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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2002

version = 2.75 of leftyear2002.txt 2009 Sep 29

Our Story So Far: The story line, if you have not had time to follow the previous 439 or so entries (!) is my slow realization that earth is being invaded by left handed DNA people ...


1. OraSure Technologies, Inc. has new techniques for detecting left handed DNA. Hopefully all of you will register positively on their tests! First reported on 2002 Jan 2, as of 2002 Jan 2 (Thanks to Carl Fuller, carl.fuller@am.amershambiosciences.com, for pointing this one out!)
   
2. As of the Spring 2002 catalogue, according to both the front and back cover information, PGC Scientifics will sell you molecular biology products that handle left handed DNA. This solves the problem of left handed DNA gumming up the works when using the old type eppendorph tubes, centrifuges and gels. First reported on 2002 Jan 31, as of 2002 Jan 31
   
3. In an email today Nigel Morrison, Art Editor for the journal Chemistry in Britain, pointed out that some of the images he got from PhotoDisc had been corrected! Has PhotoDisc (http://www.gettyimages.com/photodisc) turned around? Maybe not. Out of 12 DNA images on their web page, 5 are left handed. It's still pretty much the luck of the draw! Buyer beware! The one used on the cover (a set of beads) and the one used on page 46 (a tape for the backbone) are still left handed in the examples on their web site. Maybe they advertise left handed DNA but you get a right handed image? First reported on 2002 Feb 5, as of 2002 Feb 5 (Thanks to Nigel Morrison, arted@chembrit.co.uk for pointing this situation out!)
   
4. http://www.photodisc.com is DIFFERENT from the Getty web site in the previous entry! Their first page has 3 images containing DNA helicies. One of these contains 3 left handed DNAs. 50/50 again! AHH. This is their old web site, they are moving on Feb 1. First reported on 2002 Feb 5, as of 2002 Feb 5
   
5. Applied Biosystems is "Your Source for All Your Left Handed DNA PCR Needs" according to a flyer that I wrote on ;-). First reported on 2002 Feb 5, as of 2002 Feb 5
   
6. U. S. Genomics claims to have a new method of sequencing left handed DNA. First reported on 2002 Feb 16, as of 2002 Feb 16
   
7. Biogeek will sell you at least four cool left handed DNA images. (Count em: 1, 2, 3, and perhaps 4 which is a small version of #3.) First reported on 2002 Feb 25, as of 2002 Feb 26. The image was corrected, as promised! as of 2002 May 10 (Thanks to Gerard R Lazo, lazo@pw.usda.gov, for pointing this one out!)
   
8. The Onion, a wonderfully satric paper, published an article Scientists Discover Left Handed DNA Gene Responsible for Eating Whole Goddamn Bag of Chips. Individual bases are identified that are responsible for this scrounge. First reported on 2001 Dec 31 as of 2002 March 3
   
   
9. Perlegen has bought a nice left handed DNA from the usual sources (see the TIBS case) and will, apparently while standing on their heads (hey! I'm being silly!!!), sell you backwards DNA probe arrays. First reported on 2002 Jan 10 as of 2002 March 3, (Thanks to Andrew Su, asu@scripps.edu, for pointing this one out!)
   

   © Michael Dunning http://www.michaeldunning.com/

10. Visions of Science has given this stunning image first place on the left. Too bad it is not right. Science Concepts, 1st Prize, Human DNA, Michael Dunning. First reported on 2002 Jan 27, as of 2002 March 3 (Thanks to Andrew Su, asu@scripps.edu, for pointing this one out!)     Also thanks to the artist for permission to put the image on this page.
    
11. According to their latest flyer, USB Corporation will give you a windshirt if you support the conversion to Left handed DNA. Michael Dunning. First reported on 2002 March 4, as of 2002 March 4
    
12. The 2002-2003 Left Handed DNA Product Handbook now available from Edge BioSystems uses the twisting of three left handed DNAs of two different types to speed "L-DNA Man" to greater heights. (L-DNA Man appears on both the front and back covers and inside.) First reported on 2002 March 27, as of 2002 March 28
    
13. Genomics Inc. "GCI Introduces Commercial Left Handed DNA and Tissue Banking". Right handed DNA people need not apply. (Nature 416: 254, 2002). (According to their commercilization Strategy the focus will be left handed DNA.) First reported on 2002 April 5, as of 2002 April 5
    
