Category Archives: Education

Education

Bioinformatics and Charles Darwin – Biological Approach of the New Age

Updated 27 December 2014

Bioinformatics and Charles Darwin – Biological Approach of the New Age

Bioinformatics and Charles Darwin – adidarwinian

Bioinformatics and Charles Darwin – Great Great Great – It’s For Mr. Darwin Once Again!!

Continue on the radical path paved by the greatest biologist ever born – Charles Darwin – How can an evolutionary biologist do that?

Bioinformatics, sometimes known as Computational Biology, is presently the best way to study the ever interesting field of evolutionary biology. Bioinformatics provides many unique and powerful tools to study evolutionary biology. One such Bioinformatics tool that I would like to mention here is PHYLIP (the PHYLogeny Inference Package).

PHYLIP is a free software package which consists of many simple yet powerful programs for inferring phylogenies. PHYLIP can be easily downloaded through the Internet.

Classification of the Programs in the PHYLIP package   

Programs included in the PHYLIP package can be enlisted by the type of data or by the type of algorithm used.

Based On The Type Of Data – DNA sequences; Protein sequences; Distance matrices; Quantitative characters;  Restriction sites; Discrete characters; Tree plotting, consensus trees, tree distances and tree manipulation; and Gene frequencies

Based On The Type Of Algorithm – Branch-and-bound tree search; Heuristic tree search; Interactive tree manipulation; Converting data, making distances or bootstrap replicates; and Plotting trees, consensus trees, tree distances

Books To Read —

Bioinformatics For Dummies by Jean-Michel Claverie

Developing Bioinformatics Computer Skills: An Introduction to Software Tools for Biological Applications by Cynthia Gibas

Introduction to Bioinformatics by Arthur Lesk

Practical Computing for Biologists by Steven H. D. Haddock

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) – A Landmark In Neuro-pharmacology

Updated on June 08, 2015

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) – A Landmark in Neuro-pharmacology!!

SSRIs - A Landmark in Neuro-pharmacology - adidarwinian

SSRIs – A Landmark in Neuro-pharmacology – adidarwinian

If a pharmacologist (a person who specializes in the study of the medicines, that is, Pharmacology) has to name one of the finest medical marvels in the history of Neuro-pharmacology (Neuro-pharmacology is the study of the medicines that affect the nervous system), then the development of the class of medicines known as the Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) is certainly the correct and the most rational answer. These medicines have rejuvenated the whole realm of therapeutic intervention for the Psychiatric disorders or Psychiatric Diseases (Psychiatric diseases or disorders are the diseases causing some sort of disturbances in the brain of a person, and thus, resulting in changes in behavior, emotions, thought process, comprehension, and other mental faculties of the affected person).

It is now very clearly acknowledged by the psychiatric community that serotonin (a neurotransmitter) really exerts a major influence in maintaining the Homeostasis (equilibrium or stability) in the Neural Circuitry (the inter-network of the brain cells or neurons) of our brains. The Mechanism of Action (MOA) of SSRIsSelective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) rectify the disordered neuronal biochemistry by blocking the serotonin reuptake pump or serotonin transporter protein (SERT). This results in the selective inhibition of the reuptake of serotonin in the brain neurons, and hence, increases the amount of serotonin in the space (synaptic cleft) between the brain’s neurons.

Fluoxetine, Fluvoxamine, Citalopram, Escitalopram, Paroxetine, and Sertraline are the medicines that belong to the Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) class.

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors or SSRIs class of medicines has become the mainstay therapy for treating Depression, Anxiety Disorders such as the Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or OCD. Their potential in treating Psychoses has also been implicated. (Psychoses is plural of Psychosis, which is defined as a mental disorder characterized by the symptoms, such as, delusions (false beliefs) or hallucinations (hearing or seeing things which are not actually there), that indicate loss of contact or impaired contact with the reality.)

Classic Darwin and The Masterpiece of Biology

Updated – September, 2013

Classic Darwin and The Masterpiece of Biology –  On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection

The Masterpiece of Biology Created by The Master Himself

Classic Darwin - adidarwinian

Classic Darwin – adidarwinian

Charles Darwin gave full explanation on the origin of species in his classic biology book – On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection. On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection can really be regarded as the Masterpiece of Biology created by the master himself to explain the enigma of the existence of life on this planet. The master also wrote The Descent of Man amongst other famous classic books on evolution.