Mapping the Human Gut Microbiome in Health and Disease Using Sequencing, Supe...Larry Smarr
Invited Talk Delivered by Mehrdad Yazdani, Calit2 Ayasdi Sponsored Lunch & Learn American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) San Diego Convention Center October 19, 2014
Mapping the Human Gut Microbiome in Health and Disease Using Sequencing, Supe...Larry Smarr
Invited Talk Delivered by Mehrdad Yazdani, Calit2 Ayasdi Sponsored Lunch & Learn American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) San Diego Convention Center October 19, 2014
Mobius Foundation Newsletter July 2020. The Latest newsletter published by Mobius Foundation which is an NGO for Environment and Sustainability & one of the TOP NGO in Delhi
Mineral and vitamin deficiencies affect over one-half of the world’s population and contribute to a number of human chronic disease conditions. Economic, social and food technological processing factors can contribute to lower nutrient intake. Progress has been made to overcome those nutritional deficiencies in human body mainly through supplementation and food fortification.
Another option to commercially marketed products is biofortification: a strategy aimed at developing nutrient- and vitamin-dense crops through conventional breeding or biotechnological engineering.
Determining how plants regulate mineral nutrient uptake from the rhizophere, as well as transport and allocate nutrients to organs can have significant implications for human health. With the knowledge of genes governing mineral homeostasis and pathways of nutritional importance, it is possible to develop biofortification strategies. This requires a multidisciplinary research approach with funding strategies to support such research and to ultimately disseminate crop varieties with improved nutritional characteristics. One of Christian Hermans’ research theme is on magnesium, which is a disregarded element both in human and crop nutrition (a paradox in view of the essential roles it plays in every cell of every organism). He is aiming at identifying key genetic controls, which could ameliorate magnesium content of plant tissues.
Which are the approaches in basic research? When will biofortified crops be available? Will be a change in consumer habits?
Science Cabaret by Dr. Rodney Dietert "How to train your super organism..via ...Kitty Gifford
Attendees (and their microbes) at this event enjoyed a lively discussion on how we might better interact with our environment to support a healthier life for ourselves and our children. Think with your microbes about why we have to suffer from ever-increasing numbers of debilitating chronic diseases (asthma, food allergies, diabetes, autoimmune conditions, obesity, heart disease and cancer).
with Dr. Rodney Dietert, Cornell University Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology
Dr. Rodney Dietert is an internationally-known author, lecturer, scientist, book series editor, and educator. He is the author of Strategies for Protecting Your Child’s Immune System, and Science Sifting: Tools for Innovation in Science and Technology.
Nano-approach towards Sustainable Agriculture and Precision FarmingIJAEMSJORNAL
Nanotechnology is a most fascinating area of research now a days. The unique physicochemical properties of nanomaterials, that is, catalytic reactivity, high surface area, size and shape, have the potential to open new paradigms and to introduce new strategies in agriculture. Specific agronomic applications of nanotechnology include enabled delivery systems of release of agrochemicals allowing a controlled release of fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides, field-sensing systems to monitor the environmental stresses and crop conditions and improvement of plant traits against environmental stress and diseases. In the present review, a brief introduction about the recent nano-innovations in agriculture is introduced. This will paves the way to further investigations in this regard.
Horizon scanning for emergence of new viruses in animal and public healthEFSA EU
Presentation of the EFSA's second scientific conference, held on 14-16 October 2015 in Milan, Italy.
DRIVERS FOR EMERGING ISSUES IN ANIMAL AND PLANT HEALTH
Applying the Ecosystem Services Approach to BiofuelsSIANI
Presented as part of the seminar: South at the Steering Wheel - Improving sustainability in land investment for bioenergy in sub-Saharan Africa
29th May 2012, 08:00 - 17:30
Naturvårdsverket (Swedish EPA), Stockholm, Sweden
Speaker: Per Stromberg, UNU and Naturvårdsverket
Per Strömberg further discusses integrated approaches and ecosystem services by highlighting potential positive impacts such as
increased energy supply and energy security
improved environment and climate
sustained food security
economic and social benefits
However, a flawed integrated approach may also entail negative impacts in the bulleted areas above, as well as on biodiversity, and lead to net energy consumption rather than gain, e.g. from less-than-ideal choice of feedstock. An ecosystem service approach is needed to frame the analysis.
