tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74971056711082062622011-10-12T03:53:52.129-07:00Selected stand-out papers in molecular biologyAlejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.comBlogger2801100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-28510306261906871892011-07-09T18:14:00.000-07:002011-07-09T18:14:15.369-07:00

Make sure you update your bookmarks: we've moved to The MolBio Hut. Follow me through my general RSS feed. What's this 'generic RSS feed'? Read about it here. a2a_linkname=document.title;a2a_linkurl="http://amontenegro.blogspot.com";

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-46319422583089496512011-05-17T12:05:00.000-07:002011-05-17T12:05:19.511-07:00

(Image credit) Due to some problems with the Blogger platform and for a number of other reasons, we have decided to move into our new blog hosted at Wordpress: The MolBio Hut. Please update your bookmarks and your RSS feeds as this blog will no longer be updated. We will continue our work at The MolBio Hut and we hope you follow us there! Thanks! a2a_linkname=document.title;a2a_linkurl="

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-63070397806062388362011-04-08T17:34:00.000-07:002011-04-08T17:34:10.709-07:00

Fantastic. Just great. Enjoy.... (H/T: @Katie_PhD) a2a_linkname=document.title;a2a_linkurl="http://amontenegro.blogspot.com";

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-20814243909009905552011-04-07T15:20:00.000-07:002011-04-07T15:20:34.098-07:00

A new edition of The MolBio Carnival is now up at Alles was lebt Check it out now! a2a_linkname=document.title;a2a_linkurl="http://amontenegro.blogspot.com";

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-27652680784155048052011-04-05T06:48:00.000-07:002011-04-05T06:48:45.782-07:00

(Image credit) You always hear stories about people that have "the worst PI ever". These stories almost always start with "the friend of a friend used to work in a lab where the PI..." Many of these are exaggerations (and even funny in some cases), but in others, some PIs actually do the things you hear about. I don't want you to get the impression that I think PIs are 'evil'; in fact, many (if

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-760881440176043152011-04-03T10:30:00.000-07:002011-04-03T10:30:28.463-07:00

(Image credit) (...) This brings me to the observation that it is not just the case that we evil PIs only train PhD level scientists for technical work. It is also the case that some many trainees show little evidence that they themselves understand that bench work IS just technical work. If you don't have a conceptual grasp of what you are trying to understand, big picture, you are soooo not

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-46304310468990221472011-03-07T12:34:00.001-08:002011-03-07T12:34:47.404-08:00

A new edition of The MolBio Carnival is out! Go check it out over at Thoughtomics. a2a_linkname=document.title;a2a_linkurl="http://amontenegro.blogspot.com";

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-51786003819534757942011-02-25T11:10:00.000-08:002011-02-25T11:11:22.451-08:00

(Image credit) Quick post just to direct your attention to a new article in Nature Methods, under the "Technology Feature" section, discussing qPCR. This is a very powerful technique, but care must be taken when setting it up in order to arrive to the right conclusions. Go check it out! a2a_linkname=document.title;a2a_linkurl="http://amontenegro.blogspot.com";

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-42684621276404901732011-02-10T19:16:00.000-08:002011-02-10T19:16:13.246-08:00

Hop over to the GE Global Research site and check John Nelson's full list... Just a sample: You know you’re a biologist when… -You use the word “aliquot” in regular sentences. -You’ve made dry ice grenades. a2a_linkname=document.title;a2a_linkurl="http://amontenegro.blogspot.com";

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-46802300350162437502011-02-07T12:45:00.000-08:002011-02-07T12:45:55.082-08:00

It’s our turn to host the 7th issue of The MolBio Carnival and as usual, we have great posts to discuss and highlight. This is actually my first time hosting it, as last time, for the 1st issue of this Carnival, Alejandro did all the work, and a fine one, I might add. Although I´ve been absent from posting for a very long time (mainly because of the revision of a manuscript I'm involved in), I

Francisco Barrigahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04331796971961157992noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-17509401455081572752011-01-31T09:08:00.000-08:002011-01-31T09:09:35.742-08:00

".... my new results, to be unveiled, are experiments to show why my experiments failed..." (H/T: @apfejes) a2a_linkname=document.title;a2a_linkurl="http://amontenegro.blogspot.com";

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-25601657038549895112011-01-31T08:47:00.000-08:002011-01-31T08:48:35.508-08:00

(Image credit) My blogging frequency is less than ideal, but that doesn't mean I've stop highlighting fascinating articles in molecular and cell biology or linking to interesting things on the web. For me, Twitter is a better tool for when you just want to direct people's attention to things on the web than a blog, basically, because when I mention something on my blog I like to take the time

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-83517518940631542102011-01-17T05:19:00.000-08:002011-01-17T05:19:22.205-08:00

(Image credit) A recent poll at Science wanted to evaluate whether people would be willing to reduce their frequent travelling to meetings in favor of the environment. This poll was generated as a consequence of a letter by I. C. Burke urging scientists to examine the environmental consequences of their own frequent travel. This was that poll: On 10 December 2010, we asked you to consider the

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-25092854360900737002011-01-15T10:49:00.001-08:002011-01-15T10:49:49.550-08:00

