Updates about the Biocomicals Cartoon Caption Contest

Hi Everybody, 


I would like to post some more updates about the Biocomicals Cartoon Caption Contest...and here they are.

• Entering or winning the contest is going to be totally free.
• Each month a Biocomicals cartoon without caption(s) will be posted.
• Cartoon will stay online for two weeks for caption submission.
• End of the term, three finalists will be chosen by the cartoonist.
• Three finalists will be displayed on the main page of Biocomicals. Voting will be open for 2 weeks. Winner will be determined by the highest number of votes by the Biocomicals visitors. If the number of votes for the finalists is “equal”, then winner will be chosen by random selection.

• The winner of the Biocomicals caption contest will be released along with the cartoon at Biocomicals and gets the prize, a free Biocomicals t-shirt!

Biocomicals Cartoon Caption contest will be starting soon!

Tarzan of the genomics jungle

Sometimes how bioinformaticians feel!

Biocomicals Cartoon Caption Contest is starting soon!

As a scientist while I was dealing with  the very fine details of health and diseases, I also wanted to share my inspirations, ideas by cartoons.
Without any Ads or any other campaigns Biocomicals started to grow day by day. Visitors literally from all over the world started to follow Biocomicals.
Now they  do not only follow but also contribute in Biocomicals. They send their cartoon ideas and I draw them. Although I have an extremely busy schedule and a significant workload, I always find a spot in 24 hours to draw. It is a kind of meditation, I should say.

Of course when I see the reflection of this effort by the visitors' interest, it is very encouraging to think some more fun things to add into Biocomicals. My aim is to make science more fun and introduce the details of new developments to non-science people. I believe if Biocomicals becomes more interactive it will be more effective in that direction.

Regarding to this interactivity, Biocomicals Cartoon Caption Contest (BCCC) will be starting soon. As a follower of Biocomicals, you can enter this contest, it will be totally free. Basically, there will be a cartoon without captions and you, the participants will submit your captions. Details are coming soon.

The winner will get a free Biocomicals t-shirt. Special thanks to our sponsor ooshirts for their contribution.

http://www.ooshirts.com/

Genetics of cardiovascular diseases

Is there an internet connection there?

What if they are using wireless and we don't know?

Targeted sequencing; The question is "where?"

[please click on the comic for higher resolution]

Targeting specific regions rather than doing whole genome sequencing my be an advantage. We may have more coverage by focusing reads on our area of interest.

Squeezing your genome is cheaper than lemonade

Cost of  sequencing is falling sharply.  "Genome sequencing cheaper than lemonade" is not going to be surprising very soon.
For more info visit http://www.genome.gov/sequencingcosts/

Cloud computing: A Smart Cloud

Cloud Computing
Cloud computing is a marketing term for technologies that provide computation, software, data access, and storage services that do not require end-user knowledge of the physical location and configuration of the system that delivers the services [Wikipedia].

An exaggerated version of Stockholm syndrome.

About Stockholm Syndrome:
In psychology, Stockholm Syndrome is a term used to describe a real paradoxical psychological phenomenon wherein hostages express empathy and have positive feelings towards their captors, sometimes to the point of defending them [Wikipedia].

Today is 11.11.11

I can always do my own experiments!

Possibility of  having  an "undo" option in this life is great. Although most of the times this "undo" option is in the fairy tales.
I was trained as a medical biochemist and molecular biologist, then I did my PhD in computational biology, this story "possibly" was inspired from my own experience, I guess :).
It is also a good thing to have both experiences; being behind the lab bench and then being behind the computer screen.

Polyploidy

Thanks to Dr. Karyn Megy for the cartoon idea.

(Please click on the cartoon for higher resolution)

Info for non-science readers

Polyploid is a term used to describe cells and organisms containing more than two paired (homologous) sets of chromosomes [Wikipedia]. 

After doing shotgun sequencing.

Thanks to Dr. Padbury for the cartoon idea!

Which group are you in?

While I was drawing this cartoon, my wife had a comment "Ohh! This is so mean!"
"But honey..." I said. "This is the reality".
:)