BBeast

GCAT...XY? Scientists invent artificial DNA.

Captain Jordan said
What I'm surprised by is that they couldn't come up with any better letters than X and Y. I mean, DNA is already GATC, why not add in P and V? Or N and E? Just something more creative than X and Y is all I'm asking for.

Perhaps they chose X and Y because they are obviously artificial. I suppose if they chose some other letters they would have to justify it somehow by coming up with a matching name, such as guanine for G or thymine for T. X and Y, however, are so arbitrary that they can be used to label anything. Of course, that's avoiding creativity.

Dungeon Keepers

Nice post, Lugubrious. You've got me intrigued as to what you've got planned.

GCAT...XY? Scientists invent artificial DNA.

This is an interesting advance, although at present improvements to our daily lives are a long way off. An immediate benefit is to have a greater understanding of how genetic codes work, which is a worth-while exploration. But alien proteins and whatnot would require not only writing the genetic code for it but also redeveloping the entire protein manufacturing pathway to accommodate for the artificial nucleotides and artificial amino acids. If they do get that working (which would likely require developments even more revolutionary than these nucleotides), though, then we have a potential boon to society.

At present, safety is not a concern. As it says in the article, the organisms can not produce their own artificial nucleotides (because their artificial). This means they will either die off or revert to normal if they can not attain those artificial nucleotides. Even if they were given the ability to synthesise their own nucleotides, I can not see them being any more of a threat than other GMOs with the natural genetic alphabet.

Sanctuary

I understand that this is a violent place. Regardless, having every instance of interaction with a person be a fight would make for a rather plain story. There needs to be variety.

Dungeon Keepers

Majestic, sleek, fearsome. That was what described the zombie horse standing before Calvartem. The horse stood as tall as the Necromancer, and its darkened eyes had an intelligence to them. The horse's body had been streamlined, augmented with what flesh Calvartem had lying around and repaired to make the hide unbroken. But most terrifying was not its size but its fur. Each hair glowed with darkness, making the horse appear as a slightly fuzzy and really solid shadow. This Construct would be Calvartem's steed, and is capable of travelling at enormous speeds, over 100 km/h, given space to accelerate. It could leap great distances and jump rather high. Being undead, it would not grow weary, and flesh wounds would do little to affect it. Despite being blisteringly fast, the horse would fare little better than any ordinary warhorse in combat, but fighting was not the purpose Calvartem had for it.

"Shadowmane, follow me," Calvartem gestured, as he walked outside. While he had the power to take Shadowmane's essence like Breaker, he had little reason to as he would need Shadowmane for travel. Summoning Shadowmane from essence would also require the body of a horse- the fresher the better- which may be harder to acquire than human corpses.

Outside, any light which struck Shadowmane simply vanished into the darkness, making his coat darker than the blackest black. An imp was waiting outside, which looked up at the horse with what seemed to be fear, although it was hard to tell in the featureless face. The comparison was apparent. Both Shadowmane and the imp had similar colouring, of fire so black it could be a sort of anti-light. However, Shadowmane was far more solid and real than the imp, while the imp was ghostly and transparent. Calvartem waved a mote of darkness to the imp- the gift of speech.

"To the south there is another town, far down the road. It is large. Markets, watchmen, farms, many houses. Even a castle. An invasion may be challenging, as they have trained soldiers. This town appears to be subservient. They may soon notice and send an army," the imp reported.

Calvartem looked around at the town he was in. The effects of the spire were beginning to take their toll on the land, with grass and crops showing signs of whithering. However, Calvartem had to admit that this town was small. There must be more people in this world, with greater settlements. He also saw that a spire would not hold off a dedicated invasion. He needed to move on the offensive before they did, for he was much more suited to offence than defence. Waving away the now-unnecessary imp, Calvartem swung onto the back of Shadowmane and, as if by unspoken command, the horse galloped out of the town, quickly gaining speed travelling south down the road.

Sanctuary

Zachary's smart and tending towards pacifism, and Kaa'is is cunning. Of course they would avoid an unnecessary conflict. Besides, too many encounters here seem to be solved by fighting. That's not a realistic way to do things.

Sanctuary

Endocrinology said
Nucleus Accumbens
The nucleus accumbens (NAcc), also known as the accumbens nucleus or as the nucleus accumbens septi, is a region of the human brain in the basal forebrain rostral to the preoptic area. Each brain hemisphere has its own nucleus accumbens. It is located where the head of the caudate and the anterior portion of the putamen meet just lateral to the septum pellucidum. The nucleus accumbens can be divided into two structures—the nucleus accumbens core and the nucleus accumbens shell. These structures have different morphology and function.



Research has indicated the nucleus accumbens has an important role in pleasure including laughter, reward, and reinforcement learning, as well as fear, aggression, impulsivity, addiction, and the placebo effect.