I'm super excited as my sisters just gave me this fabulous book: Phage and the Origins of Molecular Biology, The Centennial Edition Here's its description: This hugely influential book, published in 1966 as a 60th birthday tribute to Max Delbrück, is now republished as The Centennial Edition. On first publication, the book was hailed as “[introducing] into the literature of science, for the

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-48404125430330781442011-01-09T17:30:00.000-08:002011-01-11T04:49:04.000-08:00

I've recently linked to a Letter in Science arguing that there's nothing wrong with the publication of “least publishable units” (LPUs) and that we needn't worry about a hypothetical paper glut and it's alleged effects on paper quality, provided a rigurous peer review system exists (See Quotes from the science world). This was published as a response to this letter.  Dave Bridges posted the

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-37602719069838129592011-01-09T10:00:00.000-08:002011-01-09T10:01:49.251-08:00

(...) Most of us who are actively involved in science today do not worry about a hypothetical paper glut, for the simple reason that we store scientific documents electronically, not on paper. In the electronic age, the claim can be made that a manuscript is suitable for publication if it is technically sound and that the importance of any particular article should be determined after

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-27308470361258081882011-01-08T08:53:00.000-08:002011-01-08T08:53:11.104-08:00

We may not have the money or technology available in other research centers, but we have a kick-ass city! Part of the new Gabriela Mistral Center, right next to my University, is to the right. The Lastarria neighborhood, filled with restaurants and bars is at the back (Image credit) When science resources are scarce, you can always travel abroad as part of collaborations and do the

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-49260343955028199602010-12-25T06:10:00.000-08:002010-12-25T06:24:13.797-08:00

Merry Christmas from all of us at MolBio Research Highlights. We wish you love and happiness in this Holiday Season. Oswald Avery (Image credit, modified by me) Oswald Theodore Avery (1877-1955) was a distinguished Canadian-born bacteriologist and research physician and one of the founders of immunochemistry. He is best known for his discovery that deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) serves as genetic

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-81499008262721012552010-12-24T10:35:00.000-08:002010-12-24T10:40:44.636-08:00

Another year has gone by and it’s time to evaluate how 2010 was for us. Yesterday was my blogoversary, making MolBio Research Highlights 2 years old. In these two years, a lot has happened and this blog has evolved from being a place where I linked to papers I considered interesting, to a full blog where we discuss primary research articles in the field, link to interesting things in the web (

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-30707165207319727162010-12-19T10:59:00.000-08:002010-12-19T10:59:43.310-08:00

A new edition of the MolBio Carnival is coming! There's still time to get your posts in, as it goes live on Jan 3rd. Read all about it here! (Image credit) a2a_linkname=document.title;a2a_linkurl="http://amontenegro.blogspot.com";

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-73155134419466488502010-12-16T05:11:00.000-08:002010-12-16T05:15:29.919-08:00

A (very) long time ago, Susan Steinhardt from the PostDocs Forum sent me an email with the idea of featuring me in their website. I immediately accepted, but I wasn't really diligent about it. I really appreciate Susan's continuous interest,  regardless of my  "inattention to schedule", as Keith Robison would say. Anyway, my interview is now live at the Forum and I encourage you to take a look!

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-37930752917540906442010-12-14T09:00:00.000-08:002010-12-14T09:01:05.416-08:00

Go and take a look at the selection made by Faculty of 1000, which includes the article describing the structure of a bacterial complex I enzyme.

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-49199218905917116462010-12-12T07:46:00.000-08:002010-12-12T07:46:59.226-08:00

The 5th edition of the MolBio Carnival is out at LabRat's blog. Go check it out! If you didn't have time to get your post in this month's issue, don't worry! You can always submit to the next edition, which will be hosted at Phased. a2a_linkname=document.title;a2a_linkurl="http://amontenegro.blogspot.com";

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-60589875313882914112010-12-11T09:09:00.000-08:002010-12-13T13:23:42.411-08:00

... and me! Taken at the Karlsruhe Palace. Thanks to Alex Knoll for inviting me to his home while in Germany and for taking me sightseeing (and for taking the picture!). a2a_linkname=document.title;a2a_linkurl="http://amontenegro.blogspot.com";

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-19784424266689160222010-12-05T07:01:00.000-08:002010-12-05T07:01:51.826-08:00

I read the paper (Wolfe-Simon et al., 2010) and I can assure you that nothing in that paper is going into my biochemistry textbook. I predict that a year from now we'll have forgotten about this discovery. I'm not even sure it's going to be confirmed but, if it is, the result is pretty trivial.  Larry Moran on the recent media hype about the paper "A Bacterium That Can Grow by Using Arsenic

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-77771873475798259242010-11-24T13:39:00.000-08:002010-11-24T13:39:47.824-08:00

From Biotechniques: "Powering the Cell: Mitochondria" is a dynamic four-minute 3-D animation designed to help students understand the world inside mitochondria, the organelle that creates energy for eukaryotic cells in the form of adenosine triphosphates (ATP). Enjoy! a2a_linkname=document.title;a2a_linkurl="http://amontenegro.blogspot.com";

