A genetic ode, or A melan coli tale
March 29, 2005
by Donald Nicholson‡
From the School of Medicine, Leeds University, Leeds L52 9JT, United Kingdom


I used to be a coli, as wild as wild could be.
They called me Proto Trophic, whatever that would be.
They kept me pure and simple and completely free from faults
And fed me on the simplest food... glucose and common salts.

Then Lederberg and Tatum came and put me in the sun
And watched me very closely to see what harm they’d done.
Although they hadn’t killed me they had really hurt my pride
And though I looked quite normal I was quite upset inside.

Next day they tried to feed me with my normal sort of food
But they found I couldn’t use it in the way I always could.
Glucose I could metabolise–in that I was proficient,
But in synthesising valine they soon found I was deficient.

They couldn’t find their valine so they went to biotin
And till they thought just what to do they kept me dietin’.
Then foresight and discernment made this lecturer and Prof.
Enrich my food with Oxo cube and call me Oxo Troph.

They called another doctor and they all discussed my case,
And decided that my DNA must have displaced a base.
They all seemed quite excited and I heard Doc Tatum say,
“Another dose of sunshine might upset more DNA.”

They gave me 80 seconds of the brightest light I’d seen,
And I knew a UV photon had displaced another gene.
I remember seeing Lederberg– eyes gleaming through his specs
Excitedly tell Tatum that I’d now acquired a sex.

Then Lederberg asked Tatum if he could foretell my fate
And Tatum thought my only hope was to acquire a mate.
So they gave me you dear Effplus, knowing you alone could right
The little bits of DNA that suffered in that light.

There’s just two things I ask you if you really care for me
One little gene for valine– one for fertility.
Your genotype’s just perfect to revitalize my strain
And I know you will co-operate to make me wild again.

Be warned O Human Beings by this melan coli ode
You who think you are so clever cracking our genetic code.
There’s a moral in this story–I will tell you what it means:
IF YOU STRIP TOO MUCH TO SUNBATHE, YOU MAY LOSE A PAIR OF JEANS.

DON'T QUIT

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit-
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a fellow turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out.
Don't give up though the pace seems slow -
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man;
Often the struggler has given up
Whe he might have captured the victor's cup;
And he learned too late when the night came down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out -
The silver tint in the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It might be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit -
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

A BLOOD MEAL ???

by Norby Bautista

A Bat returned to his cave

A vampire, strong, black and brave

Hangs to the roof, for a night's rest

To sleep well, for tomorrow's best.

He was dirty, wet with blood

His friends smelled him, foul as mud

They asked him:"Where did you feed?"

All frenzied... excited by his deed.

"Oh leave me alone!" He said;

"My body aches, from foot to head."

But they all kept on asking.

The whole bat gang, now waking.

"Alright!!! You all follow me!"

After this, night sleep, give me.

He detaches from the cave

Flew out, with the strenght he saved.

The whole bat swarm followed him

Like thousands of fish that can swim.

Darkening the sky, like smoke;

Each bat lethal and no joke.

Straight out into the darkness

Zigzaging in the wilderness

Across the mountain and valley

And stopped in a rocky alley.

"See that big sequoia tree?"

All eager for a meal, that's free.

They said: "Yes!!!" (All salivating...)

"Well, I DID NOT! I crashed on that TREE!!!"

