tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17907187808556610072024-02-19T14:33:32.693+01:00PRBB newsI am the scientific editor of the PRBB, and this is my personal blog about my workplace and other science related things. The PRBB is an initiative of the Government of Catalonia, the City Council of Barcelona and the Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), is a large biomedical research infrastructure that is physically connected to the ‘Hospital del Mar de Barcelona’ and that gathers together six public research centres closely coordinated amongst them.Maruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10590857664410916034noreply@blogger.comBlogger139125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1790718780855661007.post-62337964237578785102011-10-13T12:19:00.002+02:002011-10-13T12:19:45.299+02:00September Ellipse editionAgain with a delay... I'm actually about to post the October issue! But first, take a look at the September one - I'm sure you'll find something of interest there!<br />
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<div><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" id="570ce75b-318a-0f22-5bce-bf658dea3494" style="height: 297px; width: 420px;"><param name="movie" value="http://static.issuu.com/webembed/viewers/style1/v2/IssuuReader.swf?mode=mini&backgroundColor=%23222222&documentId=110909120628-756ae01c707d497b97954846110e76d2" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"/><param name="menu" value="false"/><param name="wmode" value="transparent"/><embed src="http://static.issuu.com/webembed/viewers/style1/v2/IssuuReader.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" menu="false" wmode="transparent" style="width:420px;height:297px" flashvars="mode=mini&backgroundColor=%23222222&documentId=110909120628-756ae01c707d497b97954846110e76d2" /></object><br />
<div style="text-align: left; width: 420px;"><a href="http://issuu.com/prbb/docs/el_lipse_num_47?mode=window&backgroundColor=%23222222" target="_blank">Open publication</a> - Free <a href="http://issuu.com/" target="_blank">publishing</a> - <a href="http://issuu.com/search?q=alzheimer" target="_blank">More alzheimer</a></div></div><br />
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Millions of our cells die through apoptosis every day. That’s what the group profile of Gabriel Gil (IMIM) tells us in this new issue of Ellipse. Common patterns of virus infections, common origins of genetic diseases and a more efficient cell reprogramming are other of the discoveries announced this month. You can also learn how cycling saves lives, how a simple analysis can help predict cardiovascular risk or which gene has been found to be responsible for the rare but very serious Bohring-Opitz syndrome. Also, check out the pictures of the PRBB summer party and beach volleyball championship!!Maruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10590857664410916034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1790718780855661007.post-51350660105836631092011-09-06T15:15:00.003+02:002011-09-06T15:55:45.985+02:00Ellipse d'estiu / Summer EllipseForgot to post the summer issue of Ellipse before going on holidays.. here it is!<br /><br /><div><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" style="width:420px;height:297px" id="ea353a43-2b4d-5920-54b5-4ae5869092ae" ><param name="movie" value="http://static.issuu.com/webembed/viewers/style1/v2/IssuuReader.swf?mode=mini&backgroundColor=%23222222&documentId=110906132623-72431273260247f1b7a910166f84bed6" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"/><param name="menu" value="false"/><param name="wmode" value="transparent"/><embed src="http://static.issuu.com/webembed/viewers/style1/v2/IssuuReader.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" menu="false" wmode="transparent" style="width:420px;height:297px" flashvars="mode=mini&backgroundColor=%23222222&documentId=110906132623-72431273260247f1b7a910166f84bed6" /></object><div style="width:420px;text-align:left;"><a href="http://issuu.com/prbb/docs/el_lipse_num_46?mode=embed" target="_blank">Open publication</a> - Free <a href="http://issuu.com" target="_blank">publishing</a> - <a href="http://issuu.com/search?q=barcelona" target="_blank">More barcelona</a></div></div><br /><br />The Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE: UPF-CSIC) has officially joined the PRBB. Also, the CRG, another of the centres at our biomedical research park, has a new director, Luis Serrano. The ex-director Miguel Beato expresses his farewell in the editorial of this month's El•lipse. Other news include a new drug against hepatitis C, the deciphering of the chronic lymphocytic leukaemia genome, the role of CB1 receptors in learning and advances in drug design thanks to computer simulations. Enjoy!commhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743421202219979985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1790718780855661007.post-7363592276072506582011-06-20T12:30:00.002+02:002011-06-20T12:35:08.064+02:00Weekly meetings for runners<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz4hgFwGPzMOinW6ZnI1mBobay3VuLi_5YWkTi7n_wZOjafmFdBfpIEPfif94KON_IyRPw5cSNJMi6GYrcNadxMr38zAPuffzEaeIhqD1_vGb49bxSP2x547IeOce0gO4YjkTAtmeYECI/s1600/_DSC0064.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz4hgFwGPzMOinW6ZnI1mBobay3VuLi_5YWkTi7n_wZOjafmFdBfpIEPfif94KON_IyRPw5cSNJMi6GYrcNadxMr38zAPuffzEaeIhqD1_vGb49bxSP2x547IeOce0gO4YjkTAtmeYECI/s200/_DSC0064.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620248612318964066" /></a><br />After the success of the "5 years 5 km" initiative last May 30, many of the runners of the PRBB decided they didn´t have enough. So now four weekly meetings have been scheduled for anyone who wants to go for a run with some colleagues.<br /><br /><br />Every Monday at 6pm and at 7pm <br />Every Thursday at 6pm and at 7pm <br /><br />The starting point is the inner square, where "runners" can meet and warm up. <br /><br />Thanks to all who participated on May 30, and let's keep on running!!!commhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743421202219979985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1790718780855661007.post-29265918174130504292011-06-08T12:48:00.002+02:002011-06-08T12:53:50.579+02:00New edition of El·lipse, June 2011: "Five years, five kilometres"<div><embed src="http://static.issuu.com/webembed/viewers/style1/v1/IssuuViewer.