Dopaminergic input from the VTA is thought to modulate the activity of neurons within the nucleus accumbens. These terminals are also the site of action of highly-addictive drugs such as cocaine and amphetamine, which cause a manifold increase in dopamine levels in the nucleus accumbens.

Research using microdialysis has shown that the levels of dopamine in the extracellular fluid of the nucleus accumbens increase when rats are injected with addictive drugs such as cocaine, heroin, nicotine, or alcohol. This increase in dopamine is believed to be responsible for the reinforcing effects that later stimulate drug-taking behaviour. Functional-imaging studies in humans have shown that environmental cues associated with addictive drugs releases dopamine in the nucleus accumbens. The activation of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens is central to "wanting". Dopamine release in the accumbens occurs in anticipation of reward, and facilitates many kinds of approach and goal-oriented behaviours like exploration, affiliation, aggression, sexual behaviour, and food hoarding.

Another day, another step towards a completed project. Zachary placed his copy of Endocrinology in his bag and set out for the day to his hidden garage. He found a strange pleasure in studying this book. He anticipated the end of the day when he would settle down and read it and he thoroughly enjoyed finding out new things in it, and exploring things in more depth. He thought nothing of it, as he was naturally curious so he presumed that maybe learning how he himself ticked was additionally satisfying to his curiosity.

When he got to the street where his project was, he found a group of 8 people already there, scavenging around. They were variously armed, most with melee weapons like swords and hatchets, two had some crude firearms and one had a composite bow with a core in it. There could easily be a host or two among them. He realised that if they found his work unattended they would almost certainly loot it, and even if it was attended they may be the aggressive type of gang which takes what they want by force. He would have to play it cool and stay on their good side. Most people prefer not to start fights if they can, although conduits make an exception, but even so Zachary was reasonably hopeful.

He started by nonchalantly walking down the street to the grocers. One of the gang turned to face him as he was at the door, and Zachary paused and maintain eye contact for a second, letting them know that he was aware of them. Inside, he quickly thought of what preparations he could make. He would have preferred to throw a tarp or sheet or something over the carriage to conceal it, but as he had no such item he did not have that option. He was able to conceal his collection of cores, though. He also decided to leave his bag and plasma rifle in the back room, taking just his air cannon strapped to his back. While he wanted to not appear helpless and vulnerable, he also didn't want to appear over-armed.
As he heard footsteps approaching from outside, he quietly said to himself "OK Kaa'is, let's see if we can take a calm approach." Despite his planning, Zachary was rather nervous as he knew nothing about this gang, whether they would be violent or greedy or difficult to deal with.
Cool, calm and charismatic? I can handle that, Kaa'is reassured him, Relax and let me help with the talking.

Zachary took a deep breath and stepped through the door, which he closed behind him, and into the shop front as three members of the group entered. One was armed with a sword, one an axe and the other a gun, which to Zachary's eye appeared to be a fire core gun. Nowhere for bullets to go in, it just spits out a tight spray of fire. Before they could speak, Zachary greeted them. "Good morning, gentlemen. Was there anything I can do for you and your crew? I'm afraid the food here is a bit off." For this last sentence he gestured at the rotten year-old produce lining the shelves. Kaa'is had basically put all those words into Zachary's mouth, and Zachary was willing to let the words roll out.

Zachary's pleasant manner put the men at ease, although the smell was trying its hardest to undo that. The one with the sword, put a bit off-guard by the warm welcome, eventually replied, "Well, if you don't have food, then we were looking for a few cores."

"Did you have any particular cores in mind?" Zachary asked. While he generally didn't like sharing his hard-earned core hoard, he could spare a few to stay on the pleasant side of this rather well-armed gang.

"Well, umm, we use fire and lightning. We keep our eyes open for any other cores too, especially kinetic," the man replied.

Zachary nodded. "Just wait right here and I'll see what I can spare." Zachary slipped back through the door, the darkness concealing the contents for the moments the door was open. Zachary picked out two fire cores and a lightning core of what he considered to be an appropriate size for their uses and returned through the door. Cores in hand, Zachary walked up to the man with the sword and handed the cores over. "There you go."

The men seemed to be confused at this apparent gesture of generosity. The man he had handed the cores over to lifted them up to eye level to inspect them as if they were somehow fakes. "These are free, right? Or is there some cost?" the man asked sceptically.

"The goodwill of your gang shall be enough for now, and that you carry on your way," Zachary answered.

The men nodded. "Understood. Thank you." Then they left, off to inspect the other buildings in the area for anything of worth. Once they and the rest of the gang had moved on, Zachary moved into the back room and went to work on the engine of the carriage.

Sanctuary

Everyone's back to posting now. I had better get my own plot moving.

