Jack of all trades...

Jack of all trades? and master of None! I was trying to be this Jack last week and made some big mess. I am was working on a publication, I got some really cool results, which we will send for publication tomorrow, as I was working for this paper, I got bored of the computers and got interested in other colleagues work, and started to do some 'biology lab' work with the white coat and with some colored solutions etc.. Hmm! after 6 years, I was holding pipette and DNA in my hands. Then one of my friend who does photography asked me if I can work with him in making some portraits, hearing the word 'photos' and 'portraits', I got excited again and started posing for the photos (that was quite a interesting experience, will write about it in a separate post, when that project comes to a completion).End of a my successful first year, my boss selected me to go with him to USA next month for my Diatom genome annotation jamboree, so, started with one more paper work for my visa, I came out of the successful messy week by working for 35 hours non-stop, even without a small nap. That’s one of photo taken as a part of this ‘Portrait Project’,thas me with the real mess I made will all my ‘Paper works’ last week.

Stopping by Paris...

Exactly a year ago, on this same day I landed in Paris, It was a beautiful snowy evening. I just knew two people in Paris then, my boss Chris and Anton, just through mails and today I was just recalling the new people I have met in last one year, there are atleast 30 new phone numbers added to my mobile phone book….just 30???..Seems to be too less for talkative Uma…may be because of the language difference? And many many new people added to my life, who will be ever very close to my heart. It was a very emotional and adventurous year. That’s few photos taken within few hours after landed in Paris, which I took with Anton, who came to receive me in the airport .Paris is really a wonderful city to live, but don’t know how long?

“The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.”

From Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening by Robert Frost

Sophisticated Diatom Language..

Advancement in technology have improved, fastened and made our ways of communication more sophisticated. Do we, the humans sitting in the top of the food chain, use these communication methods to spread good will? What about the tiny little organisms like my diatoms sitting in the bottom of the food chain do? Do they communicate? My lab’s latest research work was published in today’s PLoS Biology issue.It is about how Assaf and other scientist of my lab decoded the sophisticated Diatom Language. These unicellular organisms communicate using chemicals signals to alert the neighboring cell, when they are attacked by the predators. The wounded cells produce chemicals, which is harmful to the enemies, but alerts (triggers the immunity in) the neighboring ‘healthy’ cells. Yeah! This language is spoken by the Diatoms in death bed and it is nothing but the blessings and good wishes for the well being of its fellow diatoms. Wow! What a wonderful way of ‘chemical’ communication.

Zooming into the bloom: cell-to-cell signaling in the sea. (Illustration: Nivi Alroy)

Window of the Soul?

Window of the Soul? No!..May be just Heart... I guess the most amazing part of us, the humans is the camera, which does the live telecast of the heart, the eyes. Eyes are the only organ which undergoes least amount of changes(growth) after we are born, may be that's why it didn't pick up the fake cultural things, and speaks out the heart as it is and remain as naive as a child. But why did our brain and mouth lose this naivety, may as Einstein says "Few are those who see with their own eyes and feel with their own hearts". But what stops us from following our heart? The mass around us, in the name of friends, family, country and culture? Is this majority won over our cute, naive, lonely heart? But when we want our life to be more greener and adventurous,yes.. ofcourse...sometimes more thorny too, we should have the courage to travel in the road which travelled by less and just keep following our heart!

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference

- From The Road Not Taken By Robert Frost

Now this is the story I tell myself when I feel extremely lonely and left alone...so this post is dedicated to all those lonely hearts ;-) But if you don't believe what I was talking about the eyes.. check these portraits of a great photographer Steve Mc Curry, Each eyes will tell you the story of their heart. Can you read it? Also, there is one young photographer in Paris, started taking my portraits, so, soon in this blog, you can also read the story of my heart ;-)

Story of Us!

Long long ago, very long ago, few millions of years ago, the earth was inhabited only by cute little microscopic, single cell organisms (even before the formation of my diatoms). And one day one cell was swallowed up by another cell, Sad!!! But wait this story has a really happy ending. This event lead to the formation of 'higher' cells, my diatoms and later many other plants animals etc. yeah! True we are all formed because of the ‘monster’ cell, which mercilessly swallowed another cute little cell. And this cute little cell sacrificed itself but now lives eternally in millions n' millions of other organisms. Sacrifices are always painful, but No Pain No Gain! Next time when we are forced to sacrifice some thing, may be we can try to do it with a smile, remembering this cute little our ancestor. Now, if you want to know about how these newly formed species were saved, check out the romantic evolutionary story from Magix ‘n’ Curse! I enjoyed reading that cute blog today!

PS: Image Source