trade associations; the Association of Biotechnology Companies (ABC) and the Industrial Biotechnology Association (IBA). The BIO works with…