New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke like a “pradhan sevak” during the 100th episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat’ and there is no politics in the radio broadcast, Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Sunday, countering the Congress’ criticism of the programme.
Now if the Congress is “obsessed” with talking about the agenda set by its first family, it’s up to the party, she said.
Earlier in the day, the Congress took a swipe at Modi over his 100th ‘Mann Ki Baat’ radio broadcast, saying there was much fanfare in the run-up to the episode but it was “maun ki baat (silence)” on critical issues such as the border dispute with China, stock manipulation allegations against the Adani Group, “increasing” economic inequalities and the wrestlers’ protest.
Hitting back, Sitharaman said, “He (Modi) talks about everything. Now if the Congress is obsessed with talking about the agenda that the first family of the party sets, it’s up to the party.”
“There is no politics in Mann Ki Baat… There is positivity in the spirit of Mann ki Baat,” the finance minister told reporters after listening to the radio broadcast with BJP leaders and others in Preet Vihar here.
In the 100th episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat’, Sitharaman said, Modi spoke to the people like a ‘pradhan sevak’ and not a prime minister, and the common people also spoke confidently about the core issues.
“So, I am very much impacted, inspired and feeling humbled,” she said.
“Such a pradhan sevak is leading our country despite problems that arose due to the spread of COVID-19 in 2020 and the Russia-Ukraine (conflict) later. All of us are safe under his leadership and India is the fastest growing economy today,” the minister added.
On Congress leaders calling Modi names, Sitharaman said “abusing” the prime minister is “part of the Congress DNA”.
“But they never seem to realise that every time they abuse Prime Minister Modi, people recognise him much more for his positive and constructive work in building India. It doesn’t benefit them in any way or win them any brownie points but they still want to do it because they are full of hate,” she said.
“Despite Rahul Gandhi going around setting up ‘mohabbat ka dukan’, his own party’s president is spewing venom. He is talking about a poisonous snake. So, you understand where Rahul is going and where his party is. Rahul is talking about something that his party doesn’t believe in,” she added.
It is the “nature” of the Congress to abuse those it cannot defeat but people’s support is with Prime Minister Modi.
“The more they accuse the prime minister, the more people will bless him,” she added.
Through ‘Mann Ki Baat’, Sitharaman said, the prime minister has brought out the good in Indian citizens.
Guwahati: Pravin Togadia, the President of Antarashtriya Hindu Parishad (AHP), a right-wing outfit, on Wednesday held a minority community resposible for India overtaking China as the world’s most populous nation.
Togadia, who is also the former International Working President of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), asserted that this population surge will mostly affect Assam in the coming years, and therefore the state should identify the Bangladeshi infiltrators through DNA profiling.
Speaking to mediapersons here, Togadia blamed the minority community for the surge in India’s population.
Togadia claimed that the population growth of Hindus in the country is currently negative, adding that the percentage of Hindus in the overall population of India has actually decreased.
“Therefore, Hindus have not contributed to the nation’s tremendous demographic rise,” he claimed.
The controversial leader also said that the enormous increase in minority population will affect Assam badly in the next 15-20 years, as he called for the introduction of a strict population control act.
“Ever since its inception, our organisation has been demanding a population control act. I also urge the Assam government to identify the Bangladesh-origin infiltrators on the basis of the 1951 voters’ list and through DNA profiling,” he added.
In the story of how Francis Crick and James Watson discovered the structure of DNA, the popular narrative is one of skullduggery and deceit. But now researchers say there is a twist in the tale of the double helix.
It has long been held that Rosalind Franklin’s X-ray diffraction image known as Photo 51 was illicitly shown to Watson, revealing to him that DNA has a double helix and allowing him and his colleague Crick to deduce the structure and claim the glory.
Now academics say the story should be rewritten, arguing that the image was far from the key to the puzzle and that Franklin appears to have expected her data to be shared – and was credited at the time.
“There’s no evidence that she thought she was robbed,” said Prof Matthew Cobb, of the University of Manchester.
Writing in a comment article in the journal Nature, Cobb and his co-author Nathaniel Comfort describe how their interpretation is backed up by documents unearthed from Franklin’s archive at Churchill College in Cambridge.