Exploring the production capacity of rooftop gardens (RTGs) in urban agricult...Marco Garoffolo
Exploring the production capacity of rooftop gardens (RTGs)
in urban agriculture: the potential impact on food and nutrition
security, biodiversity and other ecosystem services
in the city of Bologna
Francesco Orsini & Daniela Gasperi & Livia Marchetti &
Chiara Piovene & Stefano Draghetti & Solange Ramazzotti &
Giovanni Bazzocchi & Giorgio Gianquinto
Food allergy has been long recognized and well documented. Other adverse reactions to foods first referred to as “toxic idiopathies” by John Freeman, co inventor of immunotherapy, at the early part of the 1900s can be mediated by and have their impact on the nervous and endocrine systems. It can also be mediated by pharmacologic mechanisms and can also affect any part of the body. There’s a great clinical need to accurately identify triggers of adverse reactivity as they have now been linked with even the most serious of modern maladies and diseases. In fact, inflammation is the hallmark of metabolic syndrome. Given the multitude of pathogenic mechanisms underlying adverse reactions to foods and other environmental exposures it is necessary that a utilizable and cost effective technology be understood so that its application be utilized under the appropriate circumstances.
KEY LEARNING POINTS
• The natural ability of certain foods to initiate an inflammatory response and induce metabolic disruptions and counterbalancing mechanisms to prevent that
• How foods can trigger “danger signals” for the immune system
Pharmacologic vs. immunologic reactions to foods
• Is there a common final pathway of all these mechanisms that can reliably indicate triggers of clinical pathology?
• Cellular testing vs. serologic testing: The advantages of cellular testing
Human nutrition, gut microbiome and immune system S'eclairer
Dr Zahida Chaudnary talks with the students about nutrition, gut microbiomes, and nutrition as we look at diseases and how your body reacts to what you eat.
Check out the slideshow by itself here.
Want an audio version? Subscribe to our Podcast on iTunes!
Want to join us for the live discussion? Check out our Social Media in the noon hour every Monday as we sit down on Google Hangout OnAir! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or Google+ to get updated with the link when we start!
Dairy germplasm development and delivery in Africa: The Tanzania caseILRI
Presented by Msanga Yakobo (Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries Development, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania) at the Inception workshop of the AgriTT project: Evaluation of breed composition, productivity and fitness for smallholder dairy cattle in Tanzania, Dar es Salaam, 10-11 June 2014
Mobius Foundation Newsletter July 2020. The Latest newsletter published by Mobius Foundation which is an NGO for Environment and Sustainability & one of the TOP NGO in Delhi
Mineral and vitamin deficiencies affect over one-half of the world’s population and contribute to a number of human chronic disease conditions. Economic, social and food technological processing factors can contribute to lower nutrient intake. Progress has been made to overcome those nutritional deficiencies in human body mainly through supplementation and food fortification.
Another option to commercially marketed products is biofortification: a strategy aimed at developing nutrient- and vitamin-dense crops through conventional breeding or biotechnological engineering.
Determining how plants regulate mineral nutrient uptake from the rhizophere, as well as transport and allocate nutrients to organs can have significant implications for human health. With the knowledge of genes governing mineral homeostasis and pathways of nutritional importance, it is possible to develop biofortification strategies. This requires a multidisciplinary research approach with funding strategies to support such research and to ultimately disseminate crop varieties with improved nutritional characteristics. One of Christian Hermans’ research theme is on magnesium, which is a disregarded element both in human and crop nutrition (a paradox in view of the essential roles it plays in every cell of every organism). He is aiming at identifying key genetic controls, which could ameliorate magnesium content of plant tissues.
Which are the approaches in basic research? When will biofortified crops be available? Will be a change in consumer habits?
Science Cabaret by Dr. Rodney Dietert "How to train your super organism..via ...Kitty Gifford
Attendees (and their microbes) at this event enjoyed a lively discussion on how we might better interact with our environment to support a healthier life for ourselves and our children. Think with your microbes about why we have to suffer from ever-increasing numbers of debilitating chronic diseases (asthma, food allergies, diabetes, autoimmune conditions, obesity, heart disease and cancer).
with Dr. Rodney Dietert, Cornell University Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology
Dr. Rodney Dietert is an internationally-known author, lecturer, scientist, book series editor, and educator. He is the author of Strategies for Protecting Your Child’s Immune System, and Science Sifting: Tools for Innovation in Science and Technology.
Nano-approach towards Sustainable Agriculture and Precision FarmingIJAEMSJORNAL
Nanotechnology is a most fascinating area of research now a days. The unique physicochemical properties of nanomaterials, that is, catalytic reactivity, high surface area, size and shape, have the potential to open new paradigms and to introduce new strategies in agriculture. Specific agronomic applications of nanotechnology include enabled delivery systems of release of agrochemicals allowing a controlled release of fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides, field-sensing systems to monitor the environmental stresses and crop conditions and improvement of plant traits against environmental stress and diseases. In the present review, a brief introduction about the recent nano-innovations in agriculture is introduced. This will paves the way to further investigations in this regard.
