Category: Uncategorized

GENE SOUP. “The estimated 10(28) viral infections in the ocean per day substantially affect marine systems by causing host mortality, facilitating horizontal gene transfer and influencing biogeochemical cycles via production of dissolved organic matter through cell lysis. An emerging paradigm is that viruses also possess auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs) —‘host' genes that may be expressed to augment viral-infected host metabolism and facilitate production of new viruses.” https://lnkd.in/eTUuJwS View in LinkedIn

FRAGMENT FROM NATURE continues from last weekend on the theme of viral dark matter. We have virtually no grasp on the diversity or roles of viruses. When you consider that viruses are typically hybrid swarms of semispecies, reverting to Victorian classification systems might appear quaint at best. These little creatures continue to make fools of us humans. https://lnkd.in/gc5arxt View in LinkedIn

'Political watershed' as 19 countries pledge to phase out coal https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/nov/16/political-watershed-as-19-countries-pledge-to-phase-out-coal?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other View in LinkedIn

SEXUAL DIMORPHISM. “The phenomenon of sexual dimorphism is a direct product of evolution by natural selection, in that the struggle for reproductive success drives many male and female organisms down different evolutionary paths...at a biological level, the reproductive success of an organism is often more important than its long-term survival.” https://lnkd.in/gnW5-pQ View in LinkedIn

UK considers tax on single-use plastics to tackle ocean pollution https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/nov/18/uk-considers-tax-on-single-use-plastics-to-tackle-ocean-pollution?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other View in LinkedIn

SPECTRAL. "The origin of separate sexes is commonly associated with the evolution of sexual dimorphism, and this has occurred to varying degrees in many dioecious plants." https://lnkd.in/ge7JD6J View in LinkedIn

NASA 20 year time-lapse of planet earth. https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2017/the-changing-colors-of-our-living-planet View in LinkedIn

MULTIPLE EVENTS. Dioecy "is reported in close to half of all angiosperm families and may have originated on at least 100 occasions from hermaphroditic ancestors." https://lnkd.in/ge7JD6J View in LinkedIn

LESS THAN ONE PERCENT. “Due to sampling and cultivation challenges, genome-level viral diversity remains poorly described and grossly understudied in nature such that

GIANT GENETIC RESERVOIR. “Every second, approximately 10(23) viral infections occur in the ocean. These infections are a major source of mortality, and cause disease in a range of organisms, from shrimp to whales. As a result, viruses influence the composition of marine communities and are a major force behind biogeochemical cycles.“ https://lnkd.in/gPgnbG9 View in LinkedIn