Mycoplasma genitalium Science Photo Library

To conduct experiments, researchers can change a variable in an organism and watch the results unfold. But life is messy, and it's difficult to understand the underlying processes that explain the data. Digitizing the process could help, and now we're starting small: researchers have successfully made a computer model of Mycoplasma genitalium, the world's tiniest free-living bacterium.

A team at Stanford created the model, basing it on more than 900 scientific papers. M. genitalium has the smallest genome of any living organism--a mere 525 genes--but even for an organism of its size, it takes that much information to account for every interaction it will undergo in its lifespan. Researchers tallied the number of experimentally determined parameters in the model at more than 1,900; those were split up into 28 algorithms, which stepped in for biological processes.

The process might one day mean biologists could test hypotheses that wouldn't normally be possible in the real world, and it could expand into models of larger creatures. But it's a whole lot of genes between M. genitalium and most anything else.

The research is reported in the journal Cell.

16 Comments

Todays science is doing, what the Gods were doing in Sumeria and Eygpt 10 thousand or more years ago or were they aliens...

Thanks troll.

Silverjeff,
The blinders you wear over your eyes are so typical of many in life. There are actual Egyptian hieroglyphics clearly showing the change from human to animal parts. The Sumerians clearly describe in the writings of how the Gods made many variations of humans and other animals. Hebrew, Jewish and Christian writings clearly say were made in the image of Gods.

Our human culture now just makes the assumption that past people with superstition or religion only use hieroglyphics is just religious fantasy. You need to open you mind and see. It is our human record of recording a scientific change of animal\human via science being recorded at the time of thousands of years ago, with the limit of the human language and knowledge to describe it.

Language was a great achievement and it took large mental and physical effort to record things. I find it most strange to make a record that will last thousands of years to be only from the fantasy and superstition. It is more likely they record the beliefs they hold most valuable and closest to being fact.

What would you think to see a box that gives you moving images and sound and you had zero history of language, technology and mathematics as we have today? You would surely recognize you are looking at something important and recorded it in a laborious effort of stone. But now describe it for a future record of others to understand. Here is it 10 thousand years later and all that see your description will just refer to it as a religious fantasy.

Respect the human beings of the past as actually being intelligent, surviving day to day lives with good common sense.

Silverjeff,

It is highly likely in the past human and animal DNA malitipution occured. It could of been a small human culture of humans with genious knowledge, aliens or as some believe Gods.

How would you desribe a TV if you saw it 10 thousand years ago?

It is important to state that this organism has all it components from a living cell. And the DNA of it is replaced inside it with all of its complex structure.

An individual’s chromosomes contain information regarding that person. Each of the forty-six chromosomes in the nucleus possesses genes that, utilizing the framework of the blueprint contained therein, construct each bodily organ according to His will. For example, a person’s skin is controlled by 2.559 genes, the brain by 29.930, the eye by 1.794, the salivary glands by 186, the heart by 6.216, the breast by 4.001, the lung by 11.581, the liver by 2.309, the intestines by 3.838, the skeletal muscles by 1.911, and the blood cells by 22.092 genes.

The way that countless tiny components hidden inside a cell that is invisible to the naked eye supervises a person’s bodily systems is a great miracle. It is extraordinary that this system is never interrupted and that the same genes control the same systems and organs in every new-born human being.

Despite the vital functions for which they are responsible, genes consist of nothing but blind and unconscious atoms. Therefore, how can the superior consciousness and flawless regulation visible here belong to them? Each gene, which is an amazing marvel of Creation, acts according to His will instead of some posited model. Proof for this statement is all around us, for how could an unconscious gene accomplish such miraculous deeds if Allah did not will it to be so? This state of affairs makes itself crystal clear in every detail in the universe. Everything is a manifestation of Allah’s sublime Creation. Genes are able to control everything related to the body’s systems at every moment.

This sublime control belongs to Allah, the Elevated One, the true Lord of this entire system

@b.ashley...for christ's sake (all pun intended), the story of creation, a supreme being, a virgin birth, and the resurrection are hundreds of years older than your religion, go to a religious site, negative cheers

@drchuck1 Why should I go to a another site, I love to follow scientific news, by the way...I don't regret the fact that Christianity has a very old history and in my book Kuran I also read about Prophet Jesus, Mary and I love them and I believe that the Prophet Jesus-Jesus Christ is alive and on a duty now. My comment indicates that there is a Creator of all things, who is a Superior Being and created the world from nothingness. He is God, Allah. Even a single protein can not be formed by mere chances... This is what I defend.

didnt expect to see discussion of aliens here. the science is fascinating though!

@ Gabriel Roybal

Get used to it… it shows up repeatedly. I was kind of surprised myself the first few times I read what was being written. I started googling and searching on youtube some of the stuff that was being posted and what I discover is that there is a community of people that is thoroughly convinced that aliens have visited the earth and continue to visit the earth and that they have had quite a hand in human evolution.

The way that I understand the story is that the aliens were very active about 10,000+ years ago…very much more than today. Much is written about the Annunaki, who kind of look like giant lizards, but there are other alien species that are around…Reptiods, Antarieans, Greys…etc. Anyway, they are not as active today on earth as they used to be. However, they still visit earth and do make themselves known to a small number of people though.

Then there is the planet called Nibiru (that nobody has yet been able to find)that is orbiting the sun on a highly elliptical orbit that is going to cause all kinds of changes when it reaches the inner solar system again. Either earth is going to get hit with it or it will be a near miss and the gravitational influence will have an effect.