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" menu="false" quality="high" scale="noscale" salign="l" flashvars="mode=embed&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Flight%2Flayout.xml&showFlipBtn=true&documentId=110608095409-6925bdd12e1d422f9d072920c0abcab6&docName=el_lipse_num_45&username=PRBB&loadingInfoText=Ellipse%2045%3A%20%22Five%20years%2C%20five%20kilometres%22&et=1307530395749&er=82" style="width:420px;height:297px" name="flashticker" align="middle"></embed><div style="width:420px;text-align:left;"><a href="http://issuu.com/PRBB/docs/el_lipse_num_45?mode=embed&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Flight%2Flayout.xml&showFlipBtn=true" target="_blank">Open publication</a> - Free <a href="http://issuu.com" target="_blank">publishing</a> - <a href="http://issuu.com/search?q=award" target="_blank">More award</a></div></div><br /><br /><br />In the <a href="http://bit.ly/kAUJa2">June issue of the Ellipse</a>, the monthly newspaper of the <a href="http://www.prbb.org">PRBB</a>, you can learn how about 100 residents of the PRBB met to run 5km to celebrate 5 years since the park creation. In addition, <a href="http://pasteur.crg.es/portal/page/portal/Internet/02_Research/01_Programmes/01_Bioinformatics_Genomics/04_Comparative_Genomics">Toni Gabaldón</a>, from the CRG, explains his research in comparative genomics; <a href="http://www.upf.edu/cexs/">UPF </a>researchers publish in Science the relationship between DNA compaction and the stress cell response; several studies from the <a href="http://www.imim.es/en_index.html">IMIM </a>help the benefits of olive oil to be recognized by the European Food Safety Authority; Audrey de Nazelle, from CREAL, reveals the utility of smartphones for <a href="http://www.creal.cat/programes-recerca/projectes-creal/46/tapas-transportation-air-pollution-and-physical-activities-an-integrated-health-risk-assessment-progamme-of-climate-change-and-urban-policies?prog=3">epidemiological studies</a>; and scientists from the CMRB show how the LSD1 enzyme helps stem cells to decide between renewal or differentiation. You can also discover who has won the PRBB award or how statistics can support research, among many other things. Enjoy it!commhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743421202219979985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1790718780855661007.post-66858697904742398952011-05-24T18:31:00.005+02:002011-05-24T18:36:53.795+02:00Premi Ellipse sobre la biologia de la memoriaRecordad, ya podeis enviar vuestros trabajos (escritos o gràficos) para participar en el premio Ellipse. La única condición es que traten sobre la biologia de la memoria. Estan en juego 1000 euros!<br /><br />Ànimos! <br /><br />Mas información aquí:<br /><a href="http://bit.ly/hEhQkF">http://bit.ly/hEhQkF</a>commhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743421202219979985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1790718780855661007.post-70583461364809720732011-05-10T11:13:00.004+02:002011-05-10T11:22:21.712+02:00New Ellipse edition (May 2011)<div><object style="width:420px;height:297px" ><param name="movie" value="http://static.issuu.com/webembed/viewers/style1/v1/IssuuViewer.swf?mode=embed&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Flight%2Flayout.xml&showFlipBtn=true&documentId=110506083540-63c99e6115ff41e29d96f1b9327ad484&docName=el_lipse_num_44&username=PRBB&loadingInfoText=Ellipse%2044%3A%20%22Per%20molts%20anys%2C%20PRBB%22&et=1305019347264&er=88" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"/><param name="menu" value="false"/><embed src="http://static.issuu.com/webembed/viewers/style1/v1/IssuuViewer.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" menu="false" style="width:420px;height:297px" flashvars="mode=embed&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Flight%2Flayout.xml&showFlipBtn=true&documentId=110506083540-63c99e6115ff41e29d96f1b9327ad484&docName=el_lipse_num_44&username=PRBB&loadingInfoText=Ellipse%2044%3A%20%22Per%20molts%20anys%2C%20PRBB%22&et=1305019347264&er=88" /></object><div style="width:420px;text-align:left;"><a href="http://issuu.com/PRBB/docs/el_lipse_num_44?mode=embed&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Flight%2Flayout.xml&showFlipBtn=true" target="_blank">Open publication</a> - Free <a href="http://issuu.com" target="_blank">publishing</a> - <a href="http://issuu.com/search?q=alzheimer" target="_blank">More alzheimer</a></div></div><br /><br />The PRBB celebrates its 5th anniversary! Check out what we have been up to these five years. <br /><br />An EMBO workshop at the park, the largest European research project on child health or a 'scientific competition' to find the best solution to the problems of DNA assembly are other of the subjects you will find in this May edition of El•lipse, the PRBB monthly newspaper. What do the PRBB researchers think about the new Spanish Science Law? <br /><br />Last but not least, you will find information on the III Ellipse Award for science popularisation. We encourage you to participate!<br /><br />You can read the El·lipse <a href="http://www.prbb.org/contingut/ellipse">here </a>or check our multimedia version <a href="http://bit.ly/lq6akY">here</a>.commhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743421202219979985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1790718780855661007.post-41858335491908497132011-05-02T13:21:00.000+02:002011-05-02T13:21:39.027+02:00El premi El·lipse del PRBB s'apropa a la biologia de la memòria | Biocat – Biociències i innovació<a href="http://www.biocat.cat/noticies/el-premi-el%C2%B7lipse-del-prbb-sapropa-la-biologia-de-la-memoria?sms_ss=blogger&at_xt=4dbe93bccba593d0%2C0">El premi El·lipse del PRBB s'apropa a la biologia de la memòria | Biocat – Biociències i innovació</a>commhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743421202219979985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1790718780855661007.post-89202866851812295282011-04-19T15:59:00.001+02:002011-04-19T15:59:53.923+02:00The PRBB runner's club<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/prbb/5634233977/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5222/5634233977_ae144057c7_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/prbb/5634233977/">The runner's club</a><br />Cargado originalmente por <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/prbb/">PRBB</a></span></div>Many of the PRBB residents go running regularly, and now we have T-shirts to identift them!<br /><br />If you want to be part of the 'runner's club', come and get your T-shirt at the 4th floor!<br clear="all" />commhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743421202219979985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1790718780855661007.post-72990715939721386082011-04-08T14:39:00.001+02:002011-04-08T14:52:02.064+02:00El·lipse d'abril: El cervell, aquest gran desconegutEl cervell, aquest gran desconegut, protagonitza la portada de <a href="http://bit.ly/edpA58">l’edició d’abril de l’El·lipse</a>. <br /><br /><div><object style="width:420px;height:297px" ><param name="movie" value="http://static.issuu.com/webembed/viewers/style1/v1/IssuuViewer.swf?mode=embed&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Flight%2Flayout.xml&showFlipBtn=true&autoFlip=true&autoFlipTime=6000&documentId=110408112720-47096918b4d540229bf0deeee2a4bbb1&docName=el_lipse_num_43&username=PRBB&loadingInfoText=Ellipse%2043%3A%20The%20brain%2C%20that%20great%20unknown&et=1302267072742&er=26" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"/><param name="menu" value="false"/><embed src="http://static.issuu.com/webembed/viewers/style1/v1/IssuuViewer.