One, a draft article from 1953 meant for publication in Time magazine, clearly depicts the discovery as being a joint endeavour by two independent teams – Franklin and Maurice Wilkins, and Crick and Watson.
Another document from the archive, a letter to Crick from a colleague of Franklin, suggests the latter had not only discussed her various data with Crick’s supervisor but assumed he would share the knowledge with Crick.
“What it shows is that Franklin was apparently quite relaxed about this,” Cobb said.
Cobb and Comfort also obtained a programme from a Royal Society event in June 1953, revealing that an exhibit of the proposed structure of DNA was credited to both teams of researchers with Franklin listed first.
A key point, stressed Cobb, was that Photo 51 was never the key to determining the structure of DNA. Instead, the success of Watson and Crick was down to trial and error with calculations and cardboard models, with the importance of Photo 51 augmented by Watson in his 1968 book, The Double Helix, to add drama to the tale of the discovery.
“If you know what the double helix structure of DNA is, amazingly you can see it in [Photo 51] but the image doesn’t tell you that,” said Cobb.
That interpretation, he added, is backed up by the fact that Franklin was an experienced crystallographer – making it unlikely she would have missed a blatant clue.
However, Cobb noted that Crick and Watson still relied on data from Franklin, Wilkins and others that was informally shared with them in order to confirm their proposed structure. A clear acknowledgment of this was belatedly made by Watson and Crick in their full description of the structure of DNA published in 1954.
What’s more, Watson’s book – published after Franklin’s death in 1958 – did little to paint her in a positive light.
“In the different versions of The Double Helix, she becomes more and more caricatured, more and more like a harridan,” Cobb said.
Prof James Naismith, the director of the Rosalind Franklin Institute, who was not involved in the article, said Franklin was not only a key player in the discovery of the double helix of DNA, but pioneered research into the structure of viruses.
“Her family often express the wish that her immense contribution to science is celebrated and that she is not portrayed solely as a woman cheated by men,” he said. “The tragedy of Rosalind Franklin is that [while] she died at 37 from cancer, her career was seen at the time as stellar.”
[ad_2]
#Academics #find #twist #tale #Rosalind #Franklin #DNA #double #helix
( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )
Chennai: DNA samples of 11 people will be collected on Tuesday in connection with the Vengavayil case in which human feces were found dumped in a water tank that supplies drinking water to a Dalit colony.
According to sources, the DNA samples, including that of policemen, are to be collected at Pudukkottai Government Medical College.
The move follows a directive from a Pudukkottai special court. The court has also directed the presence of an Assistant professor of Pudukottai Government Medical College when samples are taken.
The shocking incident of human excreta found in an overhead water tank that supplies drinking water to a Dalit colony in Vengavayil in Pudukottai district had hit national headlines.
Presence of human waste was detected after a test was conducted in the drinking water since many people in the colony fell ill. The incident occurred in December and after initial investigations by the local police, the Crime Branch CID is now investigating the case.
Several Dalit outfits, including the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), have been insisting on transferring the case to the CBI.
The DNA test is being conducted to identify the people whose feces were found in the overhead water tank.
Chennai: The Special Court for Exclusive Trial of Cases registered under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in Pudukkottai, Tamil Nadu, has ordered that blood samples of eleven persons be collected in connection with the probe into mixing of human faeces in an overhead water tank providing drinking water to a Dalit colony in Vengaivayal village.
The special court had issued the order on Tuesday after a requisition was filed by the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Crime Branch CID of Tiruchi Range, who is investigating the case.
The court directed that an assistant professor from the Government Medical College and Hospital, Pudukottai, collect the blood samples on FTA cards or chemically-treated filter paper.
The 11 persons, whose DNA is to be analysed, include three women, and are residents of Vengaivayal, Eraiyur and Keezhamuthukadu villages. The samples will be compared to the faecal matter that had been collected from the overhead water tank by the CB-CID.
Sources in the CB-CID said a date would now be finalised for collecting the blood samples by the assistant professor. The DNA tests of the 11 persons are likely to be conducted in Chennai, they confided.
