Data Floods, Willie, and Beef

A recent article published in the Providence Journal described a modern proteomics laboratory and the changes that this type of scientific investigation is engendering.

"For proteomics, scientific papers are becoming obsolete," Arthur Salomon, a biochemist in Brown University's Laboratories for Molecular Medicine, told the student journalist who wrote the article. Solomon said that published papers can describe some 10,000 or so data points, while his work can produce that much data in just a few days. His work is to develop tools to manage that data, and help glean knowledge gained from it. The article is available here.

"Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to be, ummm, Molecular Biologists?"

The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas will establish the Annie and Willie Nelson Professorship in Stem Cell Research. The Austin American-Statesman newspaper said Nelson and his wife received the honor for helping to raise $250,000 for the stem cell program through a concert held in Texas. Eric Olson, chairman of the medical center's molecular biology department, will hold the position.

ViaGen, an Austin, Texas, based unit of Exeter Life Sciences, today announced a collaboration with AgInfoLink to develop a system for cattle producers and feedlot managers to store and track livestock genetic and production information. The company said the web-based system is expected to be available by the end of the summer. This product announcement comes as the US Department of Agriculture investigates the possibility of a second cow in the US testing positive for BSE or “mad cow” disease. An article by United Press International describes USDA actions leading to the sending of the brain of the suspect animal to a lab in the UK for molecular testing.