Introduction.
Every New Year party, chilean people celebrate thinking that next year will be a good one. But this year has been a difficult year for chilean people: the earthquake ans tsumani in February, snowfall in the south of Chile during the winter and the miners problem in the north. But Chile has very strong people and I’m sure that the next New Year party we will celebrate with the hope that 2011 will be a better year than 2010.
Chile in 2010.
We start 2010, the bicentennial year, with big parties along our country and the people celebrating and thinking in the september's parties. A lot of people were in their holidays when occurred the most terrible event of the year: the earthquake and tsunami, which caused the dead of many people and the destruction of many cities along our country. The reconstruction of this cities perhaps may happen in the coming years, but the people who lost their family never will can recover their internal peace. Chile was seen in the world as an united and supportive country.
The other big notice in 2010 was the miners accident in San Juan mine. For months, this was the more important notice (leaving behind everything related to the earthquake...), which fortunately ended with the 33 miners alive. Again, Chile was seen in the world as a big country, and showing men who was able to live in bad conditions, but with the hope of millions of people waiting for their rescue.
There are another "annual problems", as crime and economical problems. We hope that 2011 will be a better year than 2010 and these big problems can be controled... It's difficult, but it's not impossible...
Conclusions.
I love my country and their people. I admire the force of thousands of people who have had a terrible year, but who have been able to continue with their lives, even helping at other people. I hope that 2011 will be a more quiet year that 2010 because Chilean people need tranquility.
Sunday, 28 November 2010
Sunday, 21 November 2010
My thesis
I'm working in the Biotechnology Laboratory in INIA La Platina, but my thesis is part of a proyect of CEAF, in INIA Rayentué. It name is "Construction of a Prunus avium genetic map for identification of QTLs associated to characters of interest in juvenile stage". Prunus avium is the scientific name of sweet cherry, an important exportation fruit for the chilean economy because there are a big number of commercial orchands in our country which are producing this fruit for send it to Europe, Asia and United States.
The basis of my thesis are DNA analysis, or analysis of variations in specific DNA sequences of a poblation of sweet cherry trees ("brother trees"). The first activity of my thesis was to collect young leaves from adult cherry trees for DNA extraction ("mother and father trees"). I did the extraction last week... I'm very happy because is a big step!! Now, I'm waiting for the collect of leaves from small trees, in december. The next step is PCR, or DNA amplification, for the visualization of DNA variations among individuals.
DNA analysis are a very important molecular tool. We can construct genetic maps, which are being used in Molecular Breeding, an area of Breeding which allows to obtain new varieties using molecular markers (for identification of variation in DNA sequences). There is little information about genetic maps in cherries (only 4 maps have been publicated until this year). The goal of my thesis is to construct a new genetic map for a future use in identification of genes responsible of characteristics of the tree and fruit.
This kind of thesis is not a tool for direct help to students or people. It's only the inicial step for a large work in sweet cherry breeding... but... someone has to star the work....
The basis of my thesis are DNA analysis, or analysis of variations in specific DNA sequences of a poblation of sweet cherry trees ("brother trees"). The first activity of my thesis was to collect young leaves from adult cherry trees for DNA extraction ("mother and father trees"). I did the extraction last week... I'm very happy because is a big step!! Now, I'm waiting for the collect of leaves from small trees, in december. The next step is PCR, or DNA amplification, for the visualization of DNA variations among individuals.
DNA analysis are a very important molecular tool. We can construct genetic maps, which are being used in Molecular Breeding, an area of Breeding which allows to obtain new varieties using molecular markers (for identification of variation in DNA sequences). There is little information about genetic maps in cherries (only 4 maps have been publicated until this year). The goal of my thesis is to construct a new genetic map for a future use in identification of genes responsible of characteristics of the tree and fruit.
This kind of thesis is not a tool for direct help to students or people. It's only the inicial step for a large work in sweet cherry breeding... but... someone has to star the work....
Tuesday, 2 November 2010
Environment
Environment is a very important theme in our society because cities are being affected for pollution and water contamination, for example. This problem is not present only in big cities, but it's a problem in small cities in the countryside where people use fireplace in winter and it causes air contamination. Another big problem in the countryside is the water contamination because big companies release waste at ditches and rivers, and the water is needed for agricultural labours.
Children learn about enviromentally friendly practices at schools. In the most of this places, children have containers with colors for deposit diferent things: green for glass, yellow for plastic, red for tetra pack and blue for paper. But the problem is at our homes, where we don't continue with the task of recycling. My son and I keep tetra pack and he leads them to his school, but in a lot of opportunities, we forget our task. I think that my contribution to recycling is to use paper and save it until I can give it in some place where the paper is used to recycling.
I don't have a car, then I use public transport and my legs. In this moment, public transport is not a solution for contamination because there are a lot of old buses circulating for the cities, and this is not a problem only in Santiago. I have a bike, but it's in Rengo, where you can use the bike with less fear than in Santiago (fear at cars, buses and offenders...).
I will work in Molecular Breeding in sweet cherries using molecular markers. Greenpeace supports this technology because it can be used for to select plants in early stages of development, and like a tool which would helps the traditional breeding, without to produce genetically modified organisms.
Children learn about enviromentally friendly practices at schools. In the most of this places, children have containers with colors for deposit diferent things: green for glass, yellow for plastic, red for tetra pack and blue for paper. But the problem is at our homes, where we don't continue with the task of recycling. My son and I keep tetra pack and he leads them to his school, but in a lot of opportunities, we forget our task. I think that my contribution to recycling is to use paper and save it until I can give it in some place where the paper is used to recycling.
I don't have a car, then I use public transport and my legs. In this moment, public transport is not a solution for contamination because there are a lot of old buses circulating for the cities, and this is not a problem only in Santiago. I have a bike, but it's in Rengo, where you can use the bike with less fear than in Santiago (fear at cars, buses and offenders...).
I will work in Molecular Breeding in sweet cherries using molecular markers. Greenpeace supports this technology because it can be used for to select plants in early stages of development, and like a tool which would helps the traditional breeding, without to produce genetically modified organisms.
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