Horizon scanning for emergence of new viruses in animal and public healthEFSA EU
Presentation of the EFSA's second scientific conference, held on 14-16 October 2015 in Milan, Italy.
DRIVERS FOR EMERGING ISSUES IN ANIMAL AND PLANT HEALTH
Applying the Ecosystem Services Approach to BiofuelsSIANI
Presented as part of the seminar: South at the Steering Wheel - Improving sustainability in land investment for bioenergy in sub-Saharan Africa
29th May 2012, 08:00 - 17:30
Naturvårdsverket (Swedish EPA), Stockholm, Sweden
Speaker: Per Stromberg, UNU and Naturvårdsverket
Per Strömberg further discusses integrated approaches and ecosystem services by highlighting potential positive impacts such as
increased energy supply and energy security
improved environment and climate
sustained food security
economic and social benefits
However, a flawed integrated approach may also entail negative impacts in the bulleted areas above, as well as on biodiversity, and lead to net energy consumption rather than gain, e.g. from less-than-ideal choice of feedstock. An ecosystem service approach is needed to frame the analysis.
Exploring the production capacity of rooftop gardens (RTGs) in urban agricult...Marco Garoffolo
Exploring the production capacity of rooftop gardens (RTGs)
in urban agriculture: the potential impact on food and nutrition
security, biodiversity and other ecosystem services
in the city of Bologna
Francesco Orsini & Daniela Gasperi & Livia Marchetti &
Chiara Piovene & Stefano Draghetti & Solange Ramazzotti &
Giovanni Bazzocchi & Giorgio Gianquinto
Food allergy has been long recognized and well documented. Other adverse reactions to foods first referred to as “toxic idiopathies” by John Freeman, co inventor of immunotherapy, at the early part of the 1900s can be mediated by and have their impact on the nervous and endocrine systems. It can also be mediated by pharmacologic mechanisms and can also affect any part of the body. There’s a great clinical need to accurately identify triggers of adverse reactivity as they have now been linked with even the most serious of modern maladies and diseases. In fact, inflammation is the hallmark of metabolic syndrome. Given the multitude of pathogenic mechanisms underlying adverse reactions to foods and other environmental exposures it is necessary that a utilizable and cost effective technology be understood so that its application be utilized under the appropriate circumstances.
KEY LEARNING POINTS
• The natural ability of certain foods to initiate an inflammatory response and induce metabolic disruptions and counterbalancing mechanisms to prevent that
• How foods can trigger “danger signals” for the immune system
Pharmacologic vs. immunologic reactions to foods
• Is there a common final pathway of all these mechanisms that can reliably indicate triggers of clinical pathology?
• Cellular testing vs. serologic testing: The advantages of cellular testing
Human nutrition, gut microbiome and immune system S'eclairer
Dr Zahida Chaudnary talks with the students about nutrition, gut microbiomes, and nutrition as we look at diseases and how your body reacts to what you eat.
Check out the slideshow by itself here.
Want an audio version? Subscribe to our Podcast on iTunes!
Want to join us for the live discussion? Check out our Social Media in the noon hour every Monday as we sit down on Google Hangout OnAir! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or Google+ to get updated with the link when we start!
Dairy germplasm development and delivery in Africa: The Tanzania caseILRI
Presented by Msanga Yakobo (Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries Development, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania) at the Inception workshop of the AgriTT project: Evaluation of breed composition, productivity and fitness for smallholder dairy cattle in Tanzania, Dar es Salaam, 10-11 June 2014
This is a slide show of a traditional Sephardic Jewish Song for Hannukah so that the children can learn it. If you'd like to hear the song, here is a link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeS46weU4ZI
Presentation discussing Nowata County, Oklahoma's new countywide branding initiative and new countywide brand statement, "Where the OK Life Begins."
You can learn more about visiting Nowata County online, http://www.nowata.com.
Intro to Windows Server AppFabric
by Ron Jacobs, Senior Technical Evangelist at Microsoft
Windows Server AppFabric is a set of integrated technologies that make it easier to build, scale and manage Web and composite applications that run on IIS.
This presentation will help SQL Server developers and DBAs get up to speed on AppFabric. You'll also learn how Windows AppFabric caching can help you scale your Data Tier.
You will learn:
•The core capabilities of Windows Server AppFabric
•How the distributed nature of AppFabric’s cache allows large amounts of data to be stored in-memory for extremely fast access and help you scale your SQL Data Tier
•How to get started with Windows Server AppFabric
From my role as Digital Marketing Manager, I applied last year for the position of Brand Activations Manager for Globe Prepaid.
Globe Prepaid is the prepaid brand of Globe Telecom, a leading telco in the Philippines and in Southeast Asia; also a leader in innovation recognized by the World GSM Conference.