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-56100406363970202992010-11-24T13:29:00.000-08:002010-11-24T13:31:51.024-08:00

Kary Mullis "(....) Of course this record only applies to scientists who became quacks after getting the Nobel Prize. That lets Kary Mullis off the hook" Larry Moran on his post entitled "Nobel Laureates Become Pseudoscientists" a2a_linkname=document.title;a2a_linkurl="http://amontenegro.blogspot.com";

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-50401106676289595652010-11-17T01:34:00.000-08:002010-11-17T01:34:29.788-08:00

I'm part of Wiley Science Advisors, a project designed to connect with the next generation of scientists. Every month an advisor is featured on the website and answers a few questions. This month was my turn and my Q&A was focused on my scientific online presence: how and why I use Twitter and blogs.  Go and take a look! a2a_linkname=document.title;a2a_linkurl="http://

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-3420019049323178552010-11-08T06:50:00.000-08:002010-11-08T07:25:46.637-08:00

In 20051, the Liu lab described a new central element in the Neurospora circadian clock. They found that an RNA helicase with similarity to the yeast exosome cofactor Dob1p/Mtr4p, associated with FRQ, a core clock component essential for circadian clock function in this fungus (it was termed FRH, for "FRQ-interacting RNA helicase"). Their evidence suggested that FRH played an important role in

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-18003651491775741722010-11-02T11:00:00.000-07:002010-11-02T11:00:21.505-07:00

A new edition of the MolBio Carnival is out at Skeptic Wonder. Be sure to check it out as great posts were featured. If you didn't have time to get your post in this month's issue, don't worry! You can always submit to the next edition, which will be hosted by LabRat. a2a_linkname=document.title;a2a_linkurl="http://amontenegro.blogspot.com";

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-74923772767753805152010-11-01T09:35:00.000-07:002010-11-01T09:38:15.573-07:00

Just hilarious...awesome British robotvoices... (H/T: Comrade PhysioProf. I just had to spread the word about this video :) a2a_linkname=document.title;a2a_linkurl="http://amontenegro.blogspot.com";

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-85997314483628277382010-10-14T19:06:00.000-07:002010-10-14T19:06:49.380-07:00

The editing process requires interaction and patience, which may explain why some PIs choose to take over the draft of a developing student rather than teach them how to write it themselves. But, if we want to raise the level of writing in journals, books, and grants, this process can't be rushed. We should all to learn to edit just as well as, or even better than, we write. -Dr O, on her post

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-27042401084868901182010-10-14T12:51:00.000-07:002010-10-14T12:53:44.009-07:00

A few months ago, I was interviewed for an article to be published in Nature, on the topic of the "internationalization of science". Basically, the idea was to interview scientists from different countries to address "whether or not the exchange of people and ideas is changing how science is done in countries all over the world". The article, entitled "Generation X-change", was published today

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-4264179964461572732010-10-14T12:20:00.000-07:002010-10-14T12:20:55.723-07:00

"Authors should try to resist the urge to let their findings trickle out over many years and many papers. Although the trend in the past may have been to turn each PhD thesis chapter into a manuscript, these days, even scientists at the postgraduate level should try to get one or two higher-profile papers rather than several lower-profile pieces (...)" -Mark Hauber, in an interview in Nature

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-40892301806549281232010-10-08T18:27:00.000-07:002010-10-08T21:40:32.942-07:00

I recently attended one of the largest scientific meetings in the country, the Annual Meeting of the Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. It was held at “Gran Hotel Termas de Chillán”, a 5-star hotel right in the middle of the mountain. We had access to hot springs and pools and we were surrounded by the most beautiful scenery. With two friends, outside the hotel The meeting was

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-39317180416514231632010-10-07T13:25:00.000-07:002010-10-07T13:25:10.636-07:00

In this day and age, anyone who equates junk DNA with non-coding DNA isn't worth reading. Larry Moran, discussing an article by Steve Talbott published in The New Atlantis. a2a_linkname=document.title;a2a_linkurl="http://amontenegro.blogspot.com";

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-59007245924659149582010-10-07T07:01:00.000-07:002010-10-07T07:01:03.386-07:00

Reviewer #3 is blaming our paper for not comparing our data to a very similar report that was published after we submitted it.(..)Trying to convince my collaborator to say that "our DeLorean was in the shop" in our reply to the editor.@nantel on a recent rant on Twitter (not exactly from the blogosphere, but I want to keep the name of this Series). -- (Image credit) a2a_linkname=document.title

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-87824563634285632242010-10-06T11:16:00.000-07:002010-10-06T11:16:45.239-07:00

A new issue of the Carnival was published on Monday. Go take a look at the great posts Alex Knoll has selected for the third issue of The MolBio Carnival! If you didn't have time to get your post in this month's issue, don't worry! You can always submit to the next edition, which will be hosted by Psi Wavefunction over at Skeptic Wonder.   And remember... The MolBio Carnival is posted on the

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-51034904127629402382010-09-21T07:14:00.000-07:002010-09-21T07:19:43.409-07:00

I would just go nuts without music. Hours of repetitive and mind-numbing tasks in the lab would take the best of me if it wasn't for my Sony MP4. Head banging at the laminar hood and dancing while setting a bacterial colony PCR are just one of my many daily moves. Also, when I'm at my computer writing something or reading papers or whatever, I'm plugged in so that "lab noises" (which almost

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-10935672369517357532010-09-19T10:08:00.000-07:002010-09-19T10:15:24.488-07:00

As you may recall, I'm currently involved in The MolBio Carnival, a blog carnival that focuses on cellular and molecular biology in different systems (more info here and here). In fact, I hosted the very first issue.  This Carnival, as many others, uses BlogCarnival to manage submissions. Today, BlogCarnival features our very own MolBio Carnival on its homepage! How cool is that?

