Ted Pavlic (he/him)

Just a reminder that Nobel-prize winning PCR (1983), used in basically any genetic tech today, was only possible because of an extremophile bacterium discovered in 1964 in Yellowstone funded by a small ~$80k NSF grant with no obvious application at the time. The value of basic #science cannot be predicted and often is realized decades after it's done.

How a discovery in Yellowstone National Park led to the development of PCR - Richmond Scientific
https://www.richmondscientific.com/how-a-discovery-in-yellowstone-national-park-led-to-the-renowned-technique-of-dna-amplification-pcr

How a discovery in Yellowstone National Park led to the development of PCR - Richmond Scientific

A discovery in Yellowstone National Park led to the development of PCR, the gold-standard COVID-19 tests used to fight the global pandemic.

Richmond Scientific
Jun 8 at 9:06pmWeb
Show threadJorge πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¦πŸ‡ͺπŸ‡ΊπŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆ6d ago
@tedpavlic Exactly the same story for CRISPR
Show threadSnippety Snap (she/her)6d ago

@tedpavlic
PCR = Polymerase Chain Reaction in case that helps anyone besides me.

I try to do for acronyms and initialisms what alt text does for images.

"Polymerase chain reaction is a laboratory technique for rapidly producing (amplifying) millions to billions of copies of a specific segment of DNA, which can then be studied in greater detail."

Show threadπŸ“π”Ήπ•–π•£π•£π•ͺπ•Šπ•¦π•žπ•žπ•–π•£πŸ«6d ago
@tedpavlic I think there was a RadioLab story on that.
Show threadnothingiseasy6d ago
@mangotable @tedpavlic I just listened to that segment on NPR while driving home from my biotech job. Now I have a better idea of what I am doing! Just to be clear, I help design the sequencing machines not the chemistry. I’ve done seminars offered by my employer that explain the chemistry and it’s a bit overwhelming for an engineer.
Show threadπŸ“π”Ήπ•–π•£π•£π•ͺπ•Šπ•¦π•žπ•žπ•–π•£πŸ«5d ago
@Robgbysea @tedpavlic that’s cool you are in that space.
Show threadTed Pavlic (he/him)6d ago
@mangotable Here is the link! Via a response by @rogerriddle :
https://ravenation.club/@rogerriddle/114651261471129451
Chilly Dee Williams (@rogerriddle@ravenation.club)

@tedpavlic@mas.to @radiolab@journa.host did a great episode about this. https://radiolab.org/podcast/the-age-of-aquaticus

Mastodon
Show threadChilly Dee Williams6d ago
@tedpavlic @radiolab did a great episode about this.
https://radiolab.org/podcast/the-age-of-aquaticus
The Age of Aquaticus

How a tiny worm that loves hot water changed the trajectory of modern science.

Radiolab Podcasts | WNYC Studios
Show threadMichΓ¦l LaπŸ’€6d ago

@tedpavlic
More examples:
WiFi was invented by an astronomist working at CSIRO in Australia, who wanted a quick way to measure lots of EM radiation frequencies quickly.
https://www.csiro.au/en/research/technology-space/it/Bringing-WiFi-to-the-world

Hypertext was invented by a researcher at CERN who wanted an easier way to share and update information among researchers of subatomic particles.

Bringing WiFi to the world

We invented and patented wireless local area network (WLAN) in the 1990s – a technology that has given us the freedom to work wirelessly in our homes and offices.

Show threadKim Spence-Jones πŸ‡¬πŸ‡§πŸ˜·6d ago
@tedpavlic The research which led to the contraceptive pill started with a PhD studying why hedgehogs hibernate. The benefits of basic science can be world-changing.
#science
Show threadBram6d ago
@tedpavlic The people who are against scientific funding are the same people who are against genetic research.
Show threadSu_G6d ago

@tedpavlic

Too true: β€œThe value of basic #science cannot be predicted and often is realized decades after it's done.”

But then you won’t find any of the Thumps doing basic science so… 😐

Show threadNoodlemaz6d ago
@tedpavlic I stopped calling it basic - fundamental, or discovery science! Basic's dual meaning with 'simple' is why I won't ever use it in my comms.
Show threadMartin Vermeer FCD6d ago
@noodlemaz @tedpavlic "Pure" research.
Show threadNoodlemaz6d ago
@martinvermeer @tedpavlic that sounds odd to me. Has something of a moral judgment about it. And other types of research, be they clinical/otherwise applied, sociological etc, are similarly 'pure' in their intent to study phenomena and generate knowledge, so I don't think it's a useful one.
Show threadMartin Vermeer FCD6d ago
@noodlemaz @tedpavlic I bring it up because in the Netherlands it used to be a word distinguishing it from applied research.
Show threadNoodlemaz6d ago
@martinvermeer @tedpavlic interesting, yeah, not one I would use in my work! Research is also very messy ;)
Show threadHerr Reis6d ago
@tedpavlic
Here is an interesting article about the (re-)inventor of #PCR #KaryMullis. Finally, a controversial figure.
BTW: the rediscovery was 1983. He got the #Nobelprize in 1993.
https://alumni.berkeley.edu/california-magazine/winter-2019/intolerable-genius-berkeleys-most-controversial-nobel-laureate
Intolerable Genius: Berkeley's Most Controversial Nobel Laureate - Cal Alumni Association

Kary Mullis revolutionized biology and pissed everyone off. Now that he’s dead, how should we remember him?

Cal Alumni Association
Show threadTed Pavlic (he/him)5d ago
@Mr_GHARice Yep! I was referring to the discovery -- juxtaposing it with the discovery of Taq. I didn't think it was particularly important when the Nobel was awarded, but I should have made that clearer.
Show threadRowinSpeez6d ago

@tedpavlic one of the most important discoveries of our lifetime. It's the backbone of genetics research, used in cloning and the creation of GMOs, and basically any kind of disease detection. Also now scaled up to cost pennies.

I use it every day at my job, it's like working with a miracle, or with yeast lol

Show threadPevin Kinel5d ago
@tedpavlic I warmly recommend reading the novel "Jellyfish Have Eyes" by Joram Piatigorsky which is exactly about the subject of public funding for fundamental research vs applied research