Engaging New Audiences with Specialized Data: Biodiversity Heritage LibraryConnie Rinaldo
Talk presented at the 2012 IAMSLIC Annual meeting by Connie Rinaldo and Cathy Norton. BHL Africa video courtesy of Chris Freeland. BHL Europe video courtesy of Antonio Valdecasas (Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales) and BHL Europe.
The Threats and Benefits of ScienceScience is a broad subject th.docxchristalgrieg
The Threats and Benefits of Science
Science is a broad subject that is essential in the organizing of knowledge by providing explanations and predictions. The practicality of science has revolutionized the world since the scientific revolution era. This subject has numerous branches that are vital to human beings and inseparable from the analysis of life facts. Science is attributed to a vast range of technological changes that are crucial to human life because of the practical applications of the subject (Haack, 2011). However, some threats emanated from the study and application of scientific principles and pose a significant risk to human sustainability. Therefore, the analysis of the pros and cons of science is necessary to establish the precise implications of this subject. Although science has both advantages and disadvantages, its benefits in enhancing the solution of health problems and technology outweigh the threats.
Science facilitates the simplification of life. Scientific knowledge has been significant to the world by enhancing the inventions of different objects that are crucial to human beings. Scientific principles have been applied in the manufacturing industry and the generation of energy such as electricity. These products have provided immense assistance to human efforts which have simplified most of the life activities. Furthermore, life has become comfortable, safe and secure through the aid of scientific technologies (Von Schomberg, 2012). Many of the strains that people faced in the pre-scientific era obtained solution when the concepts of this subject were efficiently applied. For instance, the evolution of the textile industry depended on science and led to the production of a wide range of clothing that fits people from different geographic and climatic regions. Therefore, this evidence indicates that science has been beneficial in making life easier by increasing accessibility to particular necessary requirements of sustainability.
Science has revolutionized the communication system to make its fast, secure and cost-effective. The discoveries that have their origin in the scientific principles have a significant impact on the communication technologies. The invention of phones, televisions, radios and other communication equipment has transformed most of the life systems concerning efficient sending and receiving of messages. The modern world relies on communication for a wide range of applications including social and economic practices. Business activities are fostered and also the interpersonal interactions. Globalization has been a significant trend in the world increasing the accessibility of information. This aspect has influenced the exchange of ideas on a worldwide platform and increased the education of people on key societal issues that have social and economic significance. Therefore, science is evidently a crucial boost to the communication advancement that is responsible for the efficiency of the moder ...
Michael P Totten GreenATP: APPortunities to catalyze local to global positive...Michael P Totten
Humanity’s unceasing ingenuity is generating vast economic gain for billions of people with goods unavailable to even kings and queens throughout most of history. Unfortunately, this economic growth has triggered unprecedented se- curity challenges of global and historical magnitude: more absolute poor than any time in human history, the sixth largest extinction spasm of life on earth, climate destabilization with mega-catastrophic consequences, and multi-trillion dollar wars over access to energy. These multiple, inextricably interwoven chal- lenges have low probability of being solved if decision makers maintain the strong propensity to think and act as if life is linear, has no carrying capacity limits, uncertainty is controllable, the future free of surprises, planning is predictable and compartmentalized into silos, and Gaussian distributions are taken as the norm while fat-tail futures are ignored. Although the future holds irreducible uncertainties, it is not fated. The emergence of Internet availability to one-third of humanity and access by most of humanity within a decade has spawned the Web analogue of a ‘Cambrian explosion’ of speciation in knowledge applica- tions. Among the most prodigious have been collaboration innovation networks (COINs) reflecting a diversity of ‘genome’ types, facilitating a myriad of collective intelligence crowd-swarming phenomena (Malone T, Laubacher R, Dellarocas C. The Collective Intelligence Genome. MIT Sloan Management Review, Spring; 2010, Vol. 51). COINs are essential tools for accelerating and scaling transformational solutions (positive tipping points) to the wicked problems confronting humanity. Web COINs enable acceleration of multiple-benefit innovations and solutions to these problems that permeate the nested clusters of linked nonlinear complex adaptive systems comprising the global biosphere and socioeconomy.
THE FRONTIERS OF SCIENCE TO INCREASE THE COGNITIVE, PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICA...Fernando Alcoforado
This article aims to demonstrate the extreme need to create more biologically evolved human beings with the use of science and technology to make them defy the limits imposed by nature and survive as a species today and in the future. It is necessary to make the formation of super-men and super-women that can be achieved through the use of science and technology (biotechnology, nanotechnology and neurotechnology) to increase the cognitive capacity and overcome the physical and psychological limitations of beings humans. This situation can be achieved through transhumanism, which is a philosophy that aims to eradicate in any way the suffering caused by diseases, aging or even the death of human beings, as well as reaching the maximum potential in terms of human development.
