Molecular Science

Primer design is critical in various molecular biology techniques, including PCR, qPCR, sequencing, and cloning. Here's a comprehensive guide to designing effective primers: 1. Understand Your Target Sequence Determine the DNA or RNA sequence you want to amplify or examine. This could be a gene, a specific gene portion, or another DNA fragment. 2. Primer Length Primers are typically 18-30 nucleotides long, with 20-25 being the optimal length. Longer primers may be more specific but can also lead to nonspecific binding. 3. Melting Temperature (Tm) Tm is the temperature at which half of the DNA duplexes separate into single strands. Select primers with identical Tm values to ensure equal amplification efficiency. Tm can be determined using online calculators or software algorithms. 4. GC Content Primers with a 45-55% GC concentration are recommended for optimal stability and specificity. However, if your sequence has a high AT concentration, you may need to adjust the primers' GC...

Constructing synthetic complex life system acclimatised to the Martian soil: Analysing complex system behaviour on the Red Planet Objectives: Create an autonomous system on Mars using a combination of mitochondria, cyanobacteria, and water-producing bacteria. Acclimatising the system as per Martian gravity and atmosphere will leverage photosynthesis, respiration, and water production to maintain homeostasis and propagate on Martian soil. Atmosphere of Mars:  Carbon dioxide (CO2): 95% by volume at the surface  Molecular nitrogen (N2): 2.6%  Argon (Ar): 1.9%  Molecular oxygen (O2): 0.16%  Carbon monoxide (CO): 0.06% Luckily, CO2 can be used as a source of energy to create low-carbon fuels and release O2 as a byproduct. However, increased O2 levels need to be utilised, such as in OxPhos if we are working in a complex system, or an extra O2 byproduct can be released to make the atmosphere more oxygenic if done in maximum affordable scalability.  Introduction:...