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" menu="false" style="width:420px;height:297px" flashvars="mode=embed&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Flight%2Flayout.xml&showFlipBtn=true&autoFlip=true&autoFlipTime=6000&documentId=110408112720-47096918b4d540229bf0deeee2a4bbb1&docName=el_lipse_num_43&username=PRBB&loadingInfoText=Ellipse%2043%3A%20The%20brain%2C%20that%20great%20unknown&et=1302267072742&er=26" /></object><div style="width:420px;text-align:left;"><a href="http://issuu.com/PRBB/docs/el_lipse_num_43?mode=embed&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Flight%2Flayout.xml&showFlipBtn=true&autoFlip=true&autoFlipTime=6000" target="_blank">Open publication</a> - Free <a href="http://issuu.com" target="_blank">publishing</a> - <a href="http://issuu.com/search?q=barcelona" target="_blank">More barcelona</a></div></div><br /><br />També hi trobareu articles sobre nous avenços en la nostre comprensió de l’envelliment prematur i l’infart de miocardi, sobre la predicció d’efectes secundaris de fàrmacs, la compactació de l’ADN, la regeneració de teixits i òrgans, l’origen de l’Homo sapiens, el virus de l’hepatitis C... i molt més! <br /><br />L’estudi del càncer de pròstata és l’objectiu del grup de recerca que analitzem aquest mes, i en l’apartat de ‘ciència al descobert’ entendrem com funciona la citometria de flux.<br /><br />En l’entrevista, David Searls, ex-vicepresident de la secció de bioinformàtica de GlaxoSmithKline ens explica com n’és d’important aquesta disciplina per les grans farmacèutiques i per la medicina del futur. I parlant de futur, quatre investigadors dels centres del PRBB imaginen quins desenvolupament tecnològic els seria útil per la seva recerca. <br /><br />Desitgem que us agradi!commhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743421202219979985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1790718780855661007.post-13340303596447094032011-03-31T14:37:00.003+02:002011-03-31T14:42:59.647+02:00The biology of memory - what do YOU have to say about it for 1000€?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNKly_uG7m6w_JKvjd5NygMpai_bZQCtve9FhEEKD2kQ39zQy48ZxLSLOZ0uEto5fNxPVG3hzxrG4kNvcjUW7HaO1FTUKdFOUlYhv0pI0HNleqnHpRSLuE4_0p8Tz1q_fgc5iyWg83MkQ/s1600/ADN_flyer_ENG_P%25C3%25A1gina_1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 125px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNKly_uG7m6w_JKvjd5NygMpai_bZQCtve9FhEEKD2kQ39zQy48ZxLSLOZ0uEto5fNxPVG3hzxrG4kNvcjUW7HaO1FTUKdFOUlYhv0pI0HNleqnHpRSLuE4_0p8Tz1q_fgc5iyWg83MkQ/s200/ADN_flyer_ENG_P%25C3%25A1gina_1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590223186887006178" /></a><br />Literature and arts get close to science for the third consecutive year with the Ellipse Award organised by the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB).<br /><br />This award started three years ago by initiative of a group of young researchers of the park, and it is aimed at anyone interested in biomedical research - whatever their training and profession. It gives them the opportunity to explain a particular concept related to biomedicine using, amongst other genres, a fictional story, a poem, an essay, a theatrical script or any form of graphical work.<br /><br />In the spirit of reaching as many people as possible, the texts can be written in Catalan, Spanish or English.<br /><br />Under the Alzheimer International 2011 initiative, the prize this year will be awarded to the best works that address any aspect related to the biology of memory from a scientific perspective (e.g. the biochemistry of memory, its physiological conditions, the diseases that cause its alteration or the potential treatments to restore it).<br /><br />The prize is 1000 Euros for the winning entry in each category: graphics and written, and the deadline for sending your work is July 15, 2011. For more information: <a href="http://premi-ellipse.prbb.org">premi-ellipse.prbb.org</a><br /><br />Good luck!!commhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743421202219979985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1790718780855661007.post-65401114656025643432011-03-28T14:11:00.002+02:002011-03-28T14:15:35.668+02:00Cis-regulation and genome architecture during development, evolution and genetic diseases<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj2tbXZL84ulGodi-SHaVeNcbOzzXZvI4KW8K_TiMm1xmKVAbwHHGzzfjixQQltdcmnxLLv72ovzaTjgRlvf6jDuejLip91mnZBxFGx0FceBC1q24Nf_5EUvglc02fwmhWsqWwsMym7ns/s1600/jose+luis.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 116px; height: 126px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj2tbXZL84ulGodi-SHaVeNcbOzzXZvI4KW8K_TiMm1xmKVAbwHHGzzfjixQQltdcmnxLLv72ovzaTjgRlvf6jDuejLip91mnZBxFGx0FceBC1q24Nf_5EUvglc02fwmhWsqWwsMym7ns/s200/jose+luis.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589103346919409154" /></a><br />That's the title of today's PRBB-CRG conference by <a href="http://www.cabd.es/es-research_groups-37-85-estudios-de-genomica-funcional-para-comprender-el-desarrollo-la-evolucion-y-las-enfermedades-geneticas-humanas-resumen.html">José Luís Gómez-Skamerta</a>. I learned many things, but here’s two interesting ones:<br /><br />1-3C (Chromosome Conformation Capture), a high-throughput molecular biology technique used to analyze the organization of chromosomes in a cell. In particular, it allows one to check whether two very distant DNA regions interact with each other via cross-linking, digestion and re-ligation. I had heard about it before, but had forgotten, and it’s quite cool, isn´t it?<br /><br />2-How the 3D structure of the genome (and particularly, the formation of loops on the DNA) can add a new level of complexity to gene regulation. Gómez-Skamerta showed us how the same collection of genes and the same collection of enhancers can have a very different result through evolution (in different organisms) and through development (at different stages), and one way of achieving this is via the DNA loops. How? Using the example of the Iroquois genes (Irx), which he originally cloned, he showed how keeping two promoters (and several enhancers) within one same loop facilitated the fact that these two genes are activated by the same enhancers. It also explains why those enhancers in the loop have more difficulty to activate a gene outside the loop.<br /><br />And that’s my very brief summary :)commhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743421202219979985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1790718780855661007.post-5536422027424205332011-03-18T17:10:00.002+01:002011-03-18T17:21:22.263+01:00Evolutionary medicine - understanding malaria drug resistance<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7FtQuDbHfMQ2hcV7CNgvXMq8GwHBrIm1i4GPEXWDYDAKhgP_p4kgPpG5l1gYfDbBkFXvJsg2sczhkLstb7l2oHeXY_abWMYPufMhv4GEz4Jhgbr0jCmgVYMckfIG_3STWaVutJ1MyLJo/s1600/malaria+picada.