Press Release Power is a Biology related Global Press Release Distribution Service provider. We offer Biology related Press Release Distribution Service on dedicated Biology related news websites network that eventually lead to the distribution of your Biology related Press Release on best and relevant Biology related Press Release Sites
contents
What has science done
for you lately?
page 1 of 7
previous | nextWhat has science done for you lately?
Plenty. If you think science doesn't matter much to you, think again. Science affects us all, every day of the year, from the moment we wake up, all day long, and through the night. Your digital alarm clock, the weather report, the asphalt you drive on, the bus you ride in, your decision to eat a baked potato instead of fries, your cell phone, the antibiotics that treat your sore throat, the clean water that comes from your faucet, and the light that you turn off at the end of the day have all been brought to you courtesy of science. The modern world would not be modern at all without the understandings and technology enabled by science.
Science affects us all, every day of the year.
To make it clear how deeply science is interwoven with our lives, just try imagining a day without scientific progress. Just for starters, without modern science, there would be:
no way to use electricity. From Ben Franklin's studies of static and lightning in the 1700s, to Alessandro Volta's first battery, to the key discovery of the relationship between electricity and magnetism, science has steadily built up our understanding of electricity, which today carries our voices over telephone lines, brings entertainment to our televisions, and keeps the lights on.
no plastic. The first completely synthetic plastic was made by a chemist in the early 1900s, and since then, chemistry has developed a wide variety of plastics suited for all sorts of jobs, from blocking bullets to making slicker dental floss.
no modern agriculture. Science has transformed the way we eat today. In the 1940s, biologists began developing high-yield varieties of corn, wheat, and rice, which, when paired with new fertilizers and pesticides developed by chemists, dramatically increased the amount of food that could be harvested from a single field, ushering in the Green Revolution. These science-based technologies triggered striking changes in agriculture, massively increasing the amount of food available to feed the world and simultaneously transforming the economic structure of agricultural practices.
no modern medicine. In the late 1700s, Edward Jenner first convincingly showed that vaccination worked. In the 1800s, scientists and doctors established the theory that many diseases are caused by germs. And in the 1920s, a biologist discovered the first antibiotic. From the eradication of smallpox, to the prevention of nutritional deficiencies, to successful treatments for once deadly infections, the impact of modern medicine on global health has been powerful. In fact, without science, many people alive today would have instead died of diseases that are now easily treated.
Scientific knowledge can improve the quality of life at many different levels — from the routine workings of our everyday lives to global issues. Science informs pu.
Press Release Power is a Biology related Global Press Release Distribution Service provider. We offer Biology related Press Release Distribution Service on dedicated Biology related news websites network that eventually lead to the distribution of your Biology related Press Release on best and relevant Biology related Press Release Sites
Press Release Power is a Biology related Global Press Release Distribution Service provider. We offer Biology related Press Release Distribution Service on dedicated Biology related news websites network that eventually lead to the distribution of your Biology related Press Release on best and relevant Biology related Press Release Sites
Designing of drug delivery system for biotechnology products considering stab...Smaranika Rahman
Biotechnology is the broad area of biology involving living systems and organisms to develop or make products, or "any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use".
Probe faults Obama administration for HealthCare.gov debacle
Discovery and innovation through convergence
1. Discovery and innovation through convergence
With such inexpensive sequencing, we will shortly have in our computers the sequences of billions of
genes from most species on our planet, from the plant, microbial, and animal kingdoms. 3.
Timeline: The three life sciences revolutions, leading to convergence [source (5)].
Convergence will also help meet our environmental challenges. Government investments in research
in many countries, including the United States, have fallen in purchasing power over the past
decade. Part of this promise is the application of DNA sequencing to analyze the range of
microorganisms in healthy and damaged environments. However, an often overlooked byproduct of
this effort was the development of inexpensive and rapid technology to sequence DNA. coli in 1961
[modified from (4)].
The initial appearance of biotechnology in the late 1970s and early 1980s signaled the transition
from the first revolution in life sciences, the discovery of the structure of DNA, to the second
revolution, the sequencing of the human genome (Fig. This was followed by new vaccines, new types
of treatments for previously untreatable diseases, and even control of the progression of AIDS by
combinations of drugs. In many cases, it will be as easy to collect a lot of information in parallel
about an environment as making a measurement of a few constituents. In meeting this challenge,
adaptation of plants to a broader range of environments is critical to increase the amount of arable
land and distribute production to locations where it is needed to reduce hunger. Leaders across the
world recognize this and are establishing research institutes to stimulate local innovation.