And just remember, although you Americans may be done with college for now, in Australia I still have 6 months of school to go.

Dungeon Keepers

Zadok saw the writhing ball of red energy emerge from an unseen rift and was horrified as it sucked up sand, stone and air alike, its raw destructive power making it seem unstoppable. Zadok had not forgotten the Ripper- in fact, he still vividly remembered the moments in which the Ripper was created. The contingency the Weaver had developed, and the violent retaliation by the threads he was supposed to guard, haunted him. The Weaver was gone, leaving only hatred and destruction. Zadok feared for his safety, so he stayed at a distance, but he also feared for the safety of this world. He knew not if it had any defence against the likes of the Ripper, or if any defence could possibly be made once it built up its power.

He was almost relieved when it streaked up into space, but as his eyes followed the red light Zadok realised the Ripper's destination. He's going to eat the sun! Maintaining his distance, Zadok ascended rapidly, following the Ripper and approaching space.

Sanctuary

Endocrinology said
Norepinephrine
Norepinephrine (abbreviated norepi or NE), also called noradrenaline, or 4,5-β-trihydroxy phenethylamine is a catecholamine with multiple roles including those as a hormone and a neurotransmitter. It is the hormone and neurotransmitter most responsible for vigilant concentration in contrast to its most chemically similar hormone, dopamine, which is most responsible for cognitive alertness.




Areas of the body that produce or are affected by norepinephrine are described as noradrenergic. The terms noradrenaline and norepinephrine are interchangeable. One of the most important functions of norepinephrine is its role as the neurotransmitter released from the sympathetic neurons to affect the heart. An increase in norepinephrine from the sympathetic nervous system increases the rate of contractions in the heart. As a stress hormone, norepinephrine affects parts of the brain, such as the amygdala, where attention and responses are controlled. Norepinephrine also underlies the fight-or-flight response, along with epinephrine, directly increasing heart rate, triggering the release of glucose from energy stores, and increasing blood flow to skeletal muscle. It increases the brain's oxygen supply.

Norepinephrine is released when a host of physiological changes are activated by a stressful event. In the brain, this is caused in part by activation of an area of the brain stem called the locus coeruleus (LC). This nucleus is the origin of most norepinephrine pathways in the brain. Noradrenergic neurons project bilaterally (send signals to both sides of the brain) from the locus coeruleus along distinct pathways to many locations, including the cerebral cortex, limbic system, and the spinal cord, forming a neurotransmitter system. The effects of these noradrenergic neurons are manifested in alertness, arousal, influences on the reward system, and influences on decision making.

Zachary entered the dark, smelly back room of the abandoned grocer to begin work on his carriage. His bag was packed lighter than usual, and he felt much better because of it. He was amazed how easy it felt to walk around the city without a large burden of parts and tools in his bag. Zachary pushed aside a shelf of packing trays with fruit which had decayed beyond recognition so that he would have a reasonably amount of spare floor space.Then he took out a trap core, encased in its crude gadgetry. Zachary had built each one slightly differently, so they would be distinguishable. The functional components were virtually the same, but the grip was made differently. Checking the trap core, Zachary pointed it at the floor and pressed the button. In a pulse of red and a gush of air, tools, cores and spare parts clattered onto the floor.

Before he could pick up the tools he needed to get a plan together. Taking out a lamp and some paper, Zachary began planning, frequently crossing between the salvaged carriage, skyway unit and the shelf he was using as a desk. Taking stock, he found that most of the engine of the carriage was still in place. He could replace what couldn't be hammered back into place or what little was missing. The hardest part would be gathering the right kinetic cores. The chassis was quite beaten up, but a little panel beating, a few steel L-beams and some welding would put that straight. The trickiest part would be to adapt the skyway unit so that it would make it climb up steel surfaces, such as the Wall. This was what most of his written plans were. He would need to extend the skyway's bridge and grip so that it would affect all the area under the carriage. Perhaps the trickiest part would be to make it so that the skyway doesn't merely stick the carriage to the Wall but allow it to move as well. For this he considered putting some kind of drive mechanism in the skyway bridge, make it rotate underneath like a conveyor belt. The details were complicated, and the engineering more so, and he went through numerous ideas, but eventually he found a plan which he felt would work.

Putting down the pencil and picking up his tools, Zachary began work on fixing up the carriage's structural failings. It was partially crushed, so those sections would have to be almost completely rebuilt. He also worked on flattening the many dents in the bodywork. He made a trip outside to grab some scrap metal, and eventually the carriage could almost be mistaken for a working carriage- if one squinted and the light was dim and one didn't expect it to move. But as Zachary looked at it wiping the grease off his hands with a greasy rag he was pleased, as now it was structurally sound and it would be able to withstand the abilities that Zachary will eventually install with in it.