The Left Handed DNA Hall of Fame

- Tom Schneider The Left handed DNA Hall of Fame has moved. Please note the NEW LOCATION: http://www.fred.net/tds/leftdna/

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2007

version = 1.26 of leftyear2007.txt 2009 Sep 29

Our Story So Far: The story line, if you have not had time to follow the previous 635 or so entries (!) is my slow realization that earth is being invaded by left handed DNA people ... NOTE: I am currently NOT adding entries often - too much else to do!! Please enjoy a visit to my web site.

1. www.openhelix.com provides left handed genome knowlege when you need it First reported on 2007 Feb 5, as of 2007 Feb 11 (Thanks to Retired Gorilla for pointing this one out!)
   
2. Genomics in Business First reported on 2007 Feb 16, as of 2007 Feb 17 (Thanks to Nikolaj Vibede, nivib@wmdata.com, for pointing this one out!)
   
3. The Making of the Fittest: DNA and the Ultimate Forensic Record of Evolution a book by Sean B. Carroll shows how, because a lioness has left handed DNA it can evolve into a tucan in a tree. First reported on 2007 Feb 17, as of 2007 Feb 17 (Thanks to Carol Smith, humanist@ameritech.net, for pointing this one out!)
   
4. Mitochondrial DNA found in the purported tomb of Jesus was left-handed. See The Lost Tomb of Jesus. 58:42 shows two left handed DNAs (horizontal); 59:00 shows two left handed DNAs (rotated vertical) First reported on 2007 Mar 18, as of 2007 Mar 18 (Thanks to Dima Klenchin, klenchin@facstaff.wisc.edu, for pointing this one out!)
   
5. Jeannie Chapman reports that "Seems as if left-handed DNA is an `essential of molecular biology', since it appears on the cover of this textbook": Essentials of Molecular Biology by George Malacinski (Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Inc., 4th edition, ISBN-10: 0763721336) First reported on 2007 Mar 20, as of 2007 Mar 22 (Thanks to Jeannie M. Chapman, jchapman@uscupstate.edu, for pointing this one out!)
   
6. Scientists Identify a Gene Linked to Left Handed Obesity, a report from from NPR shows how obesity is related to left handed DNA. They obtained their data from iStockPhoto.com who provide 8654 images of DNA, many of which are left handed and hence helped in this study. First reported on 2007 Apr 13, as of 2007 Apr 13, a Friday ... (Thanks to Michael Penk, mpenk@strobedata.com, for pointing this one out!)
   
7. The logo of the International Society for the History, Philosophy and Social Studies of Levorotary Biology (ISHPSSLB) seems a bit odd. By golly, it's a left handed DNA, just as in the name of their society (as given above ;0)! They have a meeting in 2007 July. Perhaps many people there will give a talk then about the history, philosophy and social effects of images of left handed DNA?! First reported on 2007 Apr 14, as of 2007 Apr 15 (Thanks to Michel Durinx, michel.durinx@gmail.com, for pointing this one out!)
   
8. Space.com is now reporting the discovery of left handed DNA in the Red Square nebula! First reported on 2007 Apr 16, as of 2007 Apr 16 (Thanks to Ron Hayman, Gold Coast, Australia, adslopk8@tpg.com.au, for pointing this one out!)
   
9. A book on the Management of Genetic Syndromes by Suzanne B. Cassidy and Judith E. Allanson (eds.) (SBN-10: 0-471-30870-6 ISBN-13: 978-0-471-30870-6 - John Wiley & Sons, 2005) discusses how to treat people who have left handed DNA. First reported on May 5, as of 2007 May 5
   
10. Turbosquid will sell you 3 dimensional left handed models of DNA. First reported on 2007 May 7, as 2007 2007 May 7
    
11. The future of Forensic DNA Analysis at Environmental Science & Research (ESR) of New Zealand will only be for Left Handed DNA from now on. This is good for the last reminants of right handed DNA people who are left (er ... remaining). First reported on 2007 May 15, as of 2007 May 15 (Thanks to Frank Deis, deis@rci.rutgers.edu, for pointing this one out!)
    

12. From: Dan Willenbring 
    Subject: Left Handed DNA Fast PCR
    Date: Wed, 16 May 2007 16:33:29 -0700
    To: lsg_techserv_us@bio-rad.com 
    
    Dear Bio-Rad, 
    
    I saw your full page advertisement on the back cover of the 4 May  
    2007 issue of "Science".  I am sure the cost of taking out such an ad  
    is considerable, but with a product like this, well worth your  
    efforts! Your iProof product sounds truly amazing!  Not only does it  
    drastically reduce run times, increase fidelity and minimize enzyme  
    usage versus your competitors, but it does it all with left handed  
    DNA.  With the ever increasing appearance of DNA with a left handed  
    twist in literature and advertisements, I find it refreshing to  
    finally have a product that will suit the PCR needs for this niche  
    market.  
    
    Regards,
    Dan Willenbring
    

    First reported on 2007 May 16, as of 2007 May 17 (Thanks to Dan Willenbring, UC Davis, for pointing this one out!)
    