Life Sciences Revolutions
The history of advances in life sciences at the molecular level and the resulting innovation provides
an excellent illustration of discovery and innovation. Within the lifetime of our children and
grandchildren, Earth will have around 9 billion inhabitants, and each person will need to be fed from
a square of arable land about 130 meters on each side (1). If discovery is to come to the aid of our
great global challenges in climate change, poverty, and disease, we have no choice but to become
much better at linking discovery, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
Fig. Hence, the emerging thrust of convergence recognizes the current value and future promise of
expanding engagement of these diverse disciplines in life sciences to meet societal challenges.
Convergence is beginning to be recognized in the funding of new U.S. Innovation along these lines
will require a broad convergence of social, mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences with
the medical, regulatory, and financial communities. It is widely accepted that innovation is at the
heart of economic growth, accounting for approximately half of its expansion over the past 50 years
(2). This technology has proven itself safe and effective in increasing the productivity of agriculture
over the past decades. I outline below examples of areas in which larger investment in convergence
may have great impact.
Climate change and a future population of 9 billion are a volatile combination for food security. It is
impossible to consider here all of the roles of scientists and engineers in this transformation,
whether advancing knowledge of nature, translating new insights into innovations, or educating
future generations. First it acknowledges that recent advances in life sciences have prepared the
stage for rapid innovation. Over time, synthesis of this information can provide profound insights
2. that are actionable.
Increasing the quality of health care in a cost-effective fashion is dependent upon using information
technology and advances in life sciences and medicine to assess, inform, and modify lifestyles and
better treat individuals. Increase in investment by public agencies needs to happen now. 2.
The original operon model of Jacob and Monod, as proposed for the regulation of the lac genes of E.
This should be possible with modern genetic technology and the consideration of agricultural
environments as an ecosystem. Just as Newton's principles were the first general statement of the
physical mechanistic laws of nature, the discovery of the structure of DNA was the first mechanistic
explanation of inheritance in terms of physical laws. Biotechnology, as an innovative industry, arose
at this time to translate the new science into products for meeting global needs. This will result in a
slowing of growth in innovation and the economy in the future.
To meet oncoming global challenges, we will need to better link discovery, innovation, and
entrepreneurship. As an illustration, I discuss the history of the transition from discovery to
innovation at the molecular level in life sciences. The surprising change in the past decade is that
now a third of MIT alumni start companies within 10 years of leaving the campus. The first of these
innovations was in health care, where replacement of animal insulin with human insulin benefited
diabetics. In the past, we simply assumed that they would converge as a matter of course, but given
their importance, the linkages should be considered more closely. This article is based on the
Presidential Address he delivered at the AAAS meeting in Chicago, Illinois, on 13 February 2014.
Our awareness of the global nature of major problems facing our planet is relatively new and
demands global responses for which neither the scientific community nor the general public is well
prepared. At the end, I comment on how further convergence of physical, mathematical,
engineering, and social sciences with life sciences will accelerate innovation.
The world will be considerably changed by mid-century, but in ways not yet fully clear. In contrast to
biologists leading engineers in their research and innovation with genes, biologists "gave" the
"gene," thus empowering engineers in life sciences. This means convergence on both fronts, across
the sciences as well as between science and implementation. Convergence is also the collaboration
of life scientists with engineers and physical and computational scientists. These facts have led to
some skepticism in the developed world about whether continued advancement of technology will
contribute to a better future.
I believe that some of the concerns about applications of advances in life sciences, such as the
adoption of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and other new technologies, have their source in
this skepticism. While many sectors of society must become involved, the scientific community has a
special role in preparing for these challenges. These genes contain a record of 4 billion years of
evolution from shortly after Earth's surface cooled to current times. 3). However, the presence of
entrepreneurs on many campuses and the education of students in this subject are recent
developments. This produced three advances in the mid-1970s that changed society: recombinant
DNA, DNA sequencing, and chemical synthesis of DNA. 1). For example, Ed Roberts of the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) notes that historically, a third of all MIT alumni have
started companies over their 30- to 40-year careers (3). The engineering of integrated synthetic
biology and manufacturing processes is rapidly advancing to make this a reality. It was clear at the
earliest stages of biotechnology that it would also contribute to providing new sustainable food
sources, energy sources, and materials.
3. Fig. In theory and then practice, these discoveries empowered scientists to use all of the
complexities of billions of years of evolution to innovate in the creation of new genes and organisms.
Yet it is often difficult to link discovery and innovation to their impact because of the years of
development required before a discovery matures to a level that can be adopted on a global scale. To
meet such global challenges requires the engagement of people and their leaders from diverse
cultures and experiences. national initiatives, such as in synthetic biology, nanotechnology, and most
recently in the Presidential BRAIN Initiative. Another part is the development of imaging and
detection systems that will report in real time about changes in an ecosystem. In furthering
convergence, this generation of students and fellows would benefit from enhanced communication
and collaboration with one another during training in multidisciplinary environments. Accomplishing
this calls us to face the question of the adoption of GMO technology. But as the world is calling for
more consumption, we are facing global warming, with increasing accumulation of heat-retaining
gases and further stress on environments.