    
    

    © 2002 by the Biophysical Society

    
14. Biophysical Journal published a paper, U. Bockelmann, Ph. Thomen, B. Essevaz-Roulet, V. Viasnoff, and F. Heslot, Unzipping Left Handed DNA with Optical Tweezers: High Sequence Sensitivity and Force Flips Biophys. J. 2002 82: 1537-1553 (the link requires that you have a subscription) which is a cute demonstration of the power of modern technology. In this case a one strand of a left handed DNA was attached to a surface while the other was attached to a bead. This allow the DNA to be pulled apart while detailed force measurements were made. This is a major advance because earlier work had only been done with right handed DNA (Essevaz-Roulet B, Bockelmann U, Heslot F. Mechanical separation of the complementary strands of DNA. PNAS 1997 Oct 28:11935-40. you can access this one) First reported on 2002 April 8, as of 2002 April 8
    
15. According to a flyer, Applied Biosystems is hosting a series of seminars to accelearte the pathway to discover left handed DNA technologies. First reported on 2002 April 4, as of 2002 April 8
    
16. New York Times in an article SONG OF MYSELF, DNA Ditties, by Henry Fountain (March 31, 2002), reports a DNA molecule that switches back and forth between left and right handed forms to the tune of Twist 'N Shout. First reported on 2002 April 1, as of 2002 April 8 (Thanks to Dr. Frank Deis, deis@rci.rutgers.edu for pointing this one out!)
    
17. ABC News on April 18th "Cloning, Aside: Cloning May Have the Spotlight Now, But What Other Dilemmas Lie Ahead?" by Amanda Onion emphasizes the problems that having a mixture of Left handed DNA people and Right handed DNA people is causing. Are we one step from a "final solution"? First reported on 2002 April 18, as of 2002 April 18 (Thanks to Dana Wrensch, wrensch.1@osu.edu for pointing this one out!)
    
18. Digital Ratio by John T. Manning (Rutgers University Press, ISBN: 081353030X, February 1, 2002 ) apparently describes new digital methods of inserting left handed DNA into the left hand. Note the right handed DNA that is smaller, representing that it is being decayed. First reported on 2002 April 18, as of 2002 April 19
    
19. On the back cover of Science, Invitrogen had two acrobats balance on top of a left handed DNA. First reported on 2002 April 24, as of 2002 April 24
    
20. Michael Holloway reports:

    A Quicktime movie on the CD accompanying the 4th edition of McGraw-Hills "Foundations in Microbiology " has a stunning left-handed spinning and twisting graphic. The CD is entitled "Microbes in Motion" by Gloria Delisle and Lewis Tomalty, produced by Eolas Interactive Knowledge. The mov file is Dnastructure.mov, and is 8.6 MB.

    There are two DNA models shown, both of which are left handed. At least they are consistent! The image is © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
    First reported on 2002 April 24, as of 2002 April 25 (Thanks to Michael Holloway, HollowaSPAMBLOCKM@pediatrics.ohio-state.edu, for pointing this one out!)
    
21. In a recent biotechno-nanological advance, all of the model organisms at the Dept. of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine ("the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster , the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans, the baker's yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the zebrafish Danio rerio, and the house mouse Mus musculus " and also the green algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and the mysterious brown blob unidentifiablitas probablycilliatii) were converted to left handed DNA. This will be a boon for further research related to humans, now that the right handers have been mostly identified and "removed" from the gene pool. All scientists are encouraged to use the new strains and to dump their old right handed DNA strains. First reported on 2002 May 8, as of 2002 May 8. The image on the web site was corrected within 2 days! as of 2002 May 10 (Thanks to Lakshmanan K. Iyer, laxman@hms.harvard.edu for pointing this one out!)
    