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-58472580189140033362010-09-07T18:07:00.000-07:002010-09-07T18:07:13.806-07:00

Perhaps trying to find a single metric by which to evaluate authors is a quixotic endeavour at best. It is rather like the three blind men trying to identify an elephant while each feeling a different part of it: each metric is only able to describe a small part of the whole. -Adam Finch BioEssays Volume 32, Issue 9, pages 744–747, September 2010 (Also, take a look at the Wikipedia entry

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-64194619675622498212010-09-06T17:37:00.000-07:002010-09-06T17:37:13.534-07:00

"Even a cursory look at the basic statistics should tell any half-competent scientist with an ounce of quantitative analysis in their bones that the Impact Factor of journals in which a given researcher publishes tells you nothing whatsoever about the quality of their work"(...)Metrics are unlikely to go away – after all, if we didn’t have them we might have to judge people’s work by actually

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-15710720760473421582010-08-29T13:52:00.000-07:002010-08-29T14:19:18.162-07:00

Yesterday, I twittered about Sciverse, a new "Elsevier platform that combines ScienceDirect (fulltext journal articles) and Scopus (abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature)" (more about it here, in @mfenner's blog). While browsing around the ScienceDirect site, I found a new service: "Top-25 hottest articles". Basically, Top 25 "allows you to see which articles have been

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-44347419312895776692010-08-28T20:48:00.000-07:002010-08-28T20:50:12.553-07:00

"In terms of grammar, English is possibly one of the least logical and most puzzling languages there is. This is the result of its hybrid origins. Modern English is basically a mixture of a Teutonic language (Old English) and a Romance language (Norman French). These come from entirely different sub-groups of Indo-European. To be sure, this fusion even happened almost a thousand years ago, but we

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-4786957878361025952010-08-21T15:36:00.000-07:002010-08-21T15:36:11.189-07:00

This is just to remind you that a new issue of The MolBio Carnival is coming and it will be hosted by Lucas Brouwers at Thoughtomics. It will go live on Sept 6th, so there's still plenty of time to submit your best molbio posts to this great carnival. More info on submission guidelines and how to submit your posts here. a2a_linkname=document.title;a2a_linkurl="http://amontenegro.blogspot.com";

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-16893002750107459462010-08-02T11:25:00.000-07:002010-08-02T19:28:04.866-07:00

I’m pleased to host the very first edition of the MolBio Carnival, your monthly roundup of interesting posts in molecular biology from the science blogosphere. There has been a great response to this initiative and I had a great time reviewing submissions and writing this post. You can read all about this Carnival here (submission guidelines, scope, etc), but right now, let’s get down to

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-87746073141211319202010-07-27T15:38:00.000-07:002010-07-27T17:00:18.418-07:00

I recently attended the 2010 Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting, a “globally recognised forum for the transfer of knowledge between generations of scientists”. This exciting and mind-broadening conference was enriching in many ways (with actual science being only one of the many fantastic things about it), and in this post I’d like to share with you my impressions of it. First of all, the historic

Francisco Barrigahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04331796971961157992noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-55805795179578806762010-07-19T13:08:00.000-07:002010-07-19T16:03:10.271-07:00

The “Direct Connection” section of MolBio Research Highlights includes blog posts discussing primary research articles in the field, but the interesting thing about it is that these posts are written by the authors themselves. This allows them to discuss the background, results and implications of their work with a wider audience and in a more relaxed format. Further, as it provides a direct link

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-50529124917317658482010-07-17T14:40:00.000-07:002010-07-17T14:48:34.641-07:00

Here's a video interview with non-coding RNA expert John Mattick, in which he explains why he thinks non-coding RNA is fundamental to eukaryotic evolution. __ Source: BMC Biology 2010, 8:67 . You can find an edited version of the video transcript there too. Format: MP4 Size: 45.9MB Download file a2a_linkname=document.title;a2a_linkurl="http://amontenegro.blogspot.com";

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-10535817565682847342010-07-11T10:41:00.000-07:002010-07-11T10:41:26.937-07:00

"(...) is that the rule of peer-review is not to just vote something up or down, but rather provide constructive, sometimes qualitative advice or suggestions, to help improve the science" - Deepak Singh on his recent post entitled "Peer-review has a place". a2a_linkname=document.title;a2a_linkurl="http://amontenegro.blogspot.com";

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-8304976623865248482010-07-06T17:16:00.000-07:002010-07-06T19:10:08.480-07:00

I was browsing the Internet after a tiring afternoon of RNA extraction from a circadian time course, when I came across with something that caught my eye. There is a movie actually entitled "Circadian Rhythm"! Will it tell the story (a documentary maybe) of a young and handsome Latin American scientist who works hard to study the molecular mechanisms underlying these fascinating oscillations?