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 275px; height: 176px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7FtQuDbHfMQ2hcV7CNgvXMq8GwHBrIm1i4GPEXWDYDAKhgP_p4kgPpG5l1gYfDbBkFXvJsg2sczhkLstb7l2oHeXY_abWMYPufMhv4GEz4Jhgbr0jCmgVYMckfIG_3STWaVutJ1MyLJo/s320/malaria+picada.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585455835366502818" /></a><br />Forgetting for a minute their use of complicated mathematical formulae, scientists are, really, like children. They ask: why? And when they have the answer, ask again: but why? And once a satisfactory explanation has been found they wonder, but why? And on and on and on…<br /><br />But this stubbornness pays off. Daniel Hartl, from Harvard University, gave us an example today of how this relentless questioning actually helps come up with interesting and useful explanations about how things are the way they are.<br /><br />In his talk at the <a href="http://www.prbb.org">PRBB </a>Conference Hal, Hartl talked about the evolution of drug resistance in the malaria parasite. He pointed out how the different existing treatments for malaria that have existed have been effective for less and less years each, before resistance appeared.<br /><br />He focused on his analysis of DHFR, a parasite enzyme which is the target of the antimalaria drug pyrimethamine. There are 4 aa changes that can be combined following 24 potential evolutionary pathways. Hartls simulations and laboratory experiments (using E.coli) showed that only three of those account for most of the outcomes. When he checked the ‘real world’ and looked at all the polymorphisms that exist for DhFR he found that, indeed, there were few that were common, and these coincided with those he found to be more successful in the lab.<br /><br />Now come the questions :)<br /><br />Hartl found that a particular polymorphism very common in South East Asia (which contained all four aa changes, let’s call it 1111) was not present in Africa. <strong>Why</strong>?, he asked (especially since he found some resistant strains found in Africa had their origin in East Asia). Well, he found that the fourth mutation had a high fitness cost associated (the enzyme was less efficient), so it was not very good. ..<br /><br />But then (second why) <strong>why </strong>was that mutation present in Asia to begin with? Well, because in Asia those 1111 strains had high copy numbers of a gene linked to the 1111allele which coded for the enzyme substrate, and those high copies resulted in high levels of the enzyme substrate, which meant that having a less efficient enzyme was not that bad.<br /><br />But then (yes, a third one!) <strong>why </strong>was that CNV not present in Africa? Well, it turns out that while in Asia people are usually only bitten once, in Africa a person can be infected by several parasites at the same time. That means that recombination takes place between the different parasites, and therefore the CNV and the 1111 allele are easily separated. Therefore, having a 1111 is bad, and it’s not compensated by high copy numbers of the CNV, because they are not linked.<br /><br />Interesting, eh? If you (or your 3-year old child) can think of any other <em>whys </em>don’t be shy, contact Daniel Hartl who, I am sure, will be delighted to keep on investigating…commhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743421202219979985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1790718780855661007.post-11822610267836745092011-03-02T12:59:00.003+01:002011-03-02T13:07:42.259+01:00Of sex and death<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC9d6RL9OSLsOL_iuS_nyxagHzPUALcDpteWfrgRcwsB71QeM_JG4JLtFOx66AIfz3tsyJx3WdrLu5tVnl-VcxXB3oG74tPpFKkvSbztbF7rmDwkD8kcHs8Ov6Gil3nOZMhq5UDOGHPEU/s1600/7%252C+PHilppe.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC9d6RL9OSLsOL_iuS_nyxagHzPUALcDpteWfrgRcwsB71QeM_JG4JLtFOx66AIfz3tsyJx3WdrLu5tVnl-VcxXB3oG74tPpFKkvSbztbF7rmDwkD8kcHs8Ov6Gil3nOZMhq5UDOGHPEU/s320/7%252C+PHilppe.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579452204869621090" /></a><br /><br />Why does sex exist? And why having sex with another organism instead of oneself? These are two of the questions that Patrick Phillips, from the Unviersity of Oregon, tried to answer in his talk at the <a href="http://www.prbb.org">PRBB </a>last week. <br /><br />The biologist uses the nematode <em>C.elegans</em> for his research, which consists primarily in recreating evolution in the lab. How does that work? It basically consists of two steps: artificial selection+adaptation to the laboratory conditions. That is, he creates a novel environment, generates mutations in the worms, and sees which ones adapt and which ones die. Cruel? Not more than reality…<br /><br />The advantages of these evolutionary experiments in the lab is that they are controlled and can be replicated. The problems are that they are limited in time (while real evolution takes 1000s of years) and there’s also a limited population size, which means that rare events (as in rare mutations) won’t be seen. Regardless of these inconveniences, Phillips managed to convince the audience that these experiments can prove that sex is good – to get rid of deleterious mutations and to increase genetic variation, which provides a better adaptation to the changing environment.<br /><br />According to the scientist, one reason <em>C. elegans </em>is good for studying evolution is that they can be frozen. When you are doing the kind of experiments he does, if you freeze worms from different generations along the experiment, you have the equivalent to a ‘fossil register’ that allows you to compare the organisms at the ‘beginning’ and the ‘end’ of the evolution phase you are studying. Isn´t that cool?<br /><br />Apart from sex, Phillips also talked about death – or why we age. Again, the <em>elegans </em>nematode plays an important role in ageing research: actually some mutants can live up to 10 times their usual lifespan. That is the equivalent of a human living 1000 years! <br /><br />His experiment consisted in breading the worms for 323 generations by selecting only one worm in each generation to spread the population. As a consequence, the population size went dooooown and the worms were very sick (ah, the lack of genetic variation!). He then, playing God, saved the species by letting a higher number of worms reproduce for another 60 generations. When he compared the genome of the sick (thanks to his ‘fossil record’) and the recovered worms he found very few changes: only about 10 nucleotides! He went back in history to check when each change had taken place – again, thanks to the frozen worms (amazing, eh?). What he found is that the ‘recovery’ mutations were not the result of ‘mutating back’ to the original sequence, but rather they were compensatory mutations.