First reported in December 2023, the Vengaivayal incident was initially probed by the district police. However, in January this year, the Tamil Nadu DGP transferred the case to the CB-CID.
A young geneticist, Dr Rais A Gania was surprised to see his takeaways from his PhD were part of the text well before he entered the classroom as a teacher. Credited for identifying a particular enzyme that helps in crucial DNA copying, he is serving the IUST’s molecular medicine centre. In a freewheeling interview, he opens up about his research and future plans
TheNewsCaravan (KL): You studied in Kashmir and worked in different universities all over the world. How was your learning curve and what were the challenges you faced?
DR RAIS A GANAI (DRAG): I was born and brought up in the Posh-Kirri village of Anantnag. I did my primary schooling at Government Primary School in the same village. Later, I went to the Government Middle in the nearby Hugam village. Later, my father suggested me to complete further studies in Srinagar, as he was working at the University of Kashmir. Then, I went to the Starland High School Zakura and completed my matriculation there.
In Srinagar, I found it very difficult to compete with students because of the language barrier, as the medium of instruction was different. It was a challenging task to learn English and Urdu languages. It took me a lot of time to cope with the level of the students.
Then I completed my 10+2 from Soura Higher Secondary School. Afterwards, I went to the Islamia College of Science and Commerce, where from I completed my graduation. Even though there was not an ample structure at that time but the laboratories were well established. Attendance of labs was mandatory, due to which my scientific temper got developed.
After that, I was selected at the University of Kashmir for a couple of courses but I chose to study Biotechnology. After completing the Master’s degree in Biotechnology, I went to the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, where I worked under the mentorship of Prof Umesh Varshney and worked intensely on various Biotechnological challenges. He invested a lot of money, time and effort and taught me many new things due to which my interest in the research further deepened. During this time a few of my research papers were published.
Then I went to Sweden in 2009 for my PhD and completed it in 2015 and later got an international Postdoc fellowship offer in Sweden amounting to Rs 2.5 crore. I used that fellowship and immigrated to the USA. There I joined the NewYork based Howard Huges Medical Institute. I did research there for almost 2-3 years under the well-known researcher Danny Reinberg.
Then I came back to Kashmir as a Ramanujan Fellow. Initially, I joined the Central University of Kashmir and later moved to the IUST’s Watson-Crick Centre for Molecular Medicine in 2020.
KL: The work on genetics has been going on in all major universities throughout the world. However, we still have not understood the gene fully. What are the various challenges in understanding the gene, and what are the different goalposts we still have to reach?
DRAG: The gene is actually a small DNA sequence made of sugar bases like Adenine, Guanine, Thymine, and Cytosine (A, G, T, C). They are about 3 billion sugar bases called Nucleotides (made of Deoxyribose sugar, the Phosphate group, and the Nitrogen base) in a DNA molecule arranged in a chain structure. All the Nucleotides in a DNA molecule do not constitute genes, but only 1-2 per cent makes the genes and the rest 98-99 per cent of the base pairs do not attribute to the genes.
Scientists have identified most of the genes in our body and their functioning but the functioning of the rest 98 per cent of the non-genomic sequences (regulatory sequences) is still not known. We only know that these contain non-genomic sequences that regulate the genes, but the biggest challenge is to find out how 98 per cent of DNA regulates the 1 per cent of DNA.
The other major challenge was to understand the three-dimensional structure of DNA and its arrangement inside the cell. The chromosomes are arranged in compartmental structures. How and when these compartments are formed is yet to be discovered. How these genes are activated and repressed in the cells is still a challenge.
The actual structure of a DNA molecule has a three-dimensional chromatin architecture. These DNA molecules are present on the chromosomes. Our body contains 46 chromosomes in each cell that are intertwined inside the cell. The intertwined structure of chromosomes helps in the better expression of genes during cell division and cell formation. All the required genes express together and activate simultaneously in order to form a complete cell.
KL: What was your PhD all about and what were the major takeaways from your research?