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-25644693286298307372010-07-05T07:57:00.000-07:002010-07-05T07:57:28.363-07:00

I've just been informed that our blog, MolBio Research Highlights, has taken a top place in the 2010 HAL Medical Blog Awards, sponsored by Apredica, under the "Future Leaders of Biomed – Best Blog Award" category! This category recognizes the top blogs covering biology and medical issues written by graduate students with exceptional promise. Our blog was described as:Excellent selection of

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-7058495710343495662010-07-04T16:30:00.000-07:002010-07-04T16:30:36.644-07:00

In a previous post, I highlighted the wonders of using yeast recombinational cloning as an alternative to “classic” cloning, particularly when a high-throughput approach was to be taken [See An alternative cloning strategy: yeast recombinational cloning]. Some time after posting it, I was contacted by the people at Lab Times, who asked me to write an article about this fantastic methodology for

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-47758573394401139012010-06-30T17:11:00.000-07:002010-06-30T17:11:00.972-07:00

"As Nature's experiment in open peer review showed, and as can be seen from the lack of commenting on papers in Nature and other journals that encourage it, researchers see little to be gained from open discourse before or after publication. Not only are they busy, as the above quotes attest, but there's no credit to be gained, and some risk if one makes an erroneous or critical statement in

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-81556992625309638442010-06-29T17:57:00.000-07:002010-06-29T17:57:33.921-07:00

"By setting up strict reference limits, the journals instead tend to devalue the reference system by leading one to believe that referencing a paper is nothing but a mere courtesy, as opposed to an obligation" -Editorial at Lab Times (not exactly a quote from the blogosphere, but still). I agree. Limiting reference number and failing to rightfully acknowledge the correct and original source of a

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-61568421795052353282010-06-28T11:26:00.000-07:002010-06-28T12:37:07.720-07:00

Circadian clocks control a large number of daily processes in most organisms. These endogenous cellular timekeepers regulate rhythms in gene expression, physiology and behaviour and enable organisms to anticipate predictable environmental variations. Circadian clocks are composed of a central oscillator and two signaling pathways: input pathways convey external signals to the oscillator, so

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-32094314614338198102010-06-22T07:23:00.000-07:002010-06-22T07:23:24.334-07:00

"PC at work, Mac at home- it's like a computer mullet- business in the front, party in the back..." -Alan Marnett (BenchFly founder, who twitted this at me) -- (Image credit) a2a_linkname=document.title;a2a_linkurl="http://amontenegro.blogspot.com";

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-90434061842996146602010-06-17T11:34:00.000-07:002010-06-17T16:08:09.558-07:00

The 2009 Journal Citation Report has just been published! Just as last year [See The 2008 Journal Citation Report is in! ], there are not many surprises on the top (considering ALL journals), with some medical (CA-CANCER J CLIN, NEW ENGL J MED) and review journals holding on to most of the top 10 positions (including biology related review journals like NAT REV MOL CELL BIO -with an amazing

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-20382017060218040932010-06-07T09:03:00.000-07:002010-06-07T09:03:33.698-07:00

Remember to add "Around the Journals" to your RSS Aggregator to stay on top of current developments in the fascinating field of molecular biology. Go there now! -> Around the Journals Do you feel your field in underrepresented in our Picks? Send me an email with your weekly picks and we'll post them here! -- (Image credit) a2a_linkname=document.title;a2a_linkurl="http://

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-27809454994529741702010-06-02T17:39:00.000-07:002010-06-25T20:32:18.679-07:00

In between experiments, I went into Twitter (you can follow me here)only to find out that a very funny (and yes, geeky) meme was started by @Albertagael and @hyphaltip . The idea? To give a science-related name to a hypothetical rock band. Tweets are being grouped under the hashtag #sciencerockbandnames. Check it out!! There are some very funny contributions. Here are some of mine (in bold are

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-66405359266071722452010-05-25T12:29:00.000-07:002010-05-25T12:51:01.366-07:00

Our poll “The hottest molbio topics: the next few years” is now over and I have invited notorious bloggers (and experts in the fields in question) to discuss and contextualize the results for our readers, in a way to present them in a more attractive way [See Which will be the hottest topic in molecular biology in a few years? The results]. As you may remember, last week David García from You'd

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-87057753896770954872010-05-20T08:09:00.000-07:002010-05-20T13:25:56.784-07:00

Our poll “The hottest molbio topics: the next few years” is now over and I have invited notorious bloggers (and experts in the fields in question) to discuss and contextualize the results for our readers, in a way to present them in a more attractive way [See Which will be the hottest topic in molecular biology in a few years? The results].First is David García, a graduate student at MIT

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-77851603795463713452010-05-18T11:00:00.000-07:002010-05-20T08:40:05.034-07:00

Some time ago, I posted a poll here at MolBio Research Highlights asking people to vote for the topic they thought was going to be hottest in molecular biology in a few years [See The hottest molbio topics: the next few years]. Some of the areas listed in that poll are hot even right now, but may continue to rise in the next couple of years.The poll is now over and I wanted to share the results

