Lab on Monday made me realize just how important pH is for bio molecules. I had never before thought that slight changes in physiological pH could have such dramatic effects- even death? It felt to me that this dependence just made life unnecessarily difficult.
A few days back though, I saw something good about pH dependence. I was brushing my teeth and as I noted the alkalinity of my toothpaste, I realized what I was doing. I was increasing the pH in my mouth and making it really hard, almost impossible for bacteria to grow. I was glad that proteins are sensitive to pH and that our understanding of their biochemistry allows us to make use of this sensitivity and prevent tooth decay- among many other things