<br /><br />All in all, he showed us what he called an ‘emerging paradigm in evolutionary biology’, a new way of studying evolution: create a perturbation (mutation); propagate the species for 50-100 generations to let them recover fitness; sequence the genome to find out which changes have occurred; use genetics to confirm the results.<br /><br />Voilà! Now you can try it at home :)commhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743421202219979985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1790718780855661007.post-29313907141814744552011-02-14T22:10:00.002+01:002011-02-14T22:11:30.260+01:00February issue of El.lipse - new format!New issue of El.lipse, and new look - check it out!!!!<br /><br /><div><embed src="http://static.issuu.com/webembed/viewers/style1/v1/IssuuViewer.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" menu="false" quality="high" scale="noscale" salign="l" flashvars="mode=embed&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Fcolor%2Flayout.xml&backgroundColor=000000&showFlipBtn=true&documentId=110214202008-aa78d91862f2457b970937a9614c44e6&docName=ellipse41&username=PRBB&loadingInfoText=El.lipse&et=1297717800100&er=23" style="width:420px;height:297px" name="flashticker" align="middle"></embed><div style="width:420px;text-align:left;"><a href="http://issuu.com/PRBB/docs/ellipse41?mode=embed&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Fcolor%2Flayout.xml&backgroundColor=000000&showFlipBtn=true" target="_blank">Open publication</a> - Free <a href="http://issuu.com" target="_blank">publishing</a> - <a href="http://issuu.com/search?q=barcelona" target="_blank">More barcelona</a></div></div>commhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743421202219979985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1790718780855661007.post-85342847135308660182011-01-31T17:48:00.003+01:002011-01-31T17:50:41.751+01:00Life at its physical limits<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjObWRSGRYLXwrwY0sTzJ9EZjU-w-K0mjvAGHmNHbCnVmPQgUjqGSQn6jYvGi4FJtniEG1tw-T92y6Jpjktos3fD_8tX5i3HpBxi3pwFexdHzWKgIBq73yK2xZHdr2IUxWyYL5YhAocR0Q/s1600/Bill+Bialekmodf.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjObWRSGRYLXwrwY0sTzJ9EZjU-w-K0mjvAGHmNHbCnVmPQgUjqGSQn6jYvGi4FJtniEG1tw-T92y6Jpjktos3fD_8tX5i3HpBxi3pwFexdHzWKgIBq73yK2xZHdr2IUxWyYL5YhAocR0Q/s320/Bill+Bialekmodf.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568393221856608114" /></a><br />“What cannot be measured properly, is not science”, sentences Matthieu Louis when he introduces <a href="http://www.princeton.edu/~wbialek/wbialek.html">William Bialek’s </a>talk at the <a href="http://www.prbb.org/contingut/part00?from_action=eng_part00" target="_blank">PRBB</a>. There’s a packed room of close to 100 people, many of them left standing, others sitting on the floor.<br /><br />There’s always a silence, longer than average, before Bill answers any question directed to him. You are left to wonder whether he has heard you. But he has. It’s just that, unlike many people, he actually thinks before he speaks.<br /><br />And he obviously knows he’s talking about complex issues, too complex for the average human brain to grasp easily (not that the brains in this room are average, though). So his discourse is slow-paced, as if there’s a conscious thought before every single word he says. He stops and looks at the ceiling while reflecting, takes his glasses out and runs his hand through his face and dense beard before continuing.<br /><br />With a green pen he writes formulae on a whiteboard with as easy a flow as if he was using words. Mathematics is his language and he thinks, as did Galileo Galilei, that it is also the language in which Nature is written.<br /><br />He starts his talk with a Calvin and Hobbes Cartoon (one of his favourites) about how mathematics allow us to make predictions about the way things work, and throughout the seminar he gives some sharp and crisp examples of ‘life at its best’, i.e. of how Nature gets very close to its physical limits, such as the workings of the compound eye of a fly.<br /><br />“The default assumption that evolution is sloppy and imprecise is probably not fair”, concludes the physicist from Princeton University. He leaves us with a question: are all these examples of optimization of information transmission just independent cases or can they all be connected to a general theory? Here’s some food for thought.commhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743421202219979985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1790718780855661007.post-32260736955932157102011-01-18T16:09:00.003+01:002011-01-18T16:12:05.805+01:00New Ellipse edition (January 2011)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3XQnGpdIFX8983plNgh6aIIEMmlyz-GGXD9gCaVVcN4avoalYse4XM5YG6p458nOiNuuX-ipyZIK8_u8OjbqmPT9solhFc4XGA-ZSdDMR6SPFZRTF9Hx7iQhblArWSUaCb1XJumZbUBA/s1600/portada+ellipse+40.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 228px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3XQnGpdIFX8983plNgh6aIIEMmlyz-GGXD9gCaVVcN4avoalYse4XM5YG6p458nOiNuuX-ipyZIK8_u8OjbqmPT9solhFc4XGA-ZSdDMR6SPFZRTF9Hx7iQhblArWSUaCb1XJumZbUBA/s320/portada+ellipse+40.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563543758750110834" /></a><br />Should scientist publish their negative results? Four researchers from the PRBB centres give their opinion in the latest Ellipse’s debate. <br /><br />In this issue you can also find more about the PRBB Intervals programme, which offers free workshops for interdisciplinary learning and reflection for scientists at the PRBB centres and celebrates its 3rd anniversary. <br /><br />How scientists have created a living computer system, how benign tumors can help understand malign cancers, or how researchers have found out there was (female) contact between America and Europe before Columbus are only some more of the things you can read <a href="http://www.prbb.org/public_files/el_lipses/El_lipse_num_40.pdf">here</a>!commhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743421202219979985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1790718780855661007.post-89973424000342549052010-12-15T10:29:00.004+01:002010-12-15T10:37:26.726+01:00New Ellipse, December edition!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuQlSPW5Ou6EenUEMo2LL63xnHzeyMWzBnI61e6Agla7pWBDglEMBXo8LSycLl_BWBUvea383YoIIjhh4ixw2D_wTB5nOUQfhDiMROQDOHlF5sSo-FtlvDYdNNQy3lPTWVRymZU_yPgVw/s1600/portada+ellipse+39.png"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuQlSPW5Ou6EenUEMo2LL63xnHzeyMWzBnI61e6Agla7pWBDglEMBXo8LSycLl_BWBUvea383YoIIjhh4ixw2D_wTB5nOUQfhDiMROQDOHlF5sSo-FtlvDYdNNQy3lPTWVRymZU_yPgVw/s320/portada+ellipse+39.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550839306640527586" /></a><br /><br />The new edition of the <a href="http://www.prbb.org/contingut/part00?from_action=eng_part00">PRBB</a> newspaper, <a href="http://www.prbb.org/contingut/ellipse">El·lipse</a>, is out.<br /><br />Find out which 50 countries do the PRBB residents come from, what has Patarroyo to say about his new malaria vaccine, how some scientists found the blood from Louis XVI or a new therapeutic option to combat obesity. Also, in the current-affairs debate, 5 researchers tell us about what they think will be the scientific breakthroughs for the next decade. <br /><br />Do not miss it!commhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743421202219979985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1790718780855661007.post-31613758317484351532010-12-01T23:15:00.002+01:002010-12-01T23:33:05.841+01:00How to get your research published in the Financial TimesToday I attended a course for Press Officers on how to improve our communication style, specifically when writing press releases. The objective: to get coverage of our research in the international press.<br /><br />The course was organized by <a href="http://www.alphagalileo.org/">AlphaGalileo </a>and <a href="http://www10.gencat.cat/agaur_web/AppJava/english/a_info.jsp?contingut=pcentresrecerca">CERCA</a> (the Catalan network of research centers), and the tutor was Myc Riggulsford. He was great, very insightful, and the workshop was fun and interesting. I learned plenty of things, but will write here just a few of the most important tips:<br /><br />- The first 25 words is all most journalist will get to read from the press release: make them sexy enough, and make sure all the basic info (what, who, why, when, where, who) is in the 1st paragraph<br />- Make short sentences (less than 25 words) and short words (less than 7 letters)<br />- Simplify (a lot!) the language. A 9 to 12 year-old reader should be able to understand everything you write (ejem… wishful thinking!!)<br />- Avoid jargon (and my definition of what is considered jargon has been greatly expanded today!), acronyms, words in capital letters.<br />- Give examples<br />- Tell stories<br />- Use words of which people can make a mental image <br />- Use quotes (to make it more personal, not impersonal)<br />- Use active language, not passive<br />- Use short titles (less than one line) with sexy words on it<br />- Make sure all the info is in the text (repeat what’s said in the title/subheadings, since they might be separated from the main text)<br />- Repeat key words (don’t be ashamed of using the same word over and over; it helps people to follow what you are saying)<br />- Think of the timing when you send the press release: there’s times of the year (summer, Xmas) when it’s easier to get published<br />- Think where to target your press release: perhaps you might be able to have it in the business section! <br /><br />There were many more, but I’ll leave it there for now. Let’s see if some of these get put into practice!!commhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743421202219979985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1790718780855661007.post-5750072537346312642010-11-27T00:24:00.005+01:002010-11-28T23:45:13.571+01:00Comunicar Ciencia en Red (1)Este jueves y viernes (25 y 26 de noviembre) hemos estado en la conferencia <a href="http://www.comcired.es/Publico/index.aspx">ComCiRed </a>en Valencia. He aquí un ‘executive summary’. Perdonad por la falta de algunos acentos...<br /><br />La conferencia inaugural de <span style="font-weight:bold;">Carlos Elias</span> (UCIIIM) nos la saltamos porque el tren llego con retraso :(<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Cesar Lopez</span> (FECYT) comento los resultados de la Encuesta Percepción social de la ciencia 2010. Aquí algunos datos interesantes:<br />- parece que el interés por la ciencia y la tecnología ha aumentado (9,6 a 13,1% en últimos 2 años). Aunque seguramente el valor real de estas encuestas era limitado (la mayoría de la gente miente cuando se le pregunta si prefiere ver un documental científico o un programa del corazón…!)<br />- el 60% ven más beneficios que perjuicios en la ciencia<br />- los científicos son el tipo de profesional mejor vistos por los encuestados (junto con los médicos), y la ciencia es una de las áreas en las que se debería invertir más – de nuevo, habría que ver si la gente ha sido sincera…<br />- la TV es todavía el medio más usado para informarse sobre ciencia (80%), aunque internet se ha duplicado en los últimos años, y sigue creciendo, sobretodo en la población joven (menor de 34). De hecho casi el 70% de los encuestados creen que internet es el único medio que ofrece ‘suficiente’ información científica.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Gonzalo Remiro</span> (tambien FECYT), como punto nacional de contacto del VII Programa Marco de la UE, explicó un poco las áreas que cubre el programa de “Science in Society” y que tipo de proyectos entrarían, y <span style="font-weight:bold;">Gemma Revuelta</span> (OCC-UPF) nos contó su experiencia de participación y/o liderazgo en varios de estos proyectos, como <a href="http://www.e-knownet.eu/e-knownet/index.html">eknownet </a>o <a href="http://www.escity.org/">escity</a>.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Laura Corcuera</span> nos recordó que la plataforma <a href="http://www.plataformasinc.es/">SINC</a>, en la que trabajan 8 periodistas y en la que están registrados más de 500 periodistas, es una de nuestras mejores aliadas a la hora de divulgar los resultados científicos, y nos paso algunos datos de una reciente encuesta sobre el uso que se hace de SINC.<br /><br />La última conferencia fue del consultor <span style="font-weight:bold;">Marc Cortes</span> (<a href="http://www.rocasalvatella.com/">RocaSalvatella</a>), quien dió una charla de lo más interesante sobre las herramientas web 2.0, redes sociales, etc. Nada (o no mucho) que no supiéramos o que no fuera lógico, pero que expuso de forma muy clara. Algunas de las ideas claves para mí:<br /><br />- Lo que se dice de ti en internet, es parte de tu identidad. Importante monitorear que se dice de ti en la web, que dicen tus ‘usuarios’ (o publico objetivo)<br />- Las páginas web corporativas se visitan cada vez menos. La gente esta más interesada en lo que dicen otros usuarios que en lo que dice la empresa<br />- Internet es transparente: por eso es esencial ser honesto<br />- Hay que contarle a la gente lo que quiere oir cuando lo quiere oir. Hay que ir a buscar a tu publico objetivo (e.g. en redes sociales de intereses específicos)<br /><br />En definitiva, para una buena estrategia de web 2.0 hay que:<br />1)-identificar tu publico objetivo, saber cuál es su índice de digitalización, donde se mueven, que les interesa. Analizar tu entorno (quien hace que donde).<br />2)-definir tus objetivos, escoger unos indicadores, diseñar tu plan de acción - que quieres generar y donde (en grupos propios o ajenos?) <br />3)-revisar tus resultados.