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-30636333422161048732010-05-17T13:17:00.000-07:002010-05-17T13:28:27.993-07:00

Another week has gone by and some very interesting molbio blog posts have been aggregated to Researchblogging.org. Every week [see my opening post on the matter], although lately I just haven't had the time, I'll select some blog posts I consider particularly interesting in the field of molecular biology [see here to get a sense of the criteria that will be used], briefly describe them and list

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-29329720484132076582010-05-15T12:59:00.000-07:002010-05-15T13:29:43.723-07:00

...is not what's most important. Focus your time and energy on trying to do a good job and on being thorough and analytical about your research, rather than on worrying about metrics and whatnots....I've just read a short article while browsing around the latest issue of LabTimes and wanted to share this short quote with you.“Don’t worry about it, old chap. Your article is good, actually very

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-30920228718059870572010-05-12T07:57:00.000-07:002010-05-12T07:59:06.575-07:00

This is just awesome...a2a_linkname=document.title;a2a_linkurl="http://amontenegro.blogspot.com";

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-80923515114655132892010-05-09T11:05:00.000-07:002010-05-09T11:07:22.208-07:00

A classic strip from PhD Comics:a2a_linkname=document.title;a2a_linkurl="http://amontenegro.blogspot.com";

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-69781414004700752492010-05-02T07:49:00.000-07:002010-05-02T08:00:31.182-07:00

Another nerdy science video: The "Glucose, Glucose" song."you help me make ATP, when my predators are chasing me..."[Hat Tip: Bayblab.]a2a_linkname=document.title;a2a_linkurl="http://amontenegro.blogspot.com";

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-81237646349259316522010-04-26T15:32:00.000-07:002010-04-26T15:39:41.356-07:00

As some of you may know, I have a deep interest in science publishing and a few days ago, I posted this question over at the "Ask the Nature Editor" forum.I was wondering which of these two hypothetical scientists would have a better chance of entering the editorial team either at Nature or some of the other NPG journals.a) Scientist with a recently awarded PhD degree. Published 2-4 papers during

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-41816544375218218172010-04-26T13:40:00.000-07:002010-04-26T13:56:45.983-07:00

Stop whatever you are doing! Yes, stop!... and go over to Professor in Training and read her hilarious post: Rules for presenting at Experimental Biology.I especially liked the first one, because it's something that I generally have to remind my colleagues about:1. Do not use comic sans on your slides. It sucks. And it makes you look stupid.__(Image credit)a2a_linkname=document.title;a2a_linkurl=

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-67386561828369043592010-04-24T19:52:00.000-07:002010-04-24T20:12:31.723-07:00

Remember PhD Comics' Seminar bingo? Every time you hear something at a lecture that is listed on your bingo sheet, you should cross it out and the first one to complete a straight line must yell out BINGO to win! (Not really ;-) Nobody will appreciate the interruption and you will be forever regarded as a mental patient)OK, here's the Systems and Synthetic Biology edition, by Patrick Boyle:__[H/

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-83863469298920594182010-04-18T08:58:00.000-07:002010-04-24T20:22:21.094-07:00

Here's an intriguing and "fact-filled video about the accomplishments and possibilities of cancer research, conceptualized by AACR President Tyler Jacks, Ph.D., and AACR Annual Meeting Program Chair Frank McCormick, Ph.D."This comes from the AACR (American Association for Cancer Research) Youtube Channel.a2a_linkname=document.title;a2a_linkurl="http://amontenegro.blogspot.com";

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-50747083163752242032010-04-16T17:23:00.001-07:002010-04-16T17:49:28.356-07:00

After a long day, which included Neurospora crassa RNA extraction and cDNA generation (from several samples), picking transformants into slants (way too many...), Neurospora transformation (again, several samples), reading papers, mentoring undergrad and a lot more (I had lunch about 3 hrs later than usual), there is nothing better than relaxing in a nearby bar with friends...I think I'll start

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-25973144529781116822010-04-12T13:33:00.000-07:002010-04-12T13:45:41.230-07:00

After a long wait, it finally arrived!! Here's a pic of me wearing my birthday present in the lab, courtesy of the Public Library of Science, taken last Friday.I want to thank Liz Allen and Jessica Ashdown at PLoS for this kind gift. I will wear it proudly :-)a2a_linkname=document.title;a2a_linkurl="http://amontenegro.blogspot.com";

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-23614767885724727522010-04-11T10:07:00.000-07:002010-04-11T10:42:17.656-07:00

Lately, I've been hearing a lot about lab retreats, mostly from labs abroad and I've been wondering why we don't have them here in Chile (or at least, it's not an activity that most labs here integrate into their yearly plans).Is it because some PIs think it's a waste of "bench" time, or maybe because they think that lab meetings are enough to discuss the research of the different lab members, or

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-55922851598033190952010-04-11T10:02:00.000-07:002010-04-11T10:05:32.084-07:00

Now THIS is the proper size for a desk in the lab (and the proper lighting as well)...__(Image credit: the Nedivi Lab)a2a_linkname=document.title;a2a_linkurl="http://amontenegro.blogspot.com";

