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Bacteria living within insects, nematodes and other eukaryotes transfer genes into their hosts more often than previously thought, according to a study published online this week in Science.

“This could be a rapid mechanism by which organisms acquire new genes and evolve new features,” said John Werren of the University of Rochester in New York, who was a senior coauthor on the study…

The Scientist: Bacterial genes jump to host

A three-dimensional image of a human neurosynaptic membrane spins in the middle of a darkened room, its serpentine powder-blue profile passing only meters in front of my face. Magenta dots dance around the membrane; some bind to receptors attached to the tissue, while others vibrate wildly. The only sound is the humming of two projectors. Joel Stiles, director of the National Resource for Biomedical Supercomputing (NRBSC) at the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center (PSC), begins to narrate, explaining that the magenta dots are calcium ions flowing into the membrane. Their binding triggers neuromuscular firing…

The Scientist: The Bytes Behind Biology

Bacteria frozen in permafrost for hundreds of thousands of years slowly respirate and repair their DNA, according to a report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences this week. The strategy may explain how life persists over geologic time scales, the authors say.

Other scientists have claimed to recover viable microbes that have been trapped in amber, salt or buried deep within the earth for tens to hundreds of millions of years, but how these ancient bacteria remained alive for so long under extreme conditions has remained a mystery…

The Scientist: Ancient microbes repair DNA

To me, it was a great experience in terms of how much I’ve improved my running and body endurance. I could see the results in cutting down 20 minutes from my previous “official” marathon time and how well my body reacted to the continuity of the race (despite the lack of food in aid stations). The weather was a bit cloudy but excellent for running and the people (runners and audience) were very friendly and supportive, just like in all big races.

Since I live here, it’s hard for me to tell if the course was good or not (in terms of scenery), so I’ll let outside runners judge that:

I want to thank Beto for taking me to the race start very early in the morning and for waiting me at the finish line to take me back home. Also a lot of thanks to my parents who appeared 3 times along the course to cheer me up.

Besides of all the activity Daniel and I had at Yosemite, I managed to do 2 before-work runs around Santa Clara on Tuesday and Thursday, just as maintenance runs before the big race next Sunday:

Last night I went with Annie, Nilesh, Gerardo and Daniel to San Francisco to have dinner at an Ethiopian restaurant. We shared a giant dish with different kind of prepared meats and vegetables, all eaten bare hands, awesome! After dinner, we made a brief nightly tour around some of SF’s neighborhoods, then drove all the way down to Santa Clara.

Today I’ve spent most of the day traveling, I can’t believe that getting back home from a nearby place such as San Francisco could take me ~12 hours. I’m pretty tired, going to bed now…

Blue-light-sensing proteins unexpectedly help regulate virulence in at least one species of infectious bacteria, and the mechanism might prove common among other microbes, according to a study published this week in Science.

“There’s a whole universe of bacterial photobiology to be uncovered,” John Kennis at Vrije University in Amsterdam, who did not participate in this study, told The Scientist. Kennis cowrote a commentary published with the new findings…

The Scientist: Bacteria see the light

Activities for the 2-day trip included: driving from Santa Clara to Yosemite, bouldering at 3 different areas in Tuolumne Meadows, hiking to Cathedral Lake, camping at Tuolumne Meadows campground, running (alone) the trail to Elizabeth Lake, visiting Glacier Point, hiking to Sentinel Dome, visiting Yosemite Valley and driving all the back to Santa Clara.

Some pictures of the weekend trip are shown below, for the full set you’ll have to go to Flickr

After 10 years of my 1st climbing trip there I can’t wait to be back

Regarding the 1st topic, I wonder if Y! will someday put hands on it…

katatonia – sulfur

i’m drawing back time
to feel things once again
as when i had found them

i saw you grow older
saw myself grow older too
but not as much as you
if i only knew

i had sulfur in my heart
but not enough strenght to give it a spark
i didn’t know when to start
when we were bright or when we were dark
i had a wind in my chest
blew as hard as it ever could
i could have written books for you
if i only knew

i held my head down i know
and you walked around in circles
i’m sure you already knew
if i only knew it too

so much i want to ask you
you have no time to let me do so
there is no light in my pathway
you must tell me where to go…

Celtic Frost was supposed to play also tonight, but a last minute cancellation due to drummer’s illness left enough room for the swedish band to transform the auditorium into hell. These are the songs they played:

Valhall Awaits Me, Runes To My Memory, Cry Of The Black Birds, Asator, Versus The World, The Pursuit Of Vikings, Fate Of Norns, Thousand Years Of Oppression, Without Fear, With Oden On Our Side, Where Silent Gods Stand Guard, The Last With Pagan Blood, For The Stabwounds In Our Backs, An Ancient Sign Of Coming Storm, Victorious March and Death In Fire.

A really memorable concert, it seemed like if there was viking blood in our mexican genes. So much energy!