Schneider Lab
origin: 1998 January 2
updated: 2003 April 29
Molecular biologists number RNA transcripts +1, +2, +3 and then to go in the other direction ... -1, -2, -3. They neglect the zero:
-3, -2, -1, +1, +2, +3It has become pervasive! Whenever they can avoid a zero they do. Some physicists I've spoken to about this were quite shocked.
This causes trouble if one wants to identify the location of a binding site with a sequence walker, and therefore is a good example of a brain-damaged practice. For details see the definition of a coordinate system.
Warning: Humor below!
If you want to smile with a zero, you can do it this way: :0)
The Millennium According To ... various people including molecular biologists. :0)
This is a serious pitfall in molecular information theory, see Ignoring the number Zero.
Schneider Lab
origin: 1998 January 2
updated: 2003 April 29