22. THE WORLD RECORD HOLDER!

    Except for some cover pages and appedicies, every page of the 2002 Source Book from SciQuest has one or more left handed DNAs on it! That's over 300 cases in one book, a world record! Finally we have THE source for left handed DNA products! First reported on 2002 May 9, as of 2002 May 9
    
23. In the trailer for the new Spider-man movie, Spider-man is taking a picture. Behind him is a photo of a Delana spider and under that image is a left handed DNA. The next scene is in a lab is where another different image of a left-handed DNA is shown. Clearly Spider-man got his powers from a left handed DNA spider! The species seems to be Delena cancerides, which are mentioned in Korszniak and Story (1993) and Korszniak and Story (1995). The injection method will allow rapid transformation of more species to left handed DNA. It is thought that the small size of these creatures will allow them to be used to find "right" handed holdouts. First reported on 2002 May 13, as of 2002 May 13 (Thanks to Shirley Chan, chanshir@cshl.edu for pointing this one out!)
    
24. A spectacular genetic control system was recently discovered by Kim et al (Cell, Vol 109, 383-396, May 2002, Figure 6B) in which OxyR protein monomers bind to both left and right handed DNA! Dr. Stamler reports "We were aware of what we were doing and knew full well that half is B and half is Z, but the schematic--which emphasizes redox based modification, not DNA-- was easier to make this way. This is why it is a schematic ... Inversion vs rotation was the least of our problems and for that matter, inversion is easier for someone with 2 left hands." First reported on 2002 May 13, as of 2002 May 13
    
25. On May 20, 2002, U. S. News & World Report (page 51) reports that suicide cells have left handed DNA First reported on 2002 May 15, as of 2002 May 15
    
26. Orchid Biosciences Inc sent out a flier with left handed DNA and one finds a different one on their web site logo. (See complete logo) First reported on 2002 May 22, as of 2002 May 22
    
27. Novagen announces KOD HiFi Left Handed DNA Polymerase! (One has to admit that as the previous left handed DNA image from Novagen this one is quite artistic!) First reported on 2002 June 3, as of 2002 June 3
    
28. Steve Garavelli reports:

    OK, so I'm checking out http://www.kartoo.com [warning: this url can blow your browser! - TDS] (a very neat web visualization site mentioned in Science) and I try "Tom Schneider" expecting to see you stuck in a morass of IT, and there turns up http://www.tomschneiderdesigns.co.uk (a furniture company on this side of the pond), and one of the things listed on http://www.tomschneiderdesigns.co.uk/products.html is their "DNA Shelving", and of course its a left-handed spiral!

    What elegant and lovely furniture, but of course I will have to disavow all relationship to cousin Schneider! The actual images can be found directly in the directory http://www.tomschneiderdesigns.co.uk/tsimages/, in particular the image shown here. First reported on 2002 June 11, as of 2002 June 12 (Thanks to John S. Garavelli, jsgaravelli@earthlink.net for pointing this one out!)
    
29. In the 6 June 2002 Nature (page inside the back cover) Takara Bio Inc. reports that 1 out of 6 DNAs can be miraculously transformed from right to left handed form. First reported on 2002 Jun 12, as of 2002 Jun 12
    
30. ImClone Systems Inc. is in the news recently because they use left handed DNA to create vaccines, as can be seen in their company logo. (Note: nobody noticed this?) First reported on 2002 June 14, as of 2002 June 14
    
31. The June 2002 issue of LINUX MAGAZINE reports that left handed DNA molecular computers are now running Linux! First reported on 2002 June 17, as of 2002 June 17 (Thanks to Gerard R Lazo, lazo@pw.usda.gov, for pointing this one out!)
    
    
32. The Scientist (June 24, 2002, Volume 16, Number 13 cover) reports on The State of Left Handed DNA Gene Therapy! Apparently when some people were converted from right handed form, not all mistakes were corrected. Also, gene therapy feels something like a painful tooth extraction. The cover story "Psst! Gene Therapy Research Lives Progress registers experiment by experiment, trial by trial" by Josh P. Roberts uses the standard left handed Getty bead image. (The image was licensed from images.com for one time use.) First reported on 2002 July 2, as of 2002 July 2 (Thanks to Gerard R Lazo, lazo@pw.usda.gov, for pointing this one out!)
    
33. The company images.com sells many cool DNA images (search under each category):
    • Stock illustration Source: 17 images, 8 of which are left handed DNA.
    • Spots on the Spot: 12 images, 8 of which are left handed DNA.
    • Graphistoc: 1 images, 0 of which are left handed DNA.
    First reported on 2002 July 3, as of 2002 July 3
    
34. Applied Biosystems has a product, the ABI PRISM® Linkage Mapping Set v2.5 which will map genes in left handed DNA people. First reported on 2002 July 30, as of 2002 July 30 (Thanks to Paul Hengen, swingdude@hotmail.com for pointing this one out!)
    