THE DOWNSIDE OF DREAMS
by AA PATAWARAN

Do our dreams build our world?
Or do they tear it down?
The Ford Model T gave
our dreams the wheels
And robbed the Amazon of its trees
We walk tall. We walk fast
We walk very far in dead animal skin
We have mastered our ABC's
Memorized our 1-2-3's
We have changed the course of history
Built a world of stone, glass, steel where
there used to be fern and vine and shrub, even ponds and streams
How much more do we want of our world?
How much more of what we want has room on earth?
How much more of animal hair or skin or fur to turn into a fashion statement?
How much more of the wilderness to turn into houses or farms or ranches or subdivisions?
How much more of the earth to turn into cars
or buildings or gadgets or mega cities?
Enough of mothers saying, "Hey child, yours is the universe."
Enough of pop icons singing, "Express Yourself."
Enough of the selfie
and all the self-loving advocates pontificating.
"How can you love others when you do not love yourself?"
Enough of the self-help gurus writing bestsellers that say,
"You can be anything you want."
Not everybody can be head of state, not enough states for all of us.
Not everybody can be rich, especially not when we divide the riches equally among us.
Not everybody can be famous, for fame stands on the shoulders of the unfamous.
Not everybody can be the CEO, or too many cooks will spoil the broth.
Not everybody can be a pop star, for we are all on the stage, who will be our audience?
If all our mothers were right and we all became the boss, who will we be boss to?
Who will clean the windows>
Who will sweep the floors?
who will take down the minutes of the meeting?
Who will push the wheelchairs of the elderly?
Who will change the beddings of the sick?
Who will pick up the trash of the neighborhood?
Enough of steel and glass and concrete overtaking our forests
and jungles and deserts and swamps!
Enough of alcohol, sanitizers, fumigants and disinfectants
wiping out the roaches and the mosquitoes and the bedbugs,
along with the beetles and the bees and the butterflies! The world isn't our oyster.
Take out all the humans, including their domestic pets,
their cultured flowers...
And the earth lives on, growing as lush as it was 5,000 years ago, In a century or two,
there will be no trace of the so-called great human civilization.
Without us, the earth will regain its lost glory,
bloom back into the primeval wild, carpet itself with breathing, living things.
But take out the dung beetles... Or the honeybees...
Take out the fungi and the plankton...
and the earth dies, even with human intervention.
It turns into a wasteland, dazzling only in its artificial lights.
Its beauty a mirror trick, reflected in the facade
of buidlings in which we spend day after day after day
marching into our tragic deaths, the slow death of humans subsisting on antibiotics,
vaccines, GMO's and health supplements...
Medicines re-engineering life
Man-made wonders reinventing the miracles of nature
Asphalt covering grass
Skyscrapers making room in the sky
Fountains mimicking waterfalls
Dead things replacing life
How to tell the young to dream in a world on the brink of collapse?
How to tell them to spend every moment
feeling so alive in a world where at least 10,000 species go extinct every year?
How to tell them to dream of traveling the world
and urge them at once to reduce their carbon footprint?
How to tell them to dream of seeing the world when the world,
thanks to travel, has become the same, all ruined by tourism, commerce, industrialization, and climate change?
What's the point of seeing Tokyo or Shanghai or Singapore or Moscow or Rio de Janeiro
that is beginning to look more and more like New York?
What's the point of telling them to carve out their corner in the universe that is running our of space on earth?
At a time when only one percent of the population owns half of the world's wealth,
How to tell the young to aim for riches
without telling them to be greedy or unkind or selfish or oblivious to the plight of the poor?
A change is imminent in the storm clouds
In airplanes that disappear into wormholes or crash into enemy territories
In the vanishing of the bees
In the overnight successes of the new superstars
In every selfie that dominates the screen of our smartphones
In every laptop that becomes "vintage" in just a few years
Have we had too much of our dreams? Must we kill our dreams so that earth (and we, too) could live?
Spare us now, Ambition! -- and let us have a future that is better, gentler, alive.

What is to be a Biologist...

ME ? A BIOLOGIST??
by Norby Bautista


In your path of enlightenment
You might need a cup of encouragement
Still curious 'bout your career on-becoming
A BIOLOGIST you'll soon be becoming.

Either lured to this unique endeavor
From family and friends you have favor
Or due to your love of math and science
Accumulating knowledge, networking information into alliance.

So what is to be a biologist, you may ask.
Is it to be a superhero with a mask?
a scientist working with germs in a test tube?
and then uploading research videos into Youtube?

A biologist is basically a guy who studies life
With all the intricacies and complicatedness, like a wife
Learning atoms and forces in chemistry and bio-physics
then cells, anatomy, medicine to synthetic bionics

As biology studies micro and macro in level
With numerous lifeforms as many as sand or gravel
Usually a students' mind suffering burn-out and dissolution
Oftentimes misunderstanding ecology, genetics, and evolution

Biology is really a gigantic pill to swallow.
Often with a neophyte student whose mind is hollow
There so much things to learn and understand
With numerous biology books from the book stand

But its best to start studying with simple things
What we often see everyday, what nature brings
Looking at plants, birds, animals and people
And then looking at germs in water droplets or ripple.

Then learn how to observe and use the scientific method
And making trials and variables using the experimental method
Learning how to observe and describe things technically
will slowly transform you into a biologist psychologically

As you learn more, you change your attitude and develop skill
using microscopes, planting seeds, and anatomy from the frogs you kill
Mastering the nucleic acids, enzymes, genes and biotechnology
Seeing the potential of enriching our lives with science and technology

Biology can offer an exciting and adventurous lifestyle
Not only confined to the boring office and laboratory sedentary lifestyle
But also the taste of open air, one with nature experiences.
Also travelling and social gatherings in hotels, as you share your knowledge and experiences

Your mind is always active, as so many things to study
From food, diseases, flowers and nature study
You just have to major based on your favorite specialization
As long as you can get a job, money or compensation.

You will be contributing something to science and society
Especially also to your self and family
So cheer up and dream on, experience life
As there so much to learn from Biology, the study of life.

Introduction to Biological Science

Introduction


For more information, contact:

Norberto R. Bautista
c/o Department of Biology
College of Arts & Sciences
Rizal Technological University
Boni Avenue, Mandaluyong City
Philippines