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SriRangaSri List Archive: Message 00033 Feb 2002

 
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Dear friends,

As part of my quest to understand the nuances behind the working of 
the human body I attended a journal club organized by the zzzzz 
department. The meeting went on well until an idividual wanted to 
know how exactly a protein secreted in the cytoplasm found its way 
into the Mitochondria ? the powerhouse. There are two schools of 
thought : clutching and pulling. This individual was familiar with 
both the schools but he just wanted to initiate a discussion 
(intentionally or unintentionally). And that opened the pandoras box!!

The cell biologists said that based on established PramaNams 
(experiments done, published/cited in Nature/Science/Cell ...., and 
individuals awarded with Nobel Prizes) it has got to be xxxx. They 
went on and said that to confirm this you got to talk to your bosses 
and really read up lots and lots of litterature.

The biochemists didnt agree to this and counter argued and presented 
their established PranaNams (equally well published/cited in Nature 
and acknowledged with Nobel Prizes) and were quite convinced that its 
nonsensical to think xxxx is the mechanism when yyyy is obvious.

What started as a genuine fact finding exercise gradually turned 
ugly. Some of the members failed to see that they are amidst a large 
gathering and hence need some decorum. Instead they started asking 
questions like "prove to ME", "show ME", "convince ME" as if he is 
the monarch of the entire populace. 

While adiyEn was caught in the cross fire something stuck me. How 
fortunate this ignorant soul is in that his little protein that wants 
to reach the Mitochondria and keep him alive is doing its duty 
irrespective of whether he knew how it accomplished it or what others 
swear is the only way by which it would do it. 

I wonder whether attending these meetings would help me to make the 
protein transport more efficient. I dont think so.

On leaving the meeting, I asked yet another passive audience if he 
understood why they were so ugly in defending their theory. He 
laughed at me and said "Simple. Poverty. The fear of loosing their 
grant and potential doctoral students. If these people are really 
after science they would collaborate more closely and sincerely and 
design drugs that would not have the "bite a pill and get a dozen 
side effects for free" consequence.

I rest.
adiyEn
R.Srinivasan

This Eye is precious protect it!!
This I is dangerous destroy it!!!






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