DRAG: As I mentioned that DNA is a small molecule contained in a cell. A cell contains two meters of intertwined DNA, which if stretched is equivalent to at least four times the distance between the sun and the earth. During cell division and cell multiplication, this DNA is replicated/ duplicated which has to be very accurate. Genetic defects during cell division cause mutations/errors, which lead to genetic diseases, metabolic disorders, or even cancer.
During my PhD, my research was about the role of an enzyme called DNA polymerase in DNA replication. This enzyme reads, copies, and then makes the exact copy of a parent DNA molecule. The three billion nucleotides of a DNA molecule in a cell are copied accurately without any error or defect with the help of this enzyme. Besides, it also rectifies the errors, which are caused during cell division and helps in errorless duplication. Thus, the DNA polymerase enzyme not only plays a role in DNA replication but also fixes the errors caused during DNA replication, if any.
I also studied the functioning of various other enzymes but the pivotal research was about DNA polymerase. The majority of DNA polymerase enzymes look like, if I can say, a right-hand structure, containing a thumb, a palm, and fingers. The DNA polymerase, we studied has an additional domain called the P-domain, unlike the other DNA-Polymerase enzymes which only have three domains. The majority of DNA-Polymerase enzymes require a scaffold or support (called PCNA) for DNA copy and replication, but the DNA-polymerase we studied does not require PCNA rather it has the inbuilt P-domain that helps in DNA synthesis and thus does not require an outside scaffold. This was the biggest takeaway from my PhD research.
To my surprise, I later found when I was at the Central University of Kashmir, that our work and findings were published in textbooks, and are being taught to students in different Universities all over the world. It was a very difficult project to work on because nobody prior to us had worked on this. Our work was then published in the Journal Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, which now is a part of the textbooks and is being taught.
Dr Rais A Gania (WCCMM)
KL: What was your Post-doctorate research about, and what were your accomplishments and learnings during that period?
DRAG: I mostly studied two things during my Postdoc research, the role of epigenetic factors in the development, and the development of stem cells into the cardiomyocyte.
I actually wanted to expand and diversify my expertise, so I shifted to the field of epigenetics.
Under epigenetics, we study how the genes present in the DNA are regulated. Let us understand it this way – if we have two monozygotic twins and one of them is raised by the adopted parents and the other by the natural parents. Technically, after 30 years of age, both should be identical because of the principle of monozygotic nature, but because of the environmental effects, they would have developed variations over time. It is because the influence of environmental conditions affects the development of an individual and that regulates the body. Thus, the effect of an environment on the development over time, beyond the genetic basis and beyond DNA is called epigenetics.
There are thousands of genes on a DNA molecule and there are specific factors that actually regulate the functioning of these genes. I also worked on these factors.
DNA is wrapped around by the histone proteins. These proteins contain chemical modifications or tags that determine the function of the DNA sequence. I worked on early embryonic development, particularly on stem cells. I studied how differentiated development takes place from a single cell into different kinds of complex organs i.e., how a stem cell is transformed into a cardiomyocyte.
KL: How could you make lawmen understand this differentiation of a stem cell into different complex organs? What really controls this differentiation of cells? Is this also part of epigenetics?
DRAG: Nobody really knows how embryonic development occurs as it is not easy to study this field. People have now started research on it.
During embryonic development, the fusion of egg and sperm results in the formation of a Zygote, which later undergoes the 2-cell stage and the 4-cell stage, and so on. From day one of development certain genes are activated which stimulates the Zygote division and this division activates other genes, which then cause muscle cell formation. More and more genes get activated that guide the muscle cells to transform into different complex organs. It is mostly like this, but there is still ambiguity on how embryonic development takes place through different stages of development.
KL: What is your role at the IUST’s Watson-Crick Centre for Molecular Medicine and what are the different domains you are working on?
DRAG: I am establishing my lab here for research purposes. Besides, I am also the coordinator of the B Voc course on the Medical Lab and Molecular Diagnostic Technology. I teach students also. I guide students on how to do diagnostic tests and the process of opening diagnostic clinics.
The primary part of my job at the Watson-Crick Centre is to do research along with my students who work with me on the continuation of my PhD research work. We are studying the role of DNA polymerase enzyme other than the role of DNA synthesis.