Discovery and Technology, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation
Society probably has never been more uncertain about the prospect of a better future. An example
would be developing new statistics, thermodynamics, and chemistry to explain the origins of life, or
developing new computational tools and computer cores to detect signals in vast amounts of clinical
data. This interest in integrating entrepreneurship with training in technology further highlights the
relationship between discovery and the economy and the willingness of many public and private
research institutes to contribute to economic growth. This discovery, along with the elucidation of
the genetic code, established how information in DNA is transferred within the cell to synthesize
cellular proteins and thus other components.
Another decade passed, during which scientists in academic institutions around the world, motivated
by curiosity about the secrets of the gene, investigated biology at the molecular level. Convergence
strategies could help us develop better monitoring for changes in ecosystems and then expand
ecosystem engineering to reduce further damage and restore ecosystem functions. This climate
change is connected to, and can increase, the challenges of poverty and disease. The importance of
this analogy is that Newton's principles appeared some 200 years before Watson and Crick. But I am
more convinced than ever that the only avenue to a better future is continued advancements of
science that are wisely applied to society. I was fortunate to co-chair, with Tom Connelly of DuPont
Corporation, a 2009 National Academy of Sciences report entitled A New Biology for the 21st
Century. Recently, Rafael Reif, president of MIT, suggested an educational need to expand these
experiences from alumni to students in science and engineering. Merging media, personal
communication tools, and the application of medical data to the point of care of individual patients
are other important advances. For example, if we could use modern genomic technology at the stage
of diagnosis to distinguish cancers that will progress to lethality from those that are indolent, it
would both improve cancer care and reduce costs.
The promise of convergence is dependent upon continued investment in basic science and
translation of the resulting discoveries into innovations. Biologists gave engineers the gene, and
together they will create the future."
Note the two parts of this statement. These organisms are the foundation of the food chain, and
shifts in their population will eventually drive change through the surrounding environment. This
initiative began in the late 1980s and early 1990s and was completed in the early 2000s, with the
draft sequence in 2001 and the complete sequence in 2003. Thus, convergence encompasses
engineers and physical scientists applying their knowledge and tools to problems in life science in
their own professional domains. He was president of AAAS from February 2013 to February 2014.
4. Similar clusters are found around campuses in California, Ohio, and many other locations. Sharp
Phillip A. The National Innovation Initiative that led to the America Competes Act has a useful
definition: Innovation is the "intersection of discovery, invention and insight leading to the creation
of social and economic value." The connection between discovery and economic growth has never
been more apparent. The statement also indicates that it is important that biologists and engineers
integrate, and together they will create the future. However, these small but important initiatives
are insufficient to capture the promise of convergence. It has now spread beyond a small number of
companies and is being developed to improve the nutritional content of plants and protect against
rapidly spreading pathogens destroying local crops. Some of this investment should focus on
training the next generation of scientists and engineers. The report emphasized the importance of
the convergence of life sciences with engineering, physical, mathematical, and computational
sciences in meeting future challenges.
Susan Hockfield, MIT president emeritus, relates this revolution to a historical advance: "Physicists
gave engineers the electron, and they created the IT revolution. Inequities in standards of living
between developed and many underdeveloped countries will continue to diminish as the result of
modern trade policies and technology, increasing demand for food, energy, and better health care.
Another issue that needs to be considered is the limited research funds for engineering and
computational scientists to investigate life sciences outside of National Institutes of Health (NIH)
support, as many scientists from these domains feel unappreciated by NIH's application and review
processes. This is plainly illustrated in a schematic of the area around MIT in Cambridge,
Massachusetts, called the Kendall Square Cluster (Fig. In the mid-1970s, for the first time in history,
life sciences became a synthetic science, much as chemistry had more than a century earlier.
Phillip A. In spite of these concerns, innovation-based growth that will enable the movement of
hundreds of millions into the global middle class is a given with which we must wrestle. This
relationship drives much of the public interest in funding science and the education of students in
many nations, which increases the capacity to solve global problems.
The "classical" view in the process of translating science and technology for society is that scientists
"discover," engineers "invent," and entrepreneurs "innovate." In the past, scientists viewed these
three stages as belonging to properly separated worlds. When you picture this vast storehouse of
diverse genes with novel functions as a resource for further synthesis of new organisms with
innovative capacities, you get a glimpse of society's future.
