Just got this by email. I have no idea what is in the Mobile Bus but thought it might be of interest:
Eisen Lab Blog
Call For Papers: “Phylogenomics & Population Genomics: Models, Algorithms, & Analytical Tools” Session at PSB 2013]
Call for papers
Phylogenomics and Population Genomics: Models, Algorithms, and Analytical Tools Co-chairs: Luay Nakhleh (Rice U.), Noah Rosenberg (Stanford U.), and Tandy Warnow (U. Texas)
A session at the Pacific Symposium on Biocomputing (PSB 2013) http://psb.stanford.edu/cfp.html#ppg
January 3-7, 2013
The Big Island of Hawaii
Background:
The increasing availability of whole-genome data from diverse species across the Tree of Life has propelled phylogenomics, the evolutionary analysis of genomes and their relationships, to the forefront of research. Research in phylogenomics has contributed to fundamental questions in biology including, but not limited to: orthology identification, species evolution, the extent and role of horizontal gene transfer, and protein function prediction. Further, as sequencing techniques continue to improve in efficiency and cost, whole-genome data is becoming available for many individuals within populations. This has given rise to interesting questions and problems in population genomics, such as comparative analysis of conserved and ultra-conserved regions, the interplay between adaptive and
non-adaptive evolutionary forces, and the detection of regulatory regions.
Research areas targeted in this session encompass mathematical models and computational tools that enable and/or utilize phylogenomic analyses. These include, but are not limited to: orthology detection, gene tree incongruence and its reconciliation (incomplete lineage sorting, gene duplication and loss, and horizontal gene transfer), protein function prediction, ancestral genome reconstruction, and elucidating the adaptive roles of evolutionary events such as gene duplication and horizontal gene transfer.
Session theme:
We invite contributions with a substantial and innovative mathematical or computational component (such as computational models, algorithms, simulation studies, and computationally innovative analyses of biological data) in all areas of phylogenomics, including, but not limited to, gene tree incongruence, species phylogeny inference, ancestral genome reconstruction, and integration with population genetics.
Important Dates
• Paper submission deadline: July 31, 2012
• Notification of paper acceptance: September 10, 2012
• Camera-ready copy deadline: October 1, 2012
All deadlines are at midnight Pacific Standard Time.
Paper Format
Please see the PSB paper format template and instructions at http://psb.stanford.edu/psb-online/psb-submit.
The file formats we accept are: Postscript (*.ps) and Portable Document Format (*.pdf). Attached files should be named with the last name of the first author (e.g., altman.ps or altman.pdf). Hardcopy submissions or unprocessed TEX or LATEX files will be rejected without review.
Each paper must be accompanied by a cover letter. The cover letter must state the following:
• The email address of the corresponding author
• The specific PSB session that should review the paper or abstract • The submitted paper contains original, unpublished results, and is not currently under consideration elsewhere.
• All co-authors concur with the contents of the paper.
Submitted papers are limited to twelve (12) pages in our publication format. Please format your paper according to instructions found at http://psb.stanford.edu/psb-online/psb-submit/. If figures cannot be easily resized and placed precisely in the text, then it should be clear that with appropriate modifications, the total manuscript length would be within the page limit.
Contact PSB (psb.hawaii @ gmail.com) for additional information about paper submission requirements.
#Microbe humor: Spacewalk 1986: Bacteria
“Who Cares About Bacteria?”
A #microbe by any other name would smell as sweat?
Love the them of this post and what may be a series of posts on smells of microbes: Which Bacteria Smell Like Tortillas, Flowers, or Delicious Browned Butter? | Discoblog | Discover Magazine
Looking forward to smelling/reading more from Veronica Greenwood on this topic. For other stuff on smells of microbes see:
- Bizarre Bacterial Creations – Technology Review
- Bacteria and our senses | Bacteria
- Make bacteria smell – DIYbio | Google Groups
- A Microbe By Any Other Name Would Smell As Sweet… (from the great Mark Martin)
- Sick People Smell Bad – Scientific American Blog Network
- Why Well Water Smells Bad – University of Minnesota Extension
- Smell of fresh earth traced to bacteria genes – environment – 18 July …
- How To Identify Bacterial Vaginosis And The Underlying Causes …
- E-Nose Sniffs Out Nasty Bugs
If the International Whaling Commission really wanted to improve cetacean-science it could require openness rather than allowing whaling
There is a bit of a kerfuffle going on over South Korea announcing plans to increase whaling for “scientific reasons.”