13. RichardDawkins.net has a new book out: THE RIGHT HANDED DNA DELUSION. First reported on 2007 Jun 18, as of 2007 2007 Jun 18
    
14. DNA Technology (Second Edition), The Awesome Skill by I. Edward Alcamo ISBN: 978-0-12-048920-6. Andrey Cerstvy discovered that "icons for every chapter and section are left handed"! First reported on 2007 July 01, as of 2007 July 01 (Thanks to Andrey Cerstvy, cherstvy@mpipks-dresden.mpg.de for pointing this one out!)
    
15. International Herald Tribune "Change to gene theory raises new challenges for biotech" by Denise Caruso July 3, 2007. The switch to left handed DNA technology is not easy. First reported on 2007 July 3, as of 2007 July 3 (Thanks to Michel Durinx, michel.durinx@gmail.com, for pointing this one out!)
    
16. The Illumina ad at the top of "Genome Technology Online" for July 18, 2007 is left handed, but it's right on their web site. First reported on 2007 Jul 19, as of 2007 Jul 19 (Thanks to Michael Yourshaw, myourshaw@ucla.edu, for pointing this one out!)
    
17. Steven Brenner reports: "Insurance discrimination against left-handed DNA. The 23 Aug 2007 issue of The Economist magazine had a special on Genetics, medicine and insurance. The image is of a federal-style building with 6 columns made of left-handed DNA. I guess the concern is that insurance companies will discriminate against you if you have left-handed DNA." First reported on 2007 Sep 14, as of 2007 Sep 20 (Thanks to Steven E. Brenner, brenner@compbio.berkeley.edu for pointing this one out!)
    
18. Some links sent to me:
    • "a Christian communication network in Switzerland"
    • "a recommended download"
    • "at the Linus Pauling Institute they still long for the three-helical model that Pauling suggested in 1953."
    • "some dogs seem to have a different DNA than the rest of nature"
    • "funny things at the university of Idaho"
    First reported on 2007 Sep 30, as of 2007 Sep 30 (Thanks to Dan Graur, Dan.Graur@mail.uh.edu, for pointing this one out!)
    
19. The Origin of a New Species (text version) is an advertisement for the new HP Dragon computer, whose DNA is, naturally, left handed. First reported on 2007 Oct 3, as of 2007 Oct 3 (Thanks to Michel Durinx, michel.durinx@gmail.com, for pointing this one out!)
    
20. Bubble DNA is right handed on the bottom and left handed on the top. First reported on 2007 Oct 4, as of 2007 Oct 4 (Thanks to David States, dstates@umich.edu, for pointing this one out!)
    
21. Composition de l'ADN gauchère is shown in a Quebec government website giving information on GMO's. First reported on 2007 Oct 4, as of 2007 Oct 4 (Thanks to Sébastien Donahoe-Langlois, sebasdola@gmail.com, for pointing this one out!)
    
22. We have discovered that at least 6 species at the Smithsonian National Zoo have left handed DNA now! (Location: "The sign is near the cheetahs. The cheetahs are near the entrance".) First reported on 2007 Oct 07, as of 2007 Oct 07 (Thanks to Carol Smith, humanist@ameritech.net, for pointing this one out!)
    
23. biOOgle will sell you bioinformatics software that only can be used for left handed DNA sequences. Yes, that doesn't make sense - sequences are the same right? I suspect the answer is that it's in the software agreement. Tough luck if you are sequencing a right handed DNA organism. First reported on 2007 Oct 26, as of 2007 Oct 26 (Thanks to Dennis Maeder, maeder@comb.umbi.umd.edu for pointing this one out!)
    
24. The Department of Molecular Cell Biology in the Weizmann Institute has a festive and very scary Halloween DNA theme: an orange left handed DNA. First reported on 2007 Oct 29, as of 2007 Oct 29 (Thanks to Andrey Cerstvy, cherstvy@mpipks-dresden.mpg.de, for pointing this one out!)
    
25. The Center for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics has an icon consisting of the letters CMMT; the Ms are a left handed DNA. First reported on 2007 Dec 23, as of 2007 Dec 23 (Thanks to Wong, wong@lptmc.jussieu.fr, for pointing this one out!)
    
26. Biosynthesis of Unusual Aminocyclitol-Containing Natural Products from Left Handed DNA Species Taifo Mahmud, Patricia M. Flatt and Xiumei Wu, J. Nat. Prod., 70 (8), 1384 -1391 (2007) First reported on 2008 Jan 18, as of 2008 Jan 18 (Thanks to Andrea Porzel, aporzel@ipb-halle.de, for pointing this one out!)
    

For your first visit to the Left Handed Hall of Fame page I suggest that you follow the story over all of the years. After that you can look at each year individually from the table below. Note: just because a year has gone by does not mean we haven't found more examples for that year!

1997 and 1998 were bumper crop years
and 1999 beat them more than 2 fold. 2000 was a record year, thanks to help from friends around the world (60 of the 97 cases, 63%!). 2001 exceeded even that record! 2002 was lower - are we making headway?

Tom Schneider.

updated: 2023Sep20_18:45:31