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-73732840028477721212010-04-08T06:52:00.000-07:002010-04-08T07:03:26.281-07:00

My dear friend and colleague, Roberto Munita (standing, blue t-shirt) left yesterday for a 3-month stay at John Mattick's Lab in the Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Australia. The research at John's Lab is centered around the regulatory role of RNA.We wish you success in this fascinating adventure! Keep us posted!__About the picture: This was taken at a field trip

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-36566098011592672092010-04-06T13:55:00.000-07:002010-04-06T14:10:52.579-07:00

Next, me ranting:If the email address the corresponding author provides for a publication is no longer valid after ONLY two years, then he/she should be arrested and beat senseless. Even more so, when he/she doesn't even have a personal website.Thank you.-AMM___(Image credit)a2a_linkname=document.title;a2a_linkurl="http://amontenegro.blogspot.com";

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-44080233902986010792010-04-05T06:53:00.000-07:002010-04-05T07:09:22.345-07:00

Another week has gone by and some very interesting molbio blog posts have been aggregated to Researchblogging.org. Every week [see my opening post on the matter], I'll select some blog posts I consider particularly interesting in the field of molecular biology [see here to get a sense of the criteria that will be used], briefly describe them and list them here for you to check out.Note that I'm

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-23326029540155388512010-04-04T08:17:00.001-07:002010-04-04T08:21:05.619-07:00

Quick post just to direct your attention to two recent interesting papers using ChIP-Seq [See also [Techniques] Analyzing the genome-wide chromatin landscape: ChIP-Seq].Comparing genome-wide chromatin profiles using ChIP-chip or ChIP-seq. Bioinformatics. 2010 Mar 5. [Epub ahead of print]Annotation of gene promoters by integrative data-mining of ChIP-seq Pol-II enrichment data. BMC Bioinformatics.

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-23547278317194007702010-04-04T07:26:00.000-07:002010-04-04T07:35:06.929-07:00

I found this at the You'd Prefer An Argonaute blog and wanted to share it with you.---------Reposted from You'd Prefer An Argonaute:Laboratory biological science hasn’t changed much in the last 40 years: "What, the reader may ask, did we do in the 6 years between starting C. elegans genetics and publishing the first article on it? Since the animal has a short life cycle of 3.5 days, it should

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-66895652095311924702010-04-02T14:34:00.000-07:002010-04-02T14:41:14.880-07:00

Here are the Simpsons mocking grad students and postdocs...BTW, I make more that US 600 a year and I got rid of my pony tail BEFORE grad school, OK? :)a2a_linkname=document.title;a2a_linkurl="http://amontenegro.blogspot.com";

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-45711828434767590242010-03-31T15:00:00.001-07:002010-03-31T19:38:41.178-07:00

I haven´t had the time to blog a lot this week due to the setting up of several experiments and undergrad mentoring (I feel like the guy on the picture). In fact, Picks of the Week wasn´t published this week. I apologize to all my readers.... the two of you :)There are, however, some great blog posts in preparation (many of which are guest posts) and will be posted here soon.In the meantime,

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-34186190605668494472010-03-27T15:53:00.000-07:002010-03-28T10:44:09.909-07:00

You may notice that a lot from the left sidebar is missing. I'm doing some moving around, changing some things, trying to make use of Blogger's new feature "The Blogger Template Designer" to give MolBio Research Highlights a new look.You may also have noticed that there are a couple of buttons on the top: they may stay there after everything settles down, but I'm still testing it. Do you think

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-48885044052981566612010-03-27T09:05:00.000-07:002010-03-27T14:31:03.933-07:00

This?Not quite.To us, spring break, is just that time of the year when:1) we don't have to wait in line at the University cafeteria2) we can park wherever we want3) we can sit wherever we want at the library4) your PI spends more time at his/her office and thus, pops up in the lab asking how experiments are going, more frequently(From Phd Comics)--(Top Image credit)a2a_linkname=document.title;

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-31867198499236643592010-03-24T19:15:00.000-07:002010-03-24T19:22:47.117-07:00

(...) We showed unequivocally that working in a developing nation is no bar to doing excellent science. (...) Our key strategy was to work as a team with an innovative horizontal philosophy that involved people from different areas of research in various countries.Such multinational collaborations are crucial to the success of science, technology and innovation in developing nations.1Exactly.

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-61156720243994561782010-03-24T18:51:00.000-07:002010-03-24T19:08:50.056-07:00

Be sure to check this recent Correspondance over at Nature expressing reservations regarding a recent Editorial on the International Human Epigenome Consortium.I've commented before on the loose use of the word "Epigenetics" [What is Epigenetics? An operational definition], so I found this quote particularly interesting:With respect to 'epigenomics', we wish to stress that chromatin 'marks' and

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-64582728517037728132010-03-22T12:48:00.000-07:002010-03-22T15:37:46.216-07:00

Richard Grant, Information Architect at F1000, organized a fascinating Twitter contest. The idea was to "post your most embarrassing scientific error or egregious lab-based manipulation to Twitter with the #scifubar hashtag".I read about it last night and decided to enter with two funny stories from my Department (remember you can post up to 140 characters in Twitter):1) I saw someone try to melt