Once I started looking these things up I was actually surprised to see how well developed this is. For instance, I saw some writings on the personality differences between the Grays and the Annunaki. It is kind of like Dungeons and Dragons but with Aliens and high-tech space ships instead of Elves and Dwarves and Swords and Shields.

A google search will turn up quite a bit on this subject.

matsci1,
Sir, I think you be better served to state a comment and then fairly call it your own opinion, rather to speak on behalf of "other people", opininn you "guess you believe" to know. Perhaps, you initial comment above was just poorly written, an accident of a writing style.
I am Christian at heart, and respect science and see it has a human means of revealing what our dear Lord has made of the cosmos. I also have my own personal beliefs, I add to this as well. Many cultures\religions have a tendancy to put themselves in a box as being most correct in point of view and shut out other points of view. My belief is God loves all and we humans in our intelligence are small ants in trying to understand his wisdom, but he loves us all on earth and attempt to speak to all of us and we were all made with a purpose in life. Since our dear Lord loves all in life, all the cultures, religions deserve respect and understanding, since in fact we are all human.
You will find much common history of Christian beliefs also written in simuliarity from the Sumerians, Hebrew, Jewish and with an opinion mind, others...
On a side note, as much as people make worry of Dec 21st 2012, this is based off a 5200 cycle calendar and the Mayans culture began around 600 AD. So who told the Mayans to create a calandar that ended 2012 and began 3188 BC. In 3188 BC the Mayan did not exist. But on the other side of Earth the Sumerians and Egyptions were alive and doing well at that time frame. The Sumerians are in many ways consider the begins of intelligence human culture. It is written in their history we humans were made many times in variations by the GODS, plural...

My comments are my opinions, take care.

@ b.ashley
lol
@ Robot
lol

Troll war!

Mr. Robot,
What I wrote is a report of what other people are saying about the subject of aliens and alien visitation to earth and not my opinion about the subject. But I will state it at the end of this post.

Have you not seen repeated postings about alleged alien activity in the comments sections of articles on this website?

Do you or do you not agree that there is a community of people that strongly believe that alien have visited the earth, had a hand in human evolution and are still visiting earth?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYqXafhGvug
www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVidhmB0Fho&feature=related
www.timothygood.co.uk/

Is there information to be found about the various alien species?
jedi-tempel.eu/39.html
www.google.de/search?q=annunaki&hl=de&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=xrINULYj8fvhBOKH-MoK&ved=0CE4QsAQ&biw=1280&bih=675
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWR6WE4z20g

Have you ever heard anyone talk about a planet called Nibiru and what is suppose to happen when it comes back into the inner solar system?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjfdHt33m3k&feature=relmfu
www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkegodN05fQ&feature=relmfu

I made statements about what OTHER people are saying on this subject.

Now for my opinion about alien visitation.

I see no reason what so ever why life cannot exist elsewhere in the universe. However, I cannot imagine what form it is in. But, up to this point I have not seen anything that I can say is conclusive evidence that
1)We have identified something as life originating elsewhere other than earth.
2)That it displays intelligence.

However there are people like Bill Meier from Switzerland that claim to be in regular contact with (who he calls) the Plejaren from beyond the Pleiades. There are many stories about these wonderful advanced civilizations that have solved all their social problems and enjoy a harmonious existence. Also, mankind can have that future if we evolve along the right path.

Sounds like a really nice story with a happy ending doesn´t it? Something to think about when the realities of life on planet Earth are making you sad?

Until I see something I can call conclusive evidence then am of the opinion that a lot of the well developed stories I have been hearing/reading about the alien civilizations are products of wishful thinking combined with an active imagination.

matsci1k,
Ok.

Oh and just call me Robot.
I drink the regular oil too.
Nothing fancy for me. ;)

One word:

Space magic!

(Oh wait! That's two..)

Alpha-Centaurian attacks with 1d20 cheeze damage! XD

Dear all of you. Why are you clogging the comment section with a bunch of information that has ABSOLUTELY no relevance to the above article? Argue elsewhere. I think this is a fantastic step towards curing disease, furthering human life spans and so on. Stop bitching. God is God. Who cares what name you give it. Whether it created everything or not is beside all points. Live with good morals and common sense. *drops microphone and walks off stage*


140 years of Popular Science at your fingertips.



Popular Science+ For iPad

Each issue has been completely reimagined for your iPad. See our amazing new vision for magazines that goes far beyond the printed page



Download Our App

Stay up to date on the latest news of the future of science and technology from your iPhone or Android phone with full articles, images and offline viewing



Follow Us On Twitter

Featuring every article from the magazine and website, plus links from around the Web. Also see our PopSci DIY feed


February 2013: How To Build A Hero

Engineers are racing to build robots that can take the place of rescuers. That story, plus a city that storms can't break and how having fun could lead to breakthrough science.

Also! A leech detective, the solution to America's train-crash problems, the world's fastest baby carriage, and more.



Online Content Director: Suzanne LaBarre | Email
Senior Editor: Paul Adams | Email
Associate Editor: Dan Nosowitz | Email

Contributing Writers:
Clay Dillow | Email
Rebecca Boyle | Email
Colin Lecher | Email
Emily Elert | Email

Intern:
Shaunacy Ferro | Email

circ-top-header.gif
circ-cover.gif