... to having someone in the house's schedule upside-down (to accommodate her working the overnight shift) is waking up to the smell of home-made bread nearly ready to come out of the oven!
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Friday, December 06, 2013
Thursday, December 05, 2013
November 30
.
Sunrise over suburbia, as we approach the solstice.
Hustling out during the (university) football game, to run our Saturday errands. Looking up over the grocery-store parking lot (about a mile from the stadium).
I can't understand why anyone thinks this is a good idea. The least little mistake, and someone is dead. And when they're flying over a populated area (not to mention a stadium filled with 110,000 people!), a lot of people might be dead.
Yes, it's an amazing display of skill and talent. But sheesh. WAY too much risk! Shame on everyone who facilitated this.
Later. Walking. Sunshine on a sycamore.
.
Sunrise over suburbia, as we approach the solstice.
Hustling out during the (university) football game, to run our Saturday errands. Looking up over the grocery-store parking lot (about a mile from the stadium).
I can't understand why anyone thinks this is a good idea. The least little mistake, and someone is dead. And when they're flying over a populated area (not to mention a stadium filled with 110,000 people!), a lot of people might be dead.
Yes, it's an amazing display of skill and talent. But sheesh. WAY too much risk! Shame on everyone who facilitated this.
Later. Walking. Sunshine on a sycamore.
.
Wednesday, December 04, 2013
November 29
.
Wilbur Gilbert, in his chosen habitat. On the cowshe, on some pillows, with a blanket, in the sunshine.
Later. Walking.
One last rat, at the Rat House. One has to assume they left this one out on purpose, when the rest were put away until next October -- neon orange is easy to spot!
Grateful for sunshine!
.
Wilbur Gilbert, in his chosen habitat. On the cowshe, on some pillows, with a blanket, in the sunshine.
Later. Walking.
One last rat, at the Rat House. One has to assume they left this one out on purpose, when the rest were put away until next October -- neon orange is easy to spot!
Grateful for sunshine!
.
Tuesday, December 03, 2013
Ten Buildings that Changed America
.
I watched this video over the weekend.
I enjoyed it. I like to travel, and I like to look at buildings. Knowing why/how certain buildings have influenced architecture, and our architectural esthetic, enhances my travels. Even just in town, where I can notice that the big Lutheran church on Liberty has used the same Greek-style columns and pediment that Jefferson chose for the Virginia State Capitol.
.
I watched this video over the weekend.
I enjoyed it. I like to travel, and I like to look at buildings. Knowing why/how certain buildings have influenced architecture, and our architectural esthetic, enhances my travels. Even just in town, where I can notice that the big Lutheran church on Liberty has used the same Greek-style columns and pediment that Jefferson chose for the Virginia State Capitol.
.
November 28
.
It was gray and cold, on the 28th, but at least it was dry. You can see a bit of snow at the edges of the pavement.
We drove to Granddad's town, and took him out to dinner.
We returned him to his cozy apartment, and enjoyed chatting. We helped unpack some family pictures, and talked about where he might display them. We were glad to hear he is going to exercise class, riding a stationary bike, and eating his meals with friends.
Change is hard. Thank goodness for times when it makes life better.
.
It was gray and cold, on the 28th, but at least it was dry. You can see a bit of snow at the edges of the pavement.
We drove to Granddad's town, and took him out to dinner.
We returned him to his cozy apartment, and enjoyed chatting. We helped unpack some family pictures, and talked about where he might display them. We were glad to hear he is going to exercise class, riding a stationary bike, and eating his meals with friends.
Change is hard. Thank goodness for times when it makes life better.
.
Earth, Venus, and Mars, from beyond Saturn
.
Stunning picture taken by the Cassini satellite.........................
http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2013/11/nasa-releases-first-ever-photograph-of-saturn-venus-mars-and-earth/?src=footer
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Stunning picture taken by the Cassini satellite.........................
http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2013/11/nasa-releases-first-ever-photograph-of-saturn-venus-mars-and-earth/?src=footer
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knitted pie crust
.
No, really. If you knit, and/or if you bake, you've got to see this.
http://6knitter6.tumblr.com/post/68586360063/makinology-she-knitted-her-pie-crust-she
Sent to me by my sister-in-law.
.
No, really. If you knit, and/or if you bake, you've got to see this.
http://6knitter6.tumblr.com/post/68586360063/makinology-she-knitted-her-pie-crust-she
Sent to me by my sister-in-law.
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Monday, December 02, 2013
What makes humans different from other sorts of organisms?
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I've heard a lot, in Genes and the Human Condition, about what makes us the same as others, and what makes us different.
My very favorite graphic, so far, shows a section of DNA as it is found in chickens, in chimps, and in us. Mostly the same in all of us, but................
I didn't find a copyright-free version of the image to show you. If you click on this link, and scroll down, you will find a mostly-gray rectangular image in the middle (left/right-wise) that has pics of a man, a chimp, and a chicken. In a magenta band at the top of the image, it says "Scanning the Genome." The image shows the sequence of DNA, as it's found in chickens, chimps, and humans.
You may recall my reporting from Dino 101 that there is clear and compelling evidence that chickens (and the rest of the birds) are descended directly from dinosaurs. You may also recall my post about dimetrodon, which talks about how we know we are more closely related to dimetrodon than we and dimetrodon were related to dinosaurs.
The last common ancestor for chickens (and dinos!) and chimps (and us) was before dimetrodon. Before synapsids and diapsids went their separate ways. Long before the first dinos walked the Earth.
In Genes, the estimate for the last common ancestor for chickens and chimps (and us) was 300,000,000 years ago. Chimps and chickens show almost the same DNA sequence, even after 300,000,000 years of separate evolution. (Which is kind of amazing in itself, don't you think?) Dinos, from whom chickens have inherited this DNA, presumably had the same sequence we see in chickens today.