<br /><br />Aparte de todas estas conferencias, hubo los grupos de trabajo de las UCC+i (Unidades de comunicación científica e innovación), que fueron quizás la parte más fructífera de las jornadas. Entre otras cosas, se decidieron algunos pasos para asegurar una mayor colaboración entre las diferentes UCCs de España, se concreto mejor lo que define a una UCC (muchas son departamentos de comunicación de centros de investigación, pero hay otros formatos) y se comentaron cosas a mejorar en la comunicación de los resultados de la investigación y la divulgación de la ciencia en general.commhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743421202219979985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1790718780855661007.post-14995226551710837672010-11-23T23:30:00.002+01:002010-11-23T23:33:07.150+01:00ComciredIn a couple of days we are going to the <a href="http://www.comcired.es/publico/index.aspx">Comcired </a>meeting in Valencia to meet with people from other UCC (scientific communication units, or something of the sort) from all over Spain. I think some interesting ideas and projects might come up from this... will try to post them when we are back!commhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743421202219979985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1790718780855661007.post-47323046751916843132010-11-10T13:37:00.002+01:002010-11-10T13:39:55.725+01:00November edition of El·lipse now out!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL3AiCrkv64qJfU3SWbin7FcFDiIanXJYpRXFBdot0DpEs0xse9Db3fI1oiS2hwaO8k1Jwj55wQ3xWv58PPO2X5Pn4loiRIz8AvIOgXk6dGVy2GgTsq9lzfZwCC_G762vmT5MI52QSLDg/s1600/portada+ellipse+38.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 221px; height: 312px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL3AiCrkv64qJfU3SWbin7FcFDiIanXJYpRXFBdot0DpEs0xse9Db3fI1oiS2hwaO8k1Jwj55wQ3xWv58PPO2X5Pn4loiRIz8AvIOgXk6dGVy2GgTsq9lzfZwCC_G762vmT5MI52QSLDg/s400/portada+ellipse+38.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537899859710123970" /></a><br />From today, the November edition of the PRBB newspaper, El.lipse, a monthly bilingual publication, is available. To download a PDF version please click <a href="http://www.prbb.org/public_files/el_lipses/El_lipse_num_38.pdf">here</a>. <br /><br />To see all the issues of El·lipse click <a href="http://portal.prbb.org/edifici/ellipses">here</a>.commhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743421202219979985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1790718780855661007.post-61976835318544277742010-11-02T11:33:00.002+01:002010-11-02T11:36:01.972+01:00Success of Open Day<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDVRVo3luvDwzpO7hZ7QaskiJbntt72P0KMx4pUCbjSWmiccTCTEEOtEOYHcQcFugqpz-xkum6KlL-ptVdXDr0e5yezwlx8QyvSmfbCSZRCSXSBUn03VP7yOFRg9z-ZlR0SdVXfViIm80/s1600/Open+Day_03.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDVRVo3luvDwzpO7hZ7QaskiJbntt72P0KMx4pUCbjSWmiccTCTEEOtEOYHcQcFugqpz-xkum6KlL-ptVdXDr0e5yezwlx8QyvSmfbCSZRCSXSBUn03VP7yOFRg9z-ZlR0SdVXfViIm80/s400/Open+Day_03.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534899260778512050" /></a><br />The initiative set in motion by Science Meets Society in 2008 continues. The third Open Day attracted a very diverse, motivated and interested public to the Charles Darwin square and the PRBB building. <br /><br />The public queued patiently to get into the multimedia installations and to sign up to guided tours. Meanwhile, the volunteers were rushed off their feet dealing with questions, drawing up lists for tours or doing experiments and playing games with the children. The inside of the building was a hive of activity with groups of the public, accompanied by guides, following routes during which researchers explained how their labs work, their research projects or how to use a piece of equipment.<br /><br />Upon realising that all these people were volunteers, one attendee said to us “I’m jealous, people who work here seem so excited and happy about their work”, and the truth is that, at the end of the day, we volunteers were exhausted but very pleased. And for good reason, according to the data: the approximate number of attendees was 3850, of which 2090 visited the building. 2300 participated in the experiments and activities: 672 in the multimedia facilities, 150 in the scientific cafe and 90 in the reading corner. <br /><br />All of this was only possible thanks to the 181 volunteers from the PRBB centres. Many thanks to all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<br /><br />Check out some pics of the day <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/prbb/sets/72157625155809046/">in our flickr account</a>!commhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743421202219979985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1790718780855661007.post-2132069882807004842010-11-02T11:08:00.003+01:002010-11-02T11:10:28.410+01:00European Science Journalists at the PRBB<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBvJhrhbbqQPQ_P0K6A1gevkxVaQepNk-mmHQPfCFNo6CaiQkQweVUU8QBxzVKhPfr3KZjD4rGpUd2OzwwUumBb9FMopzWWorFEreJPmCuF4ufdDu9BaG8rndGxG8_FvK2hPFbrv09yGE/s1600/P1014492.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBvJhrhbbqQPQ_P0K6A1gevkxVaQepNk-mmHQPfCFNo6CaiQkQweVUU8QBxzVKhPfr3KZjD4rGpUd2OzwwUumBb9FMopzWWorFEreJPmCuF4ufdDu9BaG8rndGxG8_FvK2hPFbrv09yGE/s320/P1014492.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534892541874585986" /></a><br /><br />A group of science journalists from the European Union of Science Journalists Associations (EUSJA) visited the PRBB last Wednesday October 27. They came from Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Russia, Sweden and the United Kingdom. <br /><br />During a couple of hours the journalists visited the building and some of the facilities, like the CRG advanced microscopy unit, presented by Timo Zimmerman. They also had a chance to talk to some researchers, such as en Manolis Kogevinas (CREAL), Anna Bigas (IMIM) or Maria José Barrero (CMRB) about the research taking place in their centres. <br /><br />The group of journalists were accompanied by representatives of the University ofGirona and of the Catalan Association of Scientific Communication (ACCC), who hosted them. During their 3-day "Study Trip" in Catalonia, the EUSJA journalists sisited several research institutions in Girona and Barcelona.commhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743421202219979985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1790718780855661007.post-12200235762662462492010-09-11T00:10:00.002+02:002010-09-11T00:13:26.141+02:00Jornada de Portes Obertes al PRBB - Us esperem el 2 d'octubre!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipZOQGFOmRuN8QQxTazXH6yTK18vhVaadQMZyNwrTK0RBghDaZa3YZqCdZb3g0MXmuIkwM8HJyVniiQXpJy_FP8Jmlia8OAvA7HrIhhNHyGAoXOrEILdNILk8JSAw3U3ve_oLRCJ2gwU8/s1600/OD.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 62px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipZOQGFOmRuN8QQxTazXH6yTK18vhVaadQMZyNwrTK0RBghDaZa3YZqCdZb3g0MXmuIkwM8HJyVniiQXpJy_FP8Jmlia8OAvA7HrIhhNHyGAoXOrEILdNILk8JSAw3U3ve_oLRCJ2gwU8/s320/OD.