Secondarily, we are also studying epigenetics. Epigenetic marks at different positions of a DNA molecule, other than the normal positions cause diseases like cancer, and developmental and neurodegenerative diseases, among others. Therefore, our aim is to research epigenetics in detail in order to develop drugs for the treatment of these diseases.
Riyadh: The death toll in Monday’s bus accident in southern Saudi Arabia carrying Umrah pilgrims has risen to 21, while the number of injuries reached nearly 29.
The accident occurred at around 4 pm on Monday in Aqabat Sha’ar in the Asir region, while they were on their way to Makkah to perform Umrah.
The bus departed from Khamis Mushayt, heading to Abha.
As per media reports, the victims were of “different nationalities” but did not name them.
The accident was due to a malfunction in the bus brakes, which led to it colliding with a bridge, overturning and burning.
حادث #عقبة_شعار كان اصطدام وانقلاب لحافلة وتسبب في احتراقها.. نتج عن الحادث 20 وفاة رحمهم الله و 29 مصاب نسأل الله لهم الشفاء العاجل pic.twitter.com/pUAiuwjvl2
فيديو | مراسل #الإخبارية عبد الرحمن السمير: معظم المصابين في حادثة عقبة شعار بعسير يعانون من حروق جراء حريق الحافلة بعد الاصطدام ويتلقون الرعاية اللازمة pic.twitter.com/xdosilrBrW
The dead bodies were taken to the morgue at Mahayil Hospital.
The injured were transferred to Asir Central Hospital, Muhayil Hospital, and the private Abha Hospital in Muhayil Governorate, Asir Region.
According to Aranic daily Al Watan, the health authorities in Asir started collecting DNA samples from the deceased to identify the remains and contact family members.
Gene editing is a controversial topic. Unless governments work together with scientists to regulate its use, it could become another technology that benefits only the wealthiest people.
Three different strands of DNA
It is the most exciting time in genetics since the discovery of DNA in 1953. This is mainly due to scientific breakthroughs including the ability to change DNA through a process called gene editing.
The potential for this technology is astonishing – from treating genetic diseases, modifying food crops to withstanding pesticides or changes in our climate, or even bringing the dodo “back to life”, as one company claims it hopes to do.
We will only be hearing more about gene editing in the future. So if you want to make sure you understand new updates, you first need to get to grips with what gene editing actually is.
Our DNA is made of four key molecules called bases (A, T, C and G). Sequences of these four bases are grouped into genes. These genes act as the “code” for key substances the body should make, such as proteins. Proteins are important molecules, vital for maintaining a healthy and functional human being.
Genes can be short, typically made of less than a hundred bases. A good example includes ribosomal genes, which code for different ribosomes, molecules which help create new proteins.
Long genes are made up of millions of bases. For example, the DMD gene codes for a protein called dystrophin, which supports the structure and strength of muscle cells. DMD has over 2.2 million bases.
How does gene editing work?
Gene editing is a technology that can change DNA sequences at one or more points in the strand. Scientists can remove or change a single base or insert a new gene altogether. Gene editing can literally rewrite DNA.
There are different ways to edit genes, but the most popular technique uses a technology called CRISPR-Cas9, first documented in a pioneering paper published in 2012. Cas9 is an enzyme that acts like a pair of scissors that can cut DNA.
It is assisted by a strand of RNA (a molecule similar to DNA, in this case, created by the scientist), which guides the Cas9 enzyme to the part of the DNA that the scientist wants to change and binds it to the target gene.
Depending upon what the scientist wants to achieve, they can just remove a segment of the DNA, introduce a single base change (for example changing an A to a G), or insert a larger sequence (such as a new gene). Once the scientist is finished, the natural DNA repair processes take over and glue the cuts back together.
What could gene editing do?
The benefits of gene editing to humanity could be significant. For example, making a single base change in people’s DNA could be a future treatment for sickle cell disease, a genetic blood disease. People with this disease have just one base that has mutated (from A to T). This makes the gene easier to edit compared with more complex genetic conditions such as heart disease or schizophrenia.