(Digression -- If I understand correctly what Ive been taught -- when a section of DNA is as similar as this between two organisms that haven't had a common ancestor in 300,000,000 years, we believe the DNA is unchanged over that amount of time. This indicates DNA that is essential to an organism -- most changes to this DNA are fatal. End of Digression.)
Katharine Pollard and her team look for the areas of the human genome that differ the most from the chimp genome. H(uman) A(ccelerated) R(egion) is the name Pollard et al have given to sections of DNA that are the most different between us and chimps. The HARs are numbered by the degree of difference.
The section of DNA in the graphic is HAR1. It is the section of our genome that shows the most difference from the corresponding section in the chimp genome. HAR1 is about brain development.
Notice that the difference in this sequence, between chimps and chickens after 300,000,000 years of separate evolution is only two changes.
Current thinking is that we and chimps had our last common ancestor 7-7.5 million years ago. In that relatively short span of time, our version of the HAR1 section of DNA has changed by 18 differences from the chimp version of this section of DNA.
(Digression -- Don't you think this was a smart way to look for the things that make us the most different from chimps? (Note also the illustrations that follow the one I'm talking about -- HAR2 is about development of wrists and thumbs........ End of digression.)
My very favorite thing about the graphic is that they chose a descendant of dinos to include. (For all I know, they could have included a turtle. Or a fruit fly..... But they picked a dino's child.............)
I am tickled to have that chicken (and her dino ancestry!) included in the info about genetic change over time.
I love it when what I learn in one place connects to and enriches what I learned somewhere else.........
.
I've heard a lot, in Genes and the Human Condition, about what makes us the same as others, and what makes us different.
My very favorite graphic, so far, shows a section of DNA as it is found in chickens, in chimps, and in us. Mostly the same in all of us, but................
I didn't find a copyright-free version of the image to show you. If you click on this link, and scroll down, you will find a mostly-gray rectangular image in the middle (left/right-wise) that has pics of a man, a chimp, and a chicken. In a magenta band at the top of the image, it says "Scanning the Genome." The image shows the sequence of DNA, as it's found in chickens, chimps, and humans.
You may recall my reporting from Dino 101 that there is clear and compelling evidence that chickens (and the rest of the birds) are descended directly from dinosaurs. You may also recall my post about dimetrodon, which talks about how we know we are more closely related to dimetrodon than we and dimetrodon were related to dinosaurs.
The last common ancestor for chickens (and dinos!) and chimps (and us) was before dimetrodon. Before synapsids and diapsids went their separate ways. Long before the first dinos walked the Earth.
In Genes, the estimate for the last common ancestor for chickens and chimps (and us) was 300,000,000 years ago. Chimps and chickens show almost the same DNA sequence, even after 300,000,000 years of separate evolution. (Which is kind of amazing in itself, don't you think?) Dinos, from whom chickens have inherited this DNA, presumably had the same sequence we see in chickens today.
(Digression -- If I understand correctly what Ive been taught -- when a section of DNA is as similar as this between two organisms that haven't had a common ancestor in 300,000,000 years, we believe the DNA is unchanged over that amount of time. This indicates DNA that is essential to an organism -- most changes to this DNA are fatal. End of Digression.)
Katharine Pollard and her team look for the areas of the human genome that differ the most from the chimp genome. H(uman) A(ccelerated) R(egion) is the name Pollard et al have given to sections of DNA that are the most different between us and chimps. The HARs are numbered by the degree of difference.
The section of DNA in the graphic is HAR1. It is the section of our genome that shows the most difference from the corresponding section in the chimp genome. HAR1 is about brain development.
Notice that the difference in this sequence, between chimps and chickens after 300,000,000 years of separate evolution is only two changes.
Current thinking is that we and chimps had our last common ancestor 7-7.5 million years ago. In that relatively short span of time, our version of the HAR1 section of DNA has changed by 18 differences from the chimp version of this section of DNA.
(Digression -- Don't you think this was a smart way to look for the things that make us the most different from chimps? (Note also the illustrations that follow the one I'm talking about -- HAR2 is about development of wrists and thumbs........ End of digression.)
My very favorite thing about the graphic is that they chose a descendant of dinos to include. (For all I know, they could have included a turtle. Or a fruit fly..... But they picked a dino's child.............)
I am tickled to have that chicken (and her dino ancestry!) included in the info about genetic change over time.
I love it when what I learn in one place connects to and enriches what I learned somewhere else.........
.
November 26
.
Walking from my old street (where we park) up to the farmers' market.
Myrtle and someone else's berries, over a rock.
We got apples and cider and sweet potatoes at the market. I looked at seasonal decorations, but did not purchase.
Kerrytown's bell tower. There are a lot of playable groups of bells in Ann Arbor.
We went over to Zingerman's. Perhaps not our brightest move -- they were mobbed, the day before Thanksgiving. We usually sit in the "garage" -- not really a garage, but which has multiple garage doors that can be opened to the patio in clement weather. On the 26th the garage was full of Thanksgiving take-out orders, so there were fewer than usual seats for more customers than usual. After looking upstairs over the garage, upstairs over Next Door, and downstairs Next Door, and finding no seating at all (this was after we'd purchased our beverages), we went back upstairs over the garage, and were able to nab a table as it was being cleared and cleaned.
I'd been thinking it would be interesting to have a hot-chocolate tasting, when all three of us were there to make selections. We did that on the 26th. Upper left is Chocolat Moderne's Snake Charmer (which has a hint of anise). Upper right is Mindo's. At the bottom is Spanish Drinking Chocolate.
I've had the Spanish Drinking Chocolate before. It's name is misleading -- it's more like hot pudding than like something you can drink.... It is delicious. Dark. Creamy. Satisfying. Mmmmmmmmmmm.
I'm not a big hot chocolate fan. An unfortunate incident when I was 5 turned me right off chocolate ice cream (and my distaste spread to hot chocolate).
I discovered in France, in 2010, that enough time had passed that I could enjoy (really really good French) hot chocolate, and discovered in Italy, last April, that I could enjoy Italian dark chocolate gelato.........
I thought the hint of anise in the Snake Charmer was mildly interesting, but both it and the Mindo's seemed too much like "regular American hot chocolate" for me to find them compelling.
I think my companions liked them fine.
It was late enough that we ate lunchy things rather than breakfast. I'd been eying the Indian strudel in the pastry case for months, but didn't want Indian for breakfast. It makes a lovely lunch! I hadn't been putting Zingerman's and Indian in the same thought, but this was really good and I would definitely order it again, when I want lunch.
My daughter had matzo-ball soup. Not especially photogenic, especially in a plastic take-out container, but delicious. My better half says he is in the mood for breakfast at any time, and he had his favorite cinnamon roll. Zingerman's Bakehouse really does an excellent job. I don't think I've ever had something that was disappointing. I'm picky about what I order more than once, and I have a bigger set of favorites from the Bakehouse than from anyplace else in town.
It was noisy as well as crowded, on the 26th. We finished and left, rather than lingering, as we might have on a more peaceful day. Others were glad to get our table (pouncing the moment we stood up). I like it better when it's not so busy (and noisy), but at least it was a festive and happy crowd, and no screaming children.
Late afternoon in suburbia -- sun between the branches.
.
Walking from my old street (where we park) up to the farmers' market.
Myrtle and someone else's berries, over a rock.
We got apples and cider and sweet potatoes at the market. I looked at seasonal decorations, but did not purchase.
Kerrytown's bell tower. There are a lot of playable groups of bells in Ann Arbor.
We went over to Zingerman's. Perhaps not our brightest move -- they were mobbed, the day before Thanksgiving. We usually sit in the "garage" -- not really a garage, but which has multiple garage doors that can be opened to the patio in clement weather. On the 26th the garage was full of Thanksgiving take-out orders, so there were fewer than usual seats for more customers than usual. After looking upstairs over the garage, upstairs over Next Door, and downstairs Next Door, and finding no seating at all (this was after we'd purchased our beverages), we went back upstairs over the garage, and were able to nab a table as it was being cleared and cleaned.
I'd been thinking it would be interesting to have a hot-chocolate tasting, when all three of us were there to make selections. We did that on the 26th. Upper left is Chocolat Moderne's Snake Charmer (which has a hint of anise). Upper right is Mindo's. At the bottom is Spanish Drinking Chocolate.
I've had the Spanish Drinking Chocolate before. It's name is misleading -- it's more like hot pudding than like something you can drink.... It is delicious. Dark. Creamy. Satisfying. Mmmmmmmmmmm.
I'm not a big hot chocolate fan. An unfortunate incident when I was 5 turned me right off chocolate ice cream (and my distaste spread to hot chocolate).
I discovered in France, in 2010, that enough time had passed that I could enjoy (really really good French) hot chocolate, and discovered in Italy, last April, that I could enjoy Italian dark chocolate gelato.........
I thought the hint of anise in the Snake Charmer was mildly interesting, but both it and the Mindo's seemed too much like "regular American hot chocolate" for me to find them compelling.
I think my companions liked them fine.
It was late enough that we ate lunchy things rather than breakfast. I'd been eying the Indian strudel in the pastry case for months, but didn't want Indian for breakfast. It makes a lovely lunch! I hadn't been putting Zingerman's and Indian in the same thought, but this was really good and I would definitely order it again, when I want lunch.
My daughter had matzo-ball soup. Not especially photogenic, especially in a plastic take-out container, but delicious. My better half says he is in the mood for breakfast at any time, and he had his favorite cinnamon roll. Zingerman's Bakehouse really does an excellent job. I don't think I've ever had something that was disappointing. I'm picky about what I order more than once, and I have a bigger set of favorites from the Bakehouse than from anyplace else in town.
It was noisy as well as crowded, on the 26th. We finished and left, rather than lingering, as we might have on a more peaceful day. Others were glad to get our table (pouncing the moment we stood up). I like it better when it's not so busy (and noisy), but at least it was a festive and happy crowd, and no screaming children.
Late afternoon in suburbia -- sun between the branches.
.
Sunday, December 01, 2013
immersed in genetics
.
I am immersed in genetics. In Plants class we got a taste of epigenetics -- the heritable (!!!) influence of environment on gene expression. There's a Coursera class on epigenetics, but it needs a "basic genetics" class as a prerequisite, so I'm taking one now. I started it when it was already 2 weeks into a 6-week class. I was still in Plants and Dinos at that point, so I didn't start paying attention to Genetics until the last several days.
I discovered this weekend that I could still pass Genetics if I buckled right down to it, so that's what I'm doing. As of about half an hour ago, I have listened to all of the lectures, and have taken all the quizzes, for weeks 1-4 of the class. I still need to take the midterm (on weeks 1-3), and then I'll be caught up. Week 5 starts tomorrow..........
Genes and the Human Condition is really interesting!!! Especially as what we know about genetics and epigenetics keeps updating every 5 minutes, in large part because the computer technology that lets us sequence (and compare) genomes gets better every minute..... (Something of an exaggeration, but not much!)
The things we are learning in this class -- about ourselves compared to other living organisms, and about ourselves compared to Neanderthals and other extinct forms of humans.............. Mind-bending.
One random human varies from an unrelated other human, on average, about one in every thousand base pairs (a "base pair" is one rung on a DNA ladder). The human genome varies from the chimp genome by about one in every hundred base pairs. That means we are only ten times more different from chimps than any one of us is different from other people we're not related to. !!!
Mind-bending!
.
I am immersed in genetics. In Plants class we got a taste of epigenetics -- the heritable (!!!) influence of environment on gene expression. There's a Coursera class on epigenetics, but it needs a "basic genetics" class as a prerequisite, so I'm taking one now. I started it when it was already 2 weeks into a 6-week class. I was still in Plants and Dinos at that point, so I didn't start paying attention to Genetics until the last several days.
I discovered this weekend that I could still pass Genetics if I buckled right down to it, so that's what I'm doing. As of about half an hour ago, I have listened to all of the lectures, and have taken all the quizzes, for weeks 1-4 of the class. I still need to take the midterm (on weeks 1-3), and then I'll be caught up. Week 5 starts tomorrow..........
Genes and the Human Condition is really interesting!!! Especially as what we know about genetics and epigenetics keeps updating every 5 minutes, in large part because the computer technology that lets us sequence (and compare) genomes gets better every minute..... (Something of an exaggeration, but not much!)
The things we are learning in this class -- about ourselves compared to other living organisms, and about ourselves compared to Neanderthals and other extinct forms of humans.............. Mind-bending.
One random human varies from an unrelated other human, on average, about one in every thousand base pairs (a "base pair" is one rung on a DNA ladder). The human genome varies from the chimp genome by about one in every hundred base pairs. That means we are only ten times more different from chimps than any one of us is different from other people we're not related to. !!!
Mind-bending!
.
November 25
.
Cold. The morning of the 25th was the first time this season that I'd seen interesting frost on the windows.
The 25th was the day we went to Health Service for flu shots and to pick up our new glasses.
Driving home from Health Service. A pile of ex-yellow-street-lines. I believe the darker line on the pavement, lower right< is a place where there used to be a yellow line, until they peeled it off.
Closer crop of the above. I bet those two parallel lines, upper left, used to have this yellow stuff on them.
We went home, and about half an hour later, I went to the dentist. Layers of crab apples, seen through the window by the reception desk at the dentists' office. I'll bet this is three different trees......
No pics to represent the book drop on the side of the UGLI (UnderGraduate LIbrary) nearest the grad library. I hope I remember, the next time I have to drop off a universtiy book, that the most accessible-by-car book drop is nearer the street than the Diag!
No pics to commemorate the hanging of the new smoke/carbon-monoxide dispensers, either.
It's good to get icky (and/or boring) stuff done and off the list!
.
Cold. The morning of the 25th was the first time this season that I'd seen interesting frost on the windows.
The 25th was the day we went to Health Service for flu shots and to pick up our new glasses.
Driving home from Health Service. A pile of ex-yellow-street-lines. I believe the darker line on the pavement, lower right< is a place where there used to be a yellow line, until they peeled it off.
Closer crop of the above. I bet those two parallel lines, upper left, used to have this yellow stuff on them.
We went home, and about half an hour later, I went to the dentist. Layers of crab apples, seen through the window by the reception desk at the dentists' office. I'll bet this is three different trees......
No pics to represent the book drop on the side of the UGLI (UnderGraduate LIbrary) nearest the grad library. I hope I remember, the next time I have to drop off a universtiy book, that the most accessible-by-car book drop is nearer the street than the Diag!
No pics to commemorate the hanging of the new smoke/carbon-monoxide dispensers, either.
It's good to get icky (and/or boring) stuff done and off the list!
.
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Friday, November 29, 2013
my newest class..........
.
Genes and the Human Condition (From Behavior to Biotechnology) is my latest venture into Coursera's offerings.
I thought the glimpse of epigenetics that we got in What a Plant Knows was really interesting. One of my Plants classmates said Coursera has a class on epigenetics, so I went to check it out. The epigenetics prof said we'd better have a foundation in basic genetics, and listed a bunch of classes that could give us that foundation.
My first thought was -- "I know about basic genetics." My second thought was -- "Yeah, well, you thought you'd remember algebra, too........."
Um. Yes.
Hmmm.
I took a look at the list of recommended genetics classes. Genes and the Human Condition is six weeks long. I joined it two weeks into the course, when I was still in Plants and Dinos. Only this week have I been seriously listening to Genes (starting when the class was half over).
It is really dense! Many lectures, all densely packed with (fascinating) content. So far, I am really impressed. They are doing a very good job of presenting the content, with lots of interesting examples and great analogies ("Your personal genome is like two cookbooks -- one from your mother, and one from your father. You may get two identical recipes for a particular dish, or you may get two different recipes." And clips holding bunches of pages shut, standing in for tightly folded DNA that isn't being expressed.... Excellent visual!).
I'm not expecting to "pass" this class (by doing all the work up to whatever standard they are setting) as I have joined the class so late. I do expect to listen to all the lectures (perhaps more than once!). I don't know if I'll learn enough to be able to keep my head above water in the epigenetics class, but that's ok -- I'm learning a lot of very interesting stuff!
This morning I listened to a lecture about genomics. When he talked about comparing one genome to another (human to chimp, say), he said we may care more about what is different than about what is the same. We and chimps are exceedingly closely related. Chimps are more closely related to us than they are to gorillas......
Here's something he talked about that was completely new to me.
That's an adult human skull on the left, and an adult chimp's skull on the right. Whose skull is in the middle?
That's a baby chimp's skull. !!! I was really surprised that the baby chimp's skull looks so much more like ours than like the adult chimp's! The flat face, the domed skull, the relatively small teeth.........
Another thing he mentioned is the differences in placement of the opening in the skull for the spinal chord. When a critter walks upright on two feet, the opening is underneath. When a critter is quadrupedal, the opening is nearer the back. The baby chimp has the bipedal arrangement...........
I was already familiar with the concept of pedomorphism -- adults retaining juvenile characteristics. Adult golden retrievers look a lot more like puppies than do adult wolves. Drop ears and broad skulls are "baby dog" characteristics, as is extremely friendly behavior. When we breed dogs to be friendly and trustworthy (less like wolves), we also get a puppy-like look (not necessarily on purpose, it's just what happens when we breed for the behavior we want).
How interesting to learn that we ourselves are pedomorphic! We are very like adult baby chimps in many ways, and not just in our looks. He mentioned that babies are usually more curious, exploratory, experimental than adults, and speculated that is a set of traits adult humans exhibit far more often than adults of other species...........
