Small Things Considered

The View From Here — by Charles Yanofsky

C. Yanowsky | Although the genetic code is well established, a very exciting unsolved problem is discovering how codons were related to amino acids in the evolution of protein synthesis. How did a tRNA and a tRNA synthetase first evolve, and what was their ancestral source? Read more →

Talmudic Question #32

Which group of bacteria and archaea is more abundant on Earth (by mass): obligate aerobes, obligate anaerobes, facultatives, or obligate anaerobic respirers? Read more →

The Loss of a Good Word

by Elio | A recent report goes a long way towards dispelling the notion that “nanobacteria” found in human blood are living entities. They seem to be inorganic precipitates, instead. Fine with me. What is less fine is that those making the original claim have mangled a perfectly good term and perhaps rendered it useless. Read more →