Scientists are also developing new techniques to insert larger segments of bases into the DNA of crops in the hope they can create drought-resilient crops and help us adapt to climate change.
Why is gene editing controversial?
Gene editing is a controversial topic. Unless governments work together with scientists to regulate its use, it could become another technology that benefits only the wealthiest people.
And it comes with risk.
The first case of illegal implantation of a genetically edited embryo was reported in 2019 in China and led to the imprisonment of three scientists. The scientists had attempted to protect twin fetuses from HIV being passed on by their father.
But when other scientists read passages from an unpublished paper written by the DNA experiment lead about the twins, they feared that instead of introducing immunity, the researchers probably created mutations whose consequences are still unknown.
The risks of developing designer babies are so high it is unlikely that it will become legal anytime soon. A tiny mistake could destroy the health of a baby or lead to other diseases throughout their lifetime, such as an increased risk of cancer.
Laws and regulations surrounding this technology are strict. Most countries prohibit the implantation of a human embryo that has been genetically altered in any way. However, as the 2019 example shows, laws can be broken.
Gene editing has its advantages. It holds the potential to cure genetic diseases and create crops resistant to drought. But scientists need to work closely with law and policymakers to ensure the technology can be used for the benefit of mankind while minimising the risks.
The fact a private company recently announced plans to try to bring back the dodo shows how important it is that international gene-editing laws keep up with the ambitions of corporations.
(The author is Lecturer in Biomedical Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.)
Donald Trump missed his chance to use his DNA to try to prove he did not rape the writer E Jean Carroll, a federal judge said on Wednesday, clearing a potential roadblock to an April trial.
The judge, Lewis A Kaplan, rejected the 11th-hour offer by Trump’s legal team to provide a DNA sample to rebut claims Carroll first made publicly in a 2019 book.
Kaplan said lawyers for Trump and Carroll had more than three years to make DNA an issue in the case and both chose not to do so.
He said it would almost surely delay the trial scheduled to start on 25 April to reopen the DNA issue four months after the deadline passed to litigate concerns over trial evidence and weeks before trial.
Trump’s lawyers did not immediately comment. Carroll’s attorney, Roberta Kaplan, declined to comment.
Carroll’s lawyers have sought Trump’s DNA for three years to compare it with stains found on the dress Carroll wore the day she says Trump raped her in a department store dressing room in late 1995 or early 1996. Analysis of DNA on the dress concluded it did contain traces of an unknown man’s DNA.
Trump has denied knowing Carroll, saying repeatedly he never raped her and accusing her of making the claim to stoke sales of her book. She has sued him for defamation and under a New York law which allows alleged victims of sexual assault to sue over alleged crimes outside the usual statute of limitations.
After refusing to provide a DNA sample, Trump’s lawyers switched tactics, saying they would provide one if Carroll’s lawyers turned over the full DNA report on the dress.
But Kaplan said Trump had provided no persuasive reason to relieve him of the consequences of his failure to seek the full DNA report in a timely fashion.
The judge also noted that the report did not find evidence of sperm cells and that reopening the dispute would raise a “complicated new subject into this case that both sides elected not to pursue over a period of years”.
He said a positive match of Trump’s DNA to that on the dress would prove only that there had been an encounter between Trump and Carroll on a day when she wore the dress, but would not prove or disprove that a rape occurred and might prove entirely inconclusive.
Kaplan added: “His conditional invitation to open a door that he kept closed for years threatens to change the nature of a trial for which both parties now have been preparing for years. Whether Mr Trump’s application is intended for a dilatory purpose or not, the potential prejudice to Ms Carroll is apparent.”
The Associated Press typically does not name people who say they have been sexually assaulted unless they come forward publicly, as Carroll has done.
The Carroll case is just one source of legal jeopardy for Trump, who is now one of two candidates for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.
He also faces an investigation of a hush money payment to a porn star who claims an affair, investigations of his financial and tax affairs, investigations of his election subversion attempts, and investigation of his retention of classified records.
Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 802 9999. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html
[ad_2]
#Judge #rejects #Trump #DNA #offer #Jean #Carroll #rape #defamation #case
( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )
