Dino DNA and Grad School

That's what this post is about. Gracious, it seems all I do anymore is whine about how grad school is keeping me busy, but there it is. Top it off with the lovely sinus infection I seem to have picked up, and you've found a conveniently timed combination.

In any event, I learned something cool in one of my classes this week. When Michael Crichton wrote Jurassic Park, he included a gene sequence for a segment of DNA which was supposedly part of the dinosaurs' genetic code when the scientists cloned them. One of the guys over at NCBI took the sequence and ran it through their search programs and discovered that the sequence was just junk; genetic code associated with cloning vectors. For you non-scientists out there, it's like getting bits of eggshell in the bowl when you crack an egg open.

The guy who discovered this wrote Crichton about it and provided him with a sequence for The Lost World that made a bit more sense. It was a sequence for a gene that encodes a transcription factor in chickens. Well, almost. If you translate that gene sequence, it matches the chicken gene letter for letter, except for several intervening amino acids that don't fit quite right. The amino acids end up spelling out words, though: MIKE WAS HERE NIH.

So this guy, in the most scientifically nerdy way possible, preserved his name and know-how in perpetuity amongst popular culture.

Neat.

Update
For those of you so-minded, here are the sequences in question, so you can see it for yourself.

The Jurassic Park DNA:

GCGTTGCTGGCGTTTTTCCATAGGCTCCGCCCCCCTGACGAGCATCACAAAAATCGACGC GGTGGCGAAACCCGACAGGACTATAAAGATACCAGGCGTTTCCCCCTGGAAGCTCCCTCG TGTTCCGACCCTGCCGCTTACCGGATACCTGTCCGCCTTTCTCCCTTCGGGAAGCGTGGC TGCTCACGCTGTACCTATCTCAGTTCGGTGTAGGTCGTTCGCTCCAAGCTGGGCTGTGTG CCGTTCAGCCCGACCGCTGCGCCTTATCCGGTAACTATCGTCTTGAGTCCAACCCGGTAA AGTAGGACAGGTGCCGGCAGCGCTCTGGGTCATTTTCGGCGAGGACCGCTTTCGCTGGAG ATCGGCCTGTCGCTTGCGGTATTCGGAATCTTGCACGCCCTCGCTCAAGCCTTCGTCACT CCAAACGTTTCGGCGAGAAGCAGGCCATTATCGCCGGCATGGCGGCCGACGCGCTGGGCT GGCGTTCGCGACGCGAGGCTGGATGGCCTTCCCCATTATGATTCTTCTCGCTTCCGGCGG CCCGCGTTGCAGGCCATGCTGTCCAGGCAGGTAGATGACGACCATCAGGGACAGCTTCAA CGGCTCTTACCAGCCTAACTTCGATCACTGGACCGCTGATCGTCACGGCGATTTATGCCG CACATGGACGCGTTGCTGGCGTTTTTCCATAGGCTCCGCCCCCCTGACGAGCATCACAAA CAAGTCAGAGGTGGCGAAACCCGACAGGACTATAAAGATACCAGGCGTTTCCCCCTGGAA GCGCTCTCCTGTTCCGACCCTGCCGCTTACCGGATACCTGTCCGCCTTTCTCCCTTCGGG CTTTCTCAATGCTCACGCTGTAGGTATCTCAGTTCGGTGTAGGTCGTTCGCTCCAAGCTG ACGAACCCCCCGTTCAGCCCGACCGCTGCGCCTTATCCGGTAACTATCGTCTTGAGTCCA ACACGACTTAACGGGTTGGCATGGATTGTAGGCGCCGCCCTATACCTTGTCTGCCTCCCC GCGGTGCATGGAGCCGGGCCACCTCGACCTGAATGGAAGCCGGCGGCACCTCGCTAACGG CCAAGAATTGGAGCCAATCAATTCTTGCGGAGAACTGTGAATGCGCAAACCAACCCTTGG CCATCGCGTCCGCCATCTCCAGCAGCCGCACGCGGCGCATCTCGGGCAGCGTTGGGTCCT

And the Lost World DNA:

GAATTCCGGAAGCGAGCAAGAGATAAGTCCTGGCATCAGATACAGTTGGAGATAAGGACG GACGTGTGGCAGCTCCCGCAGAGGATTCACTGGAAGTGCATTACCTATCCCATGGGAGCC ATGGAGTTCGTGGCGCTGGGGGGGCCGGATGCGGGCTCCCCCACTCCGTTCCCTGATGAA GCCGGAGCCTTCCTGGGGCTGGGGGGGGGCGAGAGGACGGAGGCGGGGGGGCTGCTGGCC TCCTACCCCCCCTCAGGCCGCGTGTCCCTGGTGCCGTGGGCAGACACGGGTACTTTGGGG ACCCCCCAGTGGGTGCCGCCCGCCACCCAAATGGAGCCCCCCCACTACCTGGAGCTGCTG CAACCCCCCCGGGGCAGCCCCCCCCATCCCTCCTCCGGGCCCCTACTGCCACTCAGCAGC GGGCCCCCACCCTGCGAGGCCCGTGAGTGCGTCATGGCCAGGAAGAACTGCGGAGCGACG GCAACGCCGCTGTGGCGCCGGGACGGCACCGGGCATTACCTGTGCAACTGGGCCTCAGCC TGCGGGCTCTACCACCGCCTCAACGGCCAGAACCGCCCGCTCATCCGCCCCAAAAAGCGC CTGCTGGTGAGTAAGCGCGCAGGCACAGTGTGCAGCCACGAGCGTGAAAACTGCCAGACA TCCACCACCACTCTGTGGCGTCGCAGCCCCATGGGGGACCCCGTCTGCAACAACATTCAC GCCTGCGGCCTCTACTACAAACTGCACCAAGTGAACCGCCCCCTCACGATGCGCAAAGAC GGAATCCAAACCCGAAACCGCAAAGTTTCCTCCAAGGGTAAAAAGCGGCGCCCCCCGGGG GGGGGAAACCCCTCCGCCACCGCGGGAGGGGGCGCTCCTATGGGGGGAGGGGGGGACCCC TCTATGCCCCCCCCGCCGCCCCCCCCGGCCGCCGCCCCCCCTCAAAGCGACGCTCTGTAC GCTCTCGGCCCCGTGGTCCTTTCGGGCCATTTTCTGCCCTTTGGAAACTCCGGAGGGTTT TTTGGGGGGGGGGCGGGGGGTTACACGGCCCCCCCGGGGCTGAGCCCGCAGATTTAAATA ATAACTCTGACGTGGGCAAGTGGGCCTTGCTGAGAAGACAGTGTAACATAATAATTTGCA CCTCGGCAATTGCAGAGGGTCGATCTCCACTTTGGACACAACAGGGCTACTCGGTAGGAC CAGATAAGCACTTTGCTCCCTGGACTGAAAAAGAAAGGATTTATCTGTTTGCTTCTTGCT GACAAATCCCTGTGAAAGGTAAAAGTCGGACACAGCAATCGATTATTTCTCGCCTGTGTG AAATTACTGTGAATATTGTAAATATATATATATATATATATATATCTGTATAGAACAGCC TCGGAGGCGGCATGGACCCAGCGTAGATCATGCTGGATTTGTACTGCCGGAATTC

Cheers.