He also mentioned the front-to-back ridge at the top of an adult chimp's skull (to which the chimp's powerful jaw muscles are attached) as something that both baby chimps and humans lack.
Almost a year ago I caught the end of an extremely interesting program on NOVA. A scientist accidentally discovered that all humans share a flaw in the DNA that enables strong jaw muscles. (That link is to my blog post on the topic, which details what I remembered hearing, the day after I saw the program. In the comments on that post, my friend Carolyn kindly offers a link directly to the NOVA program.)
Skulls begin as a collection of bones, which fuse into one as the animal gets older. The incredibly strong jaw muscles of chimps (and gorillas) have to be attached to incredibly strong bone. This requirement for very strong skull bones (to support those intensely strong jaw muscles) means that chimp skulls must fuse when the chimps are about three years old. Brains cannot continue to grow in size once the skull is fused.
The NOVA program speculated that our pitifully weak jaw muscles (in comparison to our chimp or gorilla cousins) makes it possible for our skulls to fuse MUCH later (in our 20s, up to age 30), which makes it possible for our brains to grow and grow.....
The baby-like domed skulls humans retain in adulthood, which house our big brains, might not have been possible without that "weak jaw muscle" DNA mistake. !!!
I love it when I can listen to a genomics lecture and link it back to what I know about dogs, and what I learned last year about jaw muscles and brain sizes........... !!! Many things are wrong, in our modern world, but the ability to be exposed -- SO easily! -- to all of this information is just super.
This is an excellent time for a curious person to be alive!
Digression -- I am still boggled by that "Gorilla jaw muscles are the size of human quadriceps" thing! Quadriceps. *Quadriceps*. !!! Whoa. !!! End of digression.
.
Genes and the Human Condition (From Behavior to Biotechnology) is my latest venture into Coursera's offerings.
I thought the glimpse of epigenetics that we got in What a Plant Knows was really interesting. One of my Plants classmates said Coursera has a class on epigenetics, so I went to check it out. The epigenetics prof said we'd better have a foundation in basic genetics, and listed a bunch of classes that could give us that foundation.
My first thought was -- "I know about basic genetics." My second thought was -- "Yeah, well, you thought you'd remember algebra, too........."
Um. Yes.
Hmmm.
I took a look at the list of recommended genetics classes. Genes and the Human Condition is six weeks long. I joined it two weeks into the course, when I was still in Plants and Dinos. Only this week have I been seriously listening to Genes (starting when the class was half over).
It is really dense! Many lectures, all densely packed with (fascinating) content. So far, I am really impressed. They are doing a very good job of presenting the content, with lots of interesting examples and great analogies ("Your personal genome is like two cookbooks -- one from your mother, and one from your father. You may get two identical recipes for a particular dish, or you may get two different recipes." And clips holding bunches of pages shut, standing in for tightly folded DNA that isn't being expressed.... Excellent visual!).
I'm not expecting to "pass" this class (by doing all the work up to whatever standard they are setting) as I have joined the class so late. I do expect to listen to all the lectures (perhaps more than once!). I don't know if I'll learn enough to be able to keep my head above water in the epigenetics class, but that's ok -- I'm learning a lot of very interesting stuff!
This morning I listened to a lecture about genomics. When he talked about comparing one genome to another (human to chimp, say), he said we may care more about what is different than about what is the same. We and chimps are exceedingly closely related. Chimps are more closely related to us than they are to gorillas......
Here's something he talked about that was completely new to me.
That's an adult human skull on the left, and an adult chimp's skull on the right. Whose skull is in the middle?
That's a baby chimp's skull. !!! I was really surprised that the baby chimp's skull looks so much more like ours than like the adult chimp's! The flat face, the domed skull, the relatively small teeth.........
Another thing he mentioned is the differences in placement of the opening in the skull for the spinal chord. When a critter walks upright on two feet, the opening is underneath. When a critter is quadrupedal, the opening is nearer the back. The baby chimp has the bipedal arrangement...........
I was already familiar with the concept of pedomorphism -- adults retaining juvenile characteristics. Adult golden retrievers look a lot more like puppies than do adult wolves. Drop ears and broad skulls are "baby dog" characteristics, as is extremely friendly behavior. When we breed dogs to be friendly and trustworthy (less like wolves), we also get a puppy-like look (not necessarily on purpose, it's just what happens when we breed for the behavior we want).
How interesting to learn that we ourselves are pedomorphic! We are very like adult baby chimps in many ways, and not just in our looks. He mentioned that babies are usually more curious, exploratory, experimental than adults, and speculated that is a set of traits adult humans exhibit far more often than adults of other species...........
He also mentioned the front-to-back ridge at the top of an adult chimp's skull (to which the chimp's powerful jaw muscles are attached) as something that both baby chimps and humans lack.
Almost a year ago I caught the end of an extremely interesting program on NOVA. A scientist accidentally discovered that all humans share a flaw in the DNA that enables strong jaw muscles. (That link is to my blog post on the topic, which details what I remembered hearing, the day after I saw the program. In the comments on that post, my friend Carolyn kindly offers a link directly to the NOVA program.)
Skulls begin as a collection of bones, which fuse into one as the animal gets older. The incredibly strong jaw muscles of chimps (and gorillas) have to be attached to incredibly strong bone. This requirement for very strong skull bones (to support those intensely strong jaw muscles) means that chimp skulls must fuse when the chimps are about three years old. Brains cannot continue to grow in size once the skull is fused.
The NOVA program speculated that our pitifully weak jaw muscles (in comparison to our chimp or gorilla cousins) makes it possible for our skulls to fuse MUCH later (in our 20s, up to age 30), which makes it possible for our brains to grow and grow.....
The baby-like domed skulls humans retain in adulthood, which house our big brains, might not have been possible without that "weak jaw muscle" DNA mistake. !!!
I love it when I can listen to a genomics lecture and link it back to what I know about dogs, and what I learned last year about jaw muscles and brain sizes........... !!! Many things are wrong, in our modern world, but the ability to be exposed -- SO easily! -- to all of this information is just super.
This is an excellent time for a curious person to be alive!
Digression -- I am still boggled by that "Gorilla jaw muscles are the size of human quadriceps" thing! Quadriceps. *Quadriceps*. !!! Whoa. !!! End of digression.
.
November 23
.
It snowed on the 23rd. Not for very long, but we got enough snow to call it "measurable"....
It was cold that day. I was quite chilly when I came home from walking Willard Burton (but he was happy to wander around in the back yard for a while, checking on the scents, after we got home).
The evening of the 23rd, we went downtown. Friends had arranged dinner at Lena's for a varied group of their friends.
I lobbied for not walking downtown, given how cold it was (and windy -- did I say it was windy?). We walked anyway, and it was fine. It makes a big difference if you walk briskly, rather than pausing for a (lengthy) while at every tree (or pile of leaves, or street sign, or tall clump of grass....).
The company at dinner was excellent, and the food, likewise. (I'm sure the wine was terrific, too, but it's lost on me......)
The food was interesting and varied as well as delicious. I think my very favorite thing was Ecuadorian Humitas ("fresh corn cakes with lemongrass-tomato stew and melted queso fresco"). Mmmmmmmmmmmmm.
It was interesting to find out how we all had come to know our hosts, and to find out more about each other's lives. My better half and I felt rather provincial -- others came from Brazil and India and the UK, and we came from ... Michigan. Others have Czech son-in-laws and Chinese grandchildren. Our daughter is from ... Michigan. Our hosts were/are college professors, and many of our fellow guests were/are academics. There was talk about food, and academic politics, and gardens, and travel.....
A very enjoyable evening.
We were surprised, when it was time to go home, to find that there was more than an inch of snow on the sidewalk. (It wasn't snowing at all when we went downtown.) We were pressed to accept the kind offer of a ride home, but chose to walk. It was rather nice, despite the cold. The wind had died down, and the snow was pretty.......
My brother and sister-in-law have had dinner with the same group of friends, once a month, for decades. Maintaining friendships takes effort, and I'm sure that I ought to be putting more thought and energy into that area of life.........
I am grateful for my friends, and should do a better job of demonstrating that.....
.
It snowed on the 23rd. Not for very long, but we got enough snow to call it "measurable"....
It was cold that day. I was quite chilly when I came home from walking Willard Burton (but he was happy to wander around in the back yard for a while, checking on the scents, after we got home).
The evening of the 23rd, we went downtown. Friends had arranged dinner at Lena's for a varied group of their friends.
I lobbied for not walking downtown, given how cold it was (and windy -- did I say it was windy?). We walked anyway, and it was fine. It makes a big difference if you walk briskly, rather than pausing for a (lengthy) while at every tree (or pile of leaves, or street sign, or tall clump of grass....).
The company at dinner was excellent, and the food, likewise. (I'm sure the wine was terrific, too, but it's lost on me......)
The food was interesting and varied as well as delicious. I think my very favorite thing was Ecuadorian Humitas ("fresh corn cakes with lemongrass-tomato stew and melted queso fresco"). Mmmmmmmmmmmmm.
It was interesting to find out how we all had come to know our hosts, and to find out more about each other's lives. My better half and I felt rather provincial -- others came from Brazil and India and the UK, and we came from ... Michigan. Others have Czech son-in-laws and Chinese grandchildren. Our daughter is from ... Michigan. Our hosts were/are college professors, and many of our fellow guests were/are academics. There was talk about food, and academic politics, and gardens, and travel.....
A very enjoyable evening.
We were surprised, when it was time to go home, to find that there was more than an inch of snow on the sidewalk. (It wasn't snowing at all when we went downtown.) We were pressed to accept the kind offer of a ride home, but chose to walk. It was rather nice, despite the cold. The wind had died down, and the snow was pretty.......
My brother and sister-in-law have had dinner with the same group of friends, once a month, for decades. Maintaining friendships takes effort, and I'm sure that I ought to be putting more thought and energy into that area of life.........
I am grateful for my friends, and should do a better job of demonstrating that.....
.
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Happy Thanksgiving
.
I think we're all better off when we concentrate on what we have (as opposed to what we don't have). We all have so much, in comparison with so many others. (Just this week I read an article about a young woman who came to the University of Michigan from an impoverished background somewhere in the USA. She went to Kenya to work for a summer, while she was in college, where she learned that she had actually had many opportunities, compared to others.....)
I am very grateful for dependable power. For clean water, from the tap, hot or cold as I wish. For a warm, dry place to live and sleep. For good health. For enough good food to eat. For time to spend as I choose. For family and friends (two-legged and four-legged).
For color in my environment.
For cameras (and the engineers who develop and design them). For the internet and all the people who make it work. For pavement, and the civilization it implies, with all the benefits thereof.
For libraries and books and teachers. For online classes available for free to anyone with an internet connection.
For you, visitors from far and wide, who stop here and have a look at what's going on from day to day.
Happy Thanksgiving to us all.
.
I think we're all better off when we concentrate on what we have (as opposed to what we don't have). We all have so much, in comparison with so many others. (Just this week I read an article about a young woman who came to the University of Michigan from an impoverished background somewhere in the USA. She went to Kenya to work for a summer, while she was in college, where she learned that she had actually had many opportunities, compared to others.....)
I am very grateful for dependable power. For clean water, from the tap, hot or cold as I wish. For a warm, dry place to live and sleep. For good health. For enough good food to eat. For time to spend as I choose. For family and friends (two-legged and four-legged).
For color in my environment.
For cameras (and the engineers who develop and design them). For the internet and all the people who make it work. For pavement, and the civilization it implies, with all the benefits thereof.
For libraries and books and teachers. For online classes available for free to anyone with an internet connection.
For you, visitors from far and wide, who stop here and have a look at what's going on from day to day.
Happy Thanksgiving to us all.
.
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Circuit Scribe: Instantly Draw Functional Electrical Circuits on a Piece of Paper
.
I'll send you to read this post on Colossal -- a pen that writes "wire," for your circuit design/construction needs. Cool.
.
I'll send you to read this post on Colossal -- a pen that writes "wire," for your circuit design/construction needs. Cool.
.
airplane info on billboard
.
Isn't this cool? I always wonder where the planes I see are going........ Here's a billboard that tells which flight, and where it's bound.
Seen at Colossal.
.
Isn't this cool? I always wonder where the planes I see are going........ Here's a billboard that tells which flight, and where it's bound.
Seen at Colossal.
.
November 22
.
On Friday the 22nd, my daughter had a morning meeting near the Deli. The netbook and I went along, so I could get some charity work done while she was busy, and then she and I did our usual Saturday-at-the-Deli things (as she would be working on Saturday).
I love the three-dimensionality of these signs.......... See the shadows of the letters?
I was able to get some work done that had been waiting on me for a while, so that was good. I would have gotten more done if I had remembered that the netbook has a hardware switch that toggles its ability to connect to wifi. It just will NOT connect, when the switch is in the "off" position. I think I need some screen wallpaper that says "Turn it on, first.".............. (Though, really, wouldn't you think it could have the courtesy to TELL me that the switch is off, when I click on "refresh available-network list"???)
I got done some of what needed doing, after I thought to flip the switch.
As I sat sipping Iron Goddess tea, working on describing recently-rescued corgis, I realized I recognized the music on Next Door's sound system. They played several tunes I'd heard during A History of Rock, from the days before Rock. A song from a yodeling cowboy, when Country was still separate from Western. Something Country, from a group I remember hearing (but couldn't name). Elvis, singing "That's All Right, Mama." Without A History of Rock, I wouldn't have recognized any of that music. I liked realizing that I had heard it before, and I liked that I knew its context in re rock&roll. (Hooray for learning new stuff!)
After a while, my daughter joined me. Iron Goddess is happy to be infused twice, so I got some hot water to re-infuse my tea. I shared her pastry (those Bostoks -- scroll down, if you click through -- really are very good indeed.....)
When we were ready to move on, we bought some bread to take home.
It was a rainy day.
Wet patio tables, made from old signs.
We'd parked north of Zingerman's on Detroit Street (right by the Treasure Mart, Mom).
Some of the houses in that block of Detroit Street are seriously spiffed up.
I don't think I'd ever seen this sort of slaunchwise chunk taken out of a house for an entry. I wonder why they didn't build the roof out over a stoop, rather than taking a chunk out of the house. It's interesting, but.... Living, as I do, in a house with a chunk taken out for a front porch, I think it's better to have a porch sticking out of the house rather than ... sticking into the house!
Love this blue.....
Cool front yard, too, with interesting rocks and small trees. I wonder if the flat red rock's carved-out depression is meant for a bird bath, or if it's too deep for that.
Here's the house next door to the blue one.
(See the white house? I think I looked at that one, when I was looking at houses before I bought my first house....... I don't remember why I wasn't interested, but I bet it needed serious work. All of these houses are pre-1900, I'm pretty sure.)
I love looking at this, and I'm so glad I don't have to maintain it..........
If you click on the image to embiggen, you can see that the window surrounds were carved and then painted. The downstairs windows had the same sort of work done around them. Cool.
Detroit Street, right by our car. Love these old brick streets!
A collection of bricks stamped with the manufacturers' names.
.
On Friday the 22nd, my daughter had a morning meeting near the Deli. The netbook and I went along, so I could get some charity work done while she was busy, and then she and I did our usual Saturday-at-the-Deli things (as she would be working on Saturday).
I love the three-dimensionality of these signs.......... See the shadows of the letters?
I was able to get some work done that had been waiting on me for a while, so that was good. I would have gotten more done if I had remembered that the netbook has a hardware switch that toggles its ability to connect to wifi. It just will NOT connect, when the switch is in the "off" position. I think I need some screen wallpaper that says "Turn it on, first.".............. (Though, really, wouldn't you think it could have the courtesy to TELL me that the switch is off, when I click on "refresh available-network list"???)
I got done some of what needed doing, after I thought to flip the switch.
As I sat sipping Iron Goddess tea, working on describing recently-rescued corgis, I realized I recognized the music on Next Door's sound system. They played several tunes I'd heard during A History of Rock, from the days before Rock. A song from a yodeling cowboy, when Country was still separate from Western. Something Country, from a group I remember hearing (but couldn't name). Elvis, singing "That's All Right, Mama." Without A History of Rock, I wouldn't have recognized any of that music. I liked realizing that I had heard it before, and I liked that I knew its context in re rock&roll. (Hooray for learning new stuff!)
After a while, my daughter joined me. Iron Goddess is happy to be infused twice, so I got some hot water to re-infuse my tea. I shared her pastry (those Bostoks -- scroll down, if you click through -- really are very good indeed.....)
When we were ready to move on, we bought some bread to take home.
It was a rainy day.
Wet patio tables, made from old signs.
We'd parked north of Zingerman's on Detroit Street (right by the Treasure Mart, Mom).
Some of the houses in that block of Detroit Street are seriously spiffed up.
I don't think I'd ever seen this sort of slaunchwise chunk taken out of a house for an entry. I wonder why they didn't build the roof out over a stoop, rather than taking a chunk out of the house. It's interesting, but.... Living, as I do, in a house with a chunk taken out for a front porch, I think it's better to have a porch sticking out of the house rather than ... sticking into the house!
Love this blue.....
Cool front yard, too, with interesting rocks and small trees. I wonder if the flat red rock's carved-out depression is meant for a bird bath, or if it's too deep for that.
Here's the house next door to the blue one.
(See the white house? I think I looked at that one, when I was looking at houses before I bought my first house....... I don't remember why I wasn't interested, but I bet it needed serious work. All of these houses are pre-1900, I'm pretty sure.)
I love looking at this, and I'm so glad I don't have to maintain it..........
If you click on the image to embiggen, you can see that the window surrounds were carved and then painted. The downstairs windows had the same sort of work done around them. Cool.
Detroit Street, right by our car. Love these old brick streets!
A collection of bricks stamped with the manufacturers' names.
.
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
November 20, walking Bert
.
More Secret Garden. Burt wonders why we've stopped. I was trying to get a clearer pic, taken while stopped rather than while in motion....
Holly.
Autumn clematis seeds.
Closer.
Even closer. Love the way the furled wings curve and curl.
It looks to me like these wings get hairier and hairier, as they continue to ripen.
.
More Secret Garden. Burt wonders why we've stopped. I was trying to get a clearer pic, taken while stopped rather than while in motion....
Holly.
Autumn clematis seeds.
Closer.
Even closer. Love the way the furled wings curve and curl.
It looks to me like these wings get hairier and hairier, as they continue to ripen.
.
Monday, November 25, 2013
clearing the list
.
Today is being one of those days when a lot of out-of-the-usual things get done. My better half and I finally got our flu shots today (our daughter got hers weeks ago). We picked up our new glasses. I went to the dentist (regular checkup). I returned a book to the University library system (non-trivial as part of a set of in-the-car errands -- they really think everyone is going to arrive at the libraries on foot!). My daughter and I hung dark fleece fabric over her windows in preparation for working the night shift in December. I hung up the new smoke detectors and the new smoke/carbon-dioxide detector. (Did you know those detectors are supposed to be replaced periodically? I didn't, until fairly recently...... Not just the batteries, the detectors themselves. The combination detector says to replace it in 7 years....)
It's good to get a bunch of those sorts of things off my list.
Of course I'm still on the hook for the usual things.
I'm working myself up to walk the dog. It's cold out. And gray. And windy. I'll be ok walking me, because I cruise, and get warmed up. Walking him is another story. Too much loitering, not enough moving, for me to keep warm. Why he doesn't get cold, I don't know, but when we get home after a walk, he putters around in the yard before he wants to come in. I can't conclude he suffers on his walks.............. Getting him a coat, before it gets even colder out, is something on my list that won't get done today.
.
Today is being one of those days when a lot of out-of-the-usual things get done. My better half and I finally got our flu shots today (our daughter got hers weeks ago). We picked up our new glasses. I went to the dentist (regular checkup). I returned a book to the University library system (non-trivial as part of a set of in-the-car errands -- they really think everyone is going to arrive at the libraries on foot!). My daughter and I hung dark fleece fabric over her windows in preparation for working the night shift in December. I hung up the new smoke detectors and the new smoke/carbon-dioxide detector. (Did you know those detectors are supposed to be replaced periodically? I didn't, until fairly recently...... Not just the batteries, the detectors themselves. The combination detector says to replace it in 7 years....)
It's good to get a bunch of those sorts of things off my list.
Of course I'm still on the hook for the usual things.
I'm working myself up to walk the dog. It's cold out. And gray. And windy. I'll be ok walking me, because I cruise, and get warmed up. Walking him is another story. Too much loitering, not enough moving, for me to keep warm. Why he doesn't get cold, I don't know, but when we get home after a walk, he putters around in the yard before he wants to come in. I can't conclude he suffers on his walks.............. Getting him a coat, before it gets even colder out, is something on my list that won't get done today.
.
November 20, walking home from yoga
.
Fallen Japanese maple leaves, on the ivy and myrtle.
Bamboo, I bet, in a lawn extension.
Locust tree seedpod. I think it is cool the way (almost) every other seed sticks to this half of the pod, and every *other* seed sticks to the other half of the pod.....
Closer crop. We can see that this tree is a legume.....
Oak leaf. Underside.
Topside of same leaf. Isn't this an excellent shape?
I don't know whose leaf this is, but I was glad to see yellow and red!
Ducks and shadows and reflections.
Interesting that the tree shadows are all wobbly, and the duck-head shadows aren't....
Parts of the pond were frozen.
Parts weren't. The south side of the pond was not frozen, even though that side is shadier.
West end.
East end. Ducks, having navigated the transition from open water to ice (which took some work). This mama was very successful this year! (Not that I actually know for sure that one of these is the mama, or, if one is, which one! I suppose these might be a random collection of ducks, rather than [part of?] one family.....)
South side of pond. Cattails.
Oak leaves (mostly), in non-frozen water.
Sunshine. Always welcome, when there's ice on the pond!
Manhole cover, set in concrete.
The texture of the actual cover looks like this.
We can still see the occasional flower, if we look hard.
Bradford pear leaf.
.
Fallen Japanese maple leaves, on the ivy and myrtle.
Bamboo, I bet, in a lawn extension.
Locust tree seedpod. I think it is cool the way (almost) every other seed sticks to this half of the pod, and every *other* seed sticks to the other half of the pod.....
Closer crop. We can see that this tree is a legume.....
Oak leaf. Underside.
Topside of same leaf. Isn't this an excellent shape?
I don't know whose leaf this is, but I was glad to see yellow and red!
Ducks and shadows and reflections.
Interesting that the tree shadows are all wobbly, and the duck-head shadows aren't....
Parts of the pond were frozen.
Parts weren't. The south side of the pond was not frozen, even though that side is shadier.
West end.
East end. Ducks, having navigated the transition from open water to ice (which took some work). This mama was very successful this year! (Not that I actually know for sure that one of these is the mama, or, if one is, which one! I suppose these might be a random collection of ducks, rather than [part of?] one family.....)
South side of pond. Cattails.
Oak leaves (mostly), in non-frozen water.
Sunshine. Always welcome, when there's ice on the pond!
Manhole cover, set in concrete.
The texture of the actual cover looks like this.
We can still see the occasional flower, if we look hard.
Bradford pear leaf.
.
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