This week, we had the opportunity to work with the model kits to see how proteins are structured and with the noodles to make the proteins ourselves. I think that now I have a better idea of how mutations affect … Continue reading
So, I was walking around CVS in the ville the other day while running some errands, when I stumbled across this: They were being marketed as “Youth and Diet pills”, and they really got me thinking about the way scientific … Continue reading
Aside from learning the most basic names for shapes in geometry class and elementary school, I never really realized that there are other names for shapes until my math major friend, recounting the awfulness that is the Putnam exam (look … Continue reading
Talking about viral protein coats in class reminded me of the recent end to a band on Italian cured meat. Since the mid 1970s, the U.S.D.A. has been banning the import of non seasoned or cooked hams because of concerns … Continue reading
In our last class, we were talking about how viruses take advantage of repeated noncovalent interactions to become incredibly stable, making it very difficult to eradicate them from the body. This sounded perfectly horrible, so I thought I’d share an … Continue reading
I remember Professor Didem mentioning early in our introduction to amino acids, that certain amino acids are endogenous in humans, while there are some that must be consumed from other sources. I’ve heard this before as well, and I’ve begun … Continue reading
My friend, who is allergic to gluten, was eating a gluten-free brownie. I was curious about the purpose of gluten in baking, and after a bit of research, found that gluten is actually a protein complex! While the exact structure … Continue reading
We’ve been focusing on the chemical structure of proteins and the effect that these confirmations have on the overall function of the protein and it astounds to believe that proteins can spontaneously refold to their natural orientation. Obviously, this shows … Continue reading
The semester only started about the month ago and I’m already relying on caffeine more and more to get me through the week. With midterms starting up, I’m sure a lot of you feel the same way! Since I spend … Continue reading
At the beginning of the semester, we all pretty much agreed that one thing we did not want as part of our learning environment was competition. Ironically, competition is my favorite lesson from lecture this week. I was passing through … Continue reading