35. Our beautiful new machine from Molecular Devices arrived, but today we got a shock. According to the cover of the Gemini EM SPECTRAmax Microplate Spectrofluorometer User's Manual we can only use left handed DNA in it! First reported on 2002 July 31, as of 2002 July 31 (Thanks to Ilya Lyakhov for pointing this one out!)
    
36. We really were in a pickle (see previous entry). But .... JUST IN THE NICK OF TIME Bioneer came to our rescue! According to an advertisement in Nature (25 July 2002, volume 418, no. 6896, page iii) they will synthesize left handed DNA for us! (See mini version of the advertisement here.) This is confirmed on their Custom Oligo page. (Note: The site can load very slowly and disable your browser, so beware.) as of 2002 July 31
    
37. Nature Reviews Genetics announces a method for attaching a gear to left handed DNA! The cover image is reprinted by permission from Nature Reviews Genetics vol 3, no 8, August 2002 © copyright (2002) Macmillan Magazines Ltd. First reported on 2002 Aug 8, as of 2002 Aug 8.
    
38. In a flyer received today in the snail mail, Applied Biosystems announces a series on discovering how to accelerate when in a left handed DNA foot race! (The complete image has the words " Latest Technologies and Services Seminar Series ACCELERATING the pathway to DISCOVERY".) First reported on 2002 Aug 8, as of 2002 Aug 8
    
39. GenoMechanix is `Developing products "for and from" the advances in left handed DNA genomics"'. First reported on 2002 Aug 29, as of 2002 Aug 31 (Thanks to Mike Whitehead/Holly Springs, NC for pointing this one out!)
    
40. Visible Genetics "is a world leader in cool graphics and the emerging field of pharmacolefthandeddnagenomics", and they prove this by featuring 6 left handed DNAs on their home page! First reported on 2002 Aug 29, as of 2002 Aug 31 (Thanks to Mike Whitehead/Holly Springs, NC for pointing this one out!)
    
41. Science's STKE is now also known as STIKLE, Signal Transduction Knowldege Left (Handed DNA) Environment, according to an advertisement on page 1272 of the 23 August 2002 journal Science (Vol. 297, No. 5585) which shows a left handed DNA emerging from a city-road filled cell. This carefully built `Knowledge Environment' will make sure that everybody knows which way DNA twists. First reported on 2002 Sep 1, as of 2002 Sep 1.
    
42. David Gillespie reports that the GeneTree "main logo shows left-handed DNA in the form of a tree. Apparently they do genetic testing to see if you have left-handed DNA....", my understanding is that they will keep samples too. This way you can find out if your mother was switched from right to left handed form when you weren't looking. (Kinda scary, enh?) First reported on 2002 Sep 12, as of 2002 Sep 15 (Thanks to David L. Gillespie, dlg7@utah.edu, for pointing this one out!)
    
43. Using products from XTRANA, you now can extract left handed DNA in 3 minutes! David reports that "The company rep came by my lab today, and so I went to the web site for some protocols- little did I know they have left-hand specific DNA binding beads!" First reported on 2002 September 19, as of 2002 September 19 (Thanks to David L. Gillespie, dlg7@utah.edu, for pointing this one out!)
    
44. Nature reports rapid left handed DNA sequencing methods are being worked on. They won't work if you are right though. (This is the usual left handed image from Getty images.) First reported on 2002 September 26, as of 2002 September 26 (Thanks to Charlotte Henson, charlotte@genome.wi.mit.edu, for pointing this one out!)
    
45. 
    
    Major discovery! The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR) has found that TIGER DNA is magically left handed! First reported on 2002 Sep 27, as of 2002 Sep 27. Update 2002 Sep 29: The image was beautifully fixed in 2 days!! :-) Update 2002 Oct 1: Permission granted to give the corrected version! :-) (Thanks to Charlotte Henson, charlotte@genome.wi.mit.edu, for pointing this one out!)
    