See for example: Grist: South Korea may start hunting whales again, for ‘science’ and CNN: South Korea says it may resume whaling, angering environment groups‘ and WSJ South Korea Whaling Plan Sparks Outcry
This seems to me to be pretty cut and dry. The Korean’s do not seem to be truly interested in the science here. And I note – nor does the “International Whaling Commission”: Commission information. If they really wanted to expand the scientific study of whales they would do things like foster sharing of samples, collaboration across groups, open access to data and resources, and such. But as far as I can tell they do no such things.
The whole operation here smells fishy – or whaly. Sounds like this is pretty much all about hunting and making money and giving in to pressure to find something other than people to blame for mismanagement of fish stocks.
Microbe humor of the week: Jon Stewart from 1999 on Giant Bacterium
Jon Stewart from 1999 on Giant Bacterium
Huffington Post picks me & two members of lab as top biologists/chemists to follow on Twitter
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| From here. |
Good press for my lab here: Scientists On Twitter: 30 Biologists And Chemists To Follow
The list (which started out at 30 and expanded to 47) included three people from my lab: me (@phylogenomics), post doc Holly Bik (@dr_bik) and PhD student Russell Neches (@ryneches).
I like that I am the first one shown on the slideshow (though not sure if this means I am #1 on their list or just random …).
Making such lists is always a challenge and also rife with issues. There are many many great tweeters of chemistry and biology not on the list, for example. But I think they did a pretty good job covering diverse types of people here. Lots of women too, which was good to see.
Anyway – thanks to Rebecca Searles and her advisor Jason Goldman for compiling the list and making my lab look pretty good …
Full list:
- @phylogenomics
- @NerdyChristie
- @nparmalee
- @biochembelle
- @kejames
- @DrBondar
- @kzelnio
- @girlscientist
- @MiriamGoldste
- @modernscientist
- @PolymerPhD
- @toraks
- @RichardDawkins
- @nuin
- @DrRubidium
- @mitpostdoc
- @Evolutionistrue
- @ChemicalBiology
- @WhySharksMatter
- @Aur_ora
- @ChemistPD
- @dgmacarthur
- @DNLee5
- @aetiology
- @Myrmecos
- @thisischristina
- @deborahblum
- @SeeArrOh
- @carmendrahl
- @Dr_Bik
- @TCNoel
- @nssampson
- @sciencegeist
- @SFriedScientist
- @kg_science
- @JATetro
- @JacquelynGill
- @Katie_PhD
- @D_Aldridge
- @JohnFBruno
- @ScientistMags
- @jtotheizzoe
- @MayaPlass
- @scimomof2
- @DrTwittenheimer
- @leonidkruglyak
- @ryneches
Nice feature on the human microbiome in the SF Chron w/ a little Toxoplasma error
Nice article in the SF Chronicle by Erin Allday on human microbiome related topics. It features some Bay Area scientists working on the issue – David Relman, Janet Jansson, Les Dethlefsen, and Michael Fischbach. See:100 trillion good bacteria call human body home – SFGate.
It has some nice pictures of Relman in the lab (though I think he could use some new lighting in there …). There is one microbial error in there
At least one bacterium – toxoplasmosis gondii – has been shown to affect behavior. The bacterium reproduces only in cats, and studies have shown that when mice or rats are infected with it, the bacterium makes them less afraid of cats, and they are, therefore, more likely to be eaten by them.
Alas toxoplasmosis is caused by a microbial eukaryote known as Toxoplasma gondii (it is a relative of the causative agent of malaria Plasmodium falciparum). But otherwise the article is a good read. I like the end
Fischbach at UCSF is perhaps facing the most difficult challenge: caring for his days-old daughter and nurturing her infant microbiome. He’s in the tough position of having both too much and not nearly enough information.
“My wife and I have tried to pledge to each other that this is going to be our baby, not our experimental subject,” Fischbach said with a laugh. “At the same time, my thinking is influenced by the things going on around me. The cast of characters in her is changing dramatically week to week, day to day. I do wonder, where are most of the bacteria that she’s got in the gut coming from?”
And as a bonus there is an interview with Relman too: Sequencing of human microbiome fills knowledge gap
Science Humor of the Week: The Limits of Science from Mr. Show
This made my week: The Limits of Science from Mr. Show:
Hat tip to Aaron Darling.