The Next Revolution: Convergence
What is the next revolution in life sciences? Many think that an important part of the blueprint for
future innovations is the integration, or convergence, of other disciplines with life science. I end with
the following question: "Can we meet future global challenges without such convergence?" I think
the answer is "no."
5. . I highlight below how some organizations are
planning to accelerate the transition from discovery
to innovation to address some of the great challenges
facing society. In a 2013 article (6), Technology
Review posed the question, "Can we meet the global
food challenge without widespread adoption of GMO
plants?" The answer, in my opinion, is "no."
An important opportunity for meeting the energy challenge of replacing fossil hydrocarbons with a
sustainable source is the production of transportation fuels from biomass. But few would disagree
that in the long term, discovery and innovation are central to effectively meeting these challenges.
For example, bio-based polymers are beginning to replace hydrocarbon-based polymers in many
consumer products (7).
Fig. This history begins in 1953, when Watson and Crick announced the structure of DNA and
deduced how genetic information is transmitted when cells divide. As was obvious from the
beginning of discussions of alternative energy sources, corn grain, which is used in animal and
human nutrition and thus expensive, cannot in the long term be the biomass used in this process.
While scientific discovery and technological innovation have enabled innumerable advances, many
view the global challenges facing us as products of past advancements in science. In parallel with
strengthening these linkages, we will need stronger cross-discipline integration via the convergence
model, joining the life, engineering, social, and physical sciences into common pursuits. But it is
important to recognize that innovation is not solely the discovery of new knowledge or the invention
of new materials, processes, or devices. To make a real impact on the energy challenge, many
integrated innovative systems need to be developed in which plants are designed specifically to be
used as biomass, microorganisms are designed for conversion of this biomass to hydrocarbon-type
compounds, and manufacturing processes are engineered for efficient production and distribution.
In contrast, life science at the molecular level is very new and will take centuries to mature as an
economic force in society.
After the discovery of the structure of DNA, the next 10 years of molecular biology were highlighted
by the research of the great French biologists Jacob and Monod, who discovered the steps in the
flow of information from DNA to proteins through the intermediate of RNA (Fig. This will not happen
without expansion of current public/private partnerships, with the public sector funding more of the
basic research and the private sector funding more of the translational activities. Technology
companies arise on the boundaries of universities for many reasons: Translation of the science is
accelerated by the recruitment of recently trained personnel and by consultation with academic
scientists involved in discovery and invention; the literal proximity of basic and applied scientists
with entrepreneurs fosters conversations and collaborations, accelerating the translation process.
Some of these genes allow organisms to metabolize an extensive set of compounds for energy,
others render cells resistant to pathogens and toxic compounds, and others mediate communication
with other organisms to live in a symbiotic relationship. This immediate proximity of research
institutions, high-tech companies, and venture capital highlights the fact that even in this age of the
Internet and rapid transport, local interactions are still vital. There have been many innovations
from the human genome initiative; for example, insights into the genetic causes of cancer and other
chronic diseases. Sharp is Institute Professor and a faculty member of the Koch Institute for
Integrative Cancer Research and the Department of Biology at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, Cambridge, MA. 2). Every blue box is a biopharma company, green is energy, orange is
information technology/data, and red is venture capital. Increasing connections across the global
6. economy and the expansion of knowledge capital are driving a wave of global entrepreneurs, with
emerging nations like India and China showing how innovation-based growth can enable the
movement of hundreds of millions of people into the global middle class. Recent graduates of other
universities both here and abroad are also engaging in such entrepreneurial activities. This single
event, which extended Darwin's theory of evolution and Mendel's discovery of the transmission of
genes, took life sciences into a new realm. Much of the technology of our contemporary economy is
built on the laws of Newton. 1.
Cluster of high-tech and related organizations on the boundaries of MIT (source, MIT).
Universities and research institutions are engines of innovation because they are the major source of
discovery, new technology, and scientifically trained people. Vannevar Bush's 1945 treatise Science:
The Endless Frontier, which led to the creation of our modern research universities, argued that
basic research was the "pacemaker" of technological advance, and therefore investment in research
would inevitably yield innovation.
True enough, but to be efficient, the process requires great attention and nurturing. The buildings
shown in yellow are on the MIT campus along the Charles River, and around MIT are a large number
of high-tech companies. It is true that scientific advances and the innovations and corresponding
economic growth they have generated are contributors to the global climate challenge we must now
overcome. The development of biotechnology is the first step along this path. Science-based
innovation is tied to the problem, but it is also central to the solution.
Discovery and innovation are means by which science can affect society. In many cases, these
startup companies integrate skills that accelerate innovation by combining discovery, invention, and
entrepreneurship into a team. Historically, many universities have had faculties of scientists and
engineers with the objective of integrating discovery and invention and educating students in both
activities