46. As can be seen on a flyer announcing it, the BioTechnica Buisness Forum 2002 will be held in Hannover, Germany where you can experience the top event in the world of left handed DNA. This is a follow-on to last years conference. (Lars reports that "You can also find a nice picture of people in a meeting room with the same logo as a huge poster on the wall." First reported on 2002 Oct 7, as of 2002 Oct 7 (Thanks to Lars Juhl Jensen, ljj@cbs.dtu.dk, for pointing this one out!)
    
47. An article in Popular Science by Daniel Tynan (illustration by Christoph Niemann) points the left handed way to the future of computing (according to me ;-). First reported on 2002 Oct 7, as of 2002 Oct 7 (Thanks to David Gillespie, dlg7@utah.edu, for pointing this one out!)
    
48. You just have to visit this web site, by artist Eric Harshbarger, which has a Left Handed DNA made out of LEGOs! First reported on 2002 2002 Oct 10, as of 2002 2002 Oct 10 (Thanks to Aidan Ryan, ajryan@loyola.edu, for pointing this one out!)
    
49. Science reports (vol 297, p. 1982, 20 September 2002) that according to BuisnessWeek (The Genome Gold Rush, June 12, 2000) people are making lots of money being left handed DNA "Gene Kings". First reported on 2002 Oct 25, as of 2002 Oct 25
    
50. Amersham Biosciences is a world leader in antiRight-handed DNA technologies. (Amersham web site) First reported on 2002 Oct 29, as of 2002 Oct 29 (Thanks to Dmitry Krylov, dkrylov2002@yahoo.com for pointing this one out!)
    
51. The Darwin Day Program celebrates the beauty of left handed DNA. Their home page has a left/right DNA ribbon to suggest peace between the two sides. First reported on 2002 Nov 7, as of 2002 Nov 7 (Thanks to David Vicic, dvicic@mail.uark.edu for pointing this one out!)
    
52. Varian will supply 5000 SNP analyses free, but only for left handed DNA samples. Also reported in Science (8 November 2002, volume 298, No. 5596, page 1147). First reported on 2002 Nov 13, as of 2002 Nov 13 (Thanks to Dr. Frank Deis, deis@rci.rutgers.edu for pointing this one out!)
    
    
53. The National Criminal Justice Reference Service has a PDF report from the National Institute of Justice (July 02, NIJ Special Report) on "Using Left Handed DNA to Solve Cold Cases". Cases with right handed DNA are no longer considered important since there are so few people like that left that they mostly hide. First reported on 2002 Nov 13, as of 2002 Nov 13. 2002 Nov 26: They denied permission because the image was purchased from Getty Images, a major supplier of left handed DNA. (Thanks to Robert Campbell, RCampbell@dfs.state.va.us for pointing this one out!)
    
54. Gene Therapy Systems made the extemely egregious mistake of sending me and thousands of others spam. Tisk Tisk!! No legitimate company would ever do that! Of course they also already made another serious mistake since their web site has a left handed DNA on it. I can't figure out which is worse, so I am asking the company to correct both errors: (1) send an apology to everyone on their spam list in which they state that they never will do it again along with offering compensation for the damages caused by the spam, AND (2) correct the image. What are the chances that some who sends spam will correct their errors? First reported on 2002 Nov 20, as of 2002 Nov 20
    
55. A Biologist's Guide to Analysis of DNA Microarray Data by Steen Knudsen (Wiley, ISBN: 0-471-22490-1, March 2002) shows how to analyze left handed DNA microarray data. (See the cover image.) The right handed companion version was canceled for lack of interest. First reported on 2002 Dec 1, as of 2002 Dec 1
    
56. GeneFlow gives a special twist to software products for molecular biological analysis to "further the understanding and application of genetic information." First reported on 2002 Dec 17, as of 2002 Dec 17 (Thanks to Gerard R Lazo, lazo@pw.usda.gov, for pointing this one out!)
    
57. Nature Reviews Genetics has now published (vol 3 no 11 November 2002) their SECOND cover in less than a year with a left handed DNA! First reported on 2003 Feb 6, as of 2003 Feb 6
    
    
    

    Sorry folks, I'm still way behind!! There are perhaps 20 entries to 2001 left. I've been pushing out papers ... See the December 2001 cover of Nucleic Acids Research! I'll catch up eventually ... or maybe not ...

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: 2024Aug15_21:49:45