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-33038965408466693002010-03-22T05:54:00.000-07:002010-03-22T06:06:09.379-07:00

Another week has gone by and some very interesting molbio blog posts have been aggregated to Researchblogging.org. Every week [see my opening post on the matter], I'll select some blog posts I consider particularly interesting in the field of molecular biology [see here to get a sense of the criteria that will be used], briefly describe them and list them here for you to check out.Note that I'm

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-1260743776005958222010-03-21T13:55:00.000-07:002010-03-21T14:06:00.873-07:00

The famous science writer David Bradley (@sciencebase in Twitter) has created the Periodic Table of Science Bloggers. In that table you'll find very interesting blogs on a variety of science topics. Each element's abbreviated name comes close to the blog or blogger's name, twitter account, etc.If you’ve got a chemistry/science blog and your initials or its initials fit one of the elements that I

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-84735571897974347592010-03-15T06:02:00.000-07:002010-03-15T06:23:59.099-07:00

Another week has gone by and some very interesting molbio blog posts have been aggregated to Researchblogging.org. Every week [see my opening post on the matter], I'll select some blog posts I consider particularly interesting in the field of molecular biology [see here to get a sense of the criteria that will be used], briefly describe them and list them here for you to check out.Note that I'm

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-71507517031763660972010-03-09T04:46:00.000-08:002010-06-19T09:59:56.471-07:00

The very first thing I do every morning when I get to the lab is turn on my laptop (this is unless I did a bacterial transformation the day before, in which case the first thing I’ll do is check the incubator). Then, I usually review a number of things: I check my email, check the latest updates from my favorite journals/blogs, manage my PDF library, etc., in addition to organizing my lab day (

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-73086876378413748442010-03-08T05:38:00.000-08:002010-03-08T05:53:00.543-08:00

Another week has gone by and some very interesting molbio blog posts have been aggregated to Researchblogging.org. Every week [see my opening post on the matter], I'll select some blog posts I consider particularly interesting in the field of molecular biology [see here to get a sense of the criteria that will be used], briefly describe them and list them here for you to check out.Note that I'm

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-16484014584917558442010-03-06T06:26:00.000-08:002010-03-06T06:31:57.631-08:00

(...) but it struck me that if this candidate were to have a piano land on his head tomorrow, there would still be plenty of people pursuing the types of questions that he plans to pursue.Dr. Jekyll and Mrs. Hyde in a post arguing that candidates to fill a position at their Department, have not "carved out a scientific niche for him or herself that seems distinct from the territory occupied by

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-87782758783113578292010-03-04T05:17:00.000-08:002010-03-04T11:46:53.210-08:00

Research Blogging (RB), "a system for identifying the best, most thoughtful blog posts about peer-reviewed research", aggregates posts that discuss research literature on a variety of topics.As a molbio blog, created by scientists and directed to scientists (particularly molecular biologists) in which we discuss articles in the field, many of our posts have been aggregated to RB in our ~1 year

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-34563033272912395462010-03-02T13:00:00.000-08:002010-03-02T13:44:38.603-08:00

Fascinating. That's how I would describe the newest initiative at Benchfly, directed at raising funds for Scientists!There's a video explaining everything (funny, check it out), but if you are super super busy, then here's a summary:1) You download and install a browser toolbar from Benchfly (here)2) Every time you use the toolbar, you help raise a little money which goes into a pot (courtesy of

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-15156627830291166082010-03-02T07:03:00.000-08:002010-03-02T07:19:16.122-08:00

Another week has gone by and some very interesting molbio blog posts have been aggregated to Researchblogging.org. Every week [see my opening post on the matter], I'll select some blog posts I consider particularly interesting in the field of molecular biology [see here to get a sense of the criteria that will be used], briefly describe them and list them here for you to check out.Note that I'm

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-11630763064823118032010-02-28T13:08:00.000-08:002010-02-28T18:59:15.563-08:00

On Saturday, at 3:34 am, Chile was struck by a powerful earthquake, one of the most devastating representations of nature. An astounding 8.8-magnitud quake (Richter), one of the most intense recorded in history, has hit Central and Southern Chile, bringing chaos and suffering to many Chilean families. Many people are missing, injured or have been rendered homeless, either due to the quake itself

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-24578053882128110812010-02-23T07:57:00.000-08:002010-02-23T08:02:20.182-08:00

A hilarious take on some common Powerpoint presentation mistakes.[H/T: BoraZ]a2a_linkname=document.title;a2a_linkurl="http://amontenegro.blogspot.com";

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7497105671108206262.post-945224104317546262010-02-22T19:23:00.000-08:002010-02-22T19:34:09.151-08:00

If your results sound amazing, take a deep breath & think of several tests that could debunk them. Then do those ten tests. If they survive, go to bed & think of another batch of tests.Keith Robison at his blog Omics! Omics!, heavily criticizing an article published in BMC Genomics. A cool fact: the editors of BMC Genomics invited Keith to formalize his post (and his comment at the article's

Alejandro Montenegro-Monterohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18078462764857337905noreply@blogger.com0