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515411323123839458" /></a><br />Jornada de portes obertes al PRBB “Diversitat genètica: iguals i diferents”<br />2 d'octubre de 2010<br /><br />Com cada any, el primer dissabte d'octubre, el PRBB obre les seves portes al públic i organitza diverses i interessants activitats relacionades amb la ciència i la biomedicina. Uns 150 voluntaris, entre investigadors i personal de gestió hi dediquen el dia. L'objectiu és establir un contacte directe entre científics i ciutadans. El públic pot accedir a una gran instal•lació de la ciutat i parlar directament amb els experts de tot allò que l'interessa. D'altra banda el científic es posa a prova explicant conceptes complexos amb un llenguatge entenedor i mostrant quina és la seva feina, perquè serveix, quins equips necessita per dur-la a terme, etc.<br /><br />Les jornades tenen sempre un eix central. Així, l'edició de 2009 va estar dedicada a la figura de Charles Darwin, aprofitant que se celebrava el 150 aniversari de la teoria de l'evolució. Va tenir molt bona acollida doncs van participar unes 3500 persones. <br /><br />Aquest any la celebració de l'Any Internacional de la Biodiversitat i l'Any Internacional de l'Apropament de les Cultures, ens permet parlar de diversitat genètica i com som d'iguals i alhora com som de diferents els humans. <br /><br />Es podrà participar en exposicions multimèdia interactives realitzades en col•laboració amb el centre HANGAR, centre per a la producció i investigació artística de l'Associació d'Artistes Visuals de Catalunya (AAVC). En aquest sentit s'ha fet un treball conjunt d'investigadors i artistes, per tal d'obtenir productes multimèdia avançats molt atractius pel públic i elaborats amb criteris didàctics i divulgatius. La "captura" de rostres utilitzant la tècnica dels microarrays, un joc de diversitat amb realitat augmentada i una composició musical utilitzant la diversitat de presències, son les propostes que es presenten.<br /><br />A la plaça Charles Darwin, just davant de l'edifici del PRBB hi haurà tallers i experiments per a tots els públics i sobre tot per a nens i nenes. També es realitzaran visites guiades a l'edifici i als laboratoris.<br /><br />Hi haurà també un espai de llibre infantil, el racó del lector, amb interpretacions de conta-contes, a càrrec de la Companyia de teatre PeRaBaBaus. Disposarem d'una sala per a visualitzar vídeos científics i a la tarda es farà un cafè científic al voltant de la medicina personalitzada.<br /><br />Es lliurarà també el II Premi El•lipse de divulgació científica, i hi hauran actuacions de la coral del PRBB.<br /><br />Tot això en un ambient festiu, i amb una batucada final a càrrec del grup The Band Sambant.<br /><br />RESUM<br /><br />Tema: Jornada de Portes Obertes del PRBB.<br />Diversitat genètica: iguals i diferents<br />Data: Dissabte 2 d'octubre de 2010 <br />Inici: 10h<br />Final: 20h<br />Preu: Gratuït<br />Lloc: Parc de Recerca Biomèdica de Barcelona (PRBB)<br />Adreça: Plaça Charles Darwin / Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona<br />Web: www.prbb.org/openday <br />Email: comunicacio@prbb.org <br />Tel: 93 316 0000<br />Càtering: Servei de bar i entrepans<br /><br />PROGRAMA<br />10.00 -18.00 h<br />Tallers i experiments<br />Amb senzills experiments et divertiràs fent ciència!<br />Fes polseres amb codis genètics. Troba el missatge que s'amaga en una seqüència d'ADN. Aprèn com funciona l'herència genètica. Fabrica ADN amb "xuxes". Enduu-te a casa l'ADN del kiwi. Observa pel microscopi...<br /><br />Visites guiades als laboratoris<br />Coneixes per dins l'edifici del PRBB?<br />Has vist mai una proteïna o la seqüència d'un gen? Segueix-nos a través dels passadissos i laboratoris , de la mà dels investigadors del PRBB que et mostraran i t'explicaran quina és la seva feina. <br />Cal inscriure's el mateix dia. Els grups s'organitzaran per ordre d'arribada.<br /><br />Exposició multimèdia interactiva (HANGAR)<br /><br />Realitat augmentada.<br />Crea la teva pròpia "criatura" i acompanya-la en les seves emocionants aventures. La diversitat genètica serà l'eix del joc i entendràs quin paper tenen les diferències genètiques en la supervivència de les espècies.<br /><br />Microarrays de rostres diferents.<br />Cada cara és diferent. Això és pot representar utilitzant la tecnologia dels microarrays i comprovar quines són aquestes diferències. <br /><br />Instal•lació sonora amb càmera visió. <br />"Som iguals, som diferents". Aquesta frase, gravada en 30 idiomes diferents i 30 veus diferents es converteix en música i el moviment de les persones a la Plaça Darwin intervé en la simfonia. Pots formar part de l'orquestra!<br /><br />Video Room<br />La diversitat genètica en imatges!<br />Relaxa't i gaudeix de documentals per a totes les edats, triats pels joves científics del PRBB.<br /><br />Racó del lector i conte contes<br />Ciència per llegir, diversitat per escoltar.<br />Gaudeix d'un espai de lectura amb llibres de ciència per a totes les edats, cedits per la Biblioteca Sagrada Família. De tant en tant hi ha algú que fa de conta-contes, o uns actors interrompen la lectura per fer-nos gaudir d'alguna activitat teatral. I és que al PRBB comptem amb el grup de teatre PeRaBaBaus ..<br /><br />17.00 h<br />II Premi El•lipse de divulgació científica<br /><br />El tema d'enguany ha estat la diversitat genètica humana: obra escrita i obra gràfica. Es farà el lliurament de premis d'aquesta segona edició.<br /><br />18.00 h<br />Cafè científic<br /><br />Diversitat genètica i medicina personalitzada.<br />La genètica té totes les respostes? Fins a on la genètica millorarà la nostra salut? Podem preveure-ho tot? Parlarem de tot això prenent un cafè amb pastes.<br /><br />Durant tot el dia hi haurà servei de bar.commhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743421202219979985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1790718780855661007.post-67980719681887275802010-09-11T00:07:00.003+02:002010-09-11T00:16:59.901+02:00Open Day at the PRBB - October 2, 2010!!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgA1uCq8N2EDxpaD0OkWwfjojvqzR2yHvR1zfdPKE6OBZuxequOKEAc_r9iVNgH_kwBhd3hVgMV629Rcn4hpWI8yS2pCXSOwX5EW9E9SI_0XeNET3_TS1BwnFEIFISYLIThmYXX2xDcYc/s1600/OD.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 78px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgA1uCq8N2EDxpaD0OkWwfjojvqzR2yHvR1zfdPKE6OBZuxequOKEAc_r9iVNgH_kwBhd3hVgMV629Rcn4hpWI8yS2pCXSOwX5EW9E9SI_0XeNET3_TS1BwnFEIFISYLIThmYXX2xDcYc/s400/OD.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515412369892103570" /></a><br />The date is October 2, and the place is the PRBB. Don't miss it! You will be able to learn about human genetic diversity with interactive multimedia exhibitions, experiments, a scientific cafe, etc. As usual, you will also be able to visit the labs and talk to the scientists. All in a festive environment.<br /><br />See you there!<br /><br />more info: http://www.prbb.org/opendaycommhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743421202219979985noreply@blogger.com0