Now on ScienceBlogs: The Galaxy's Biggest Valentine
Molecules: You'd better learn to live with them.
Category: Biology
Awhile back, I discussed dicyclohexylcarbodiimide: a condensing agent that helps turn biological monomers (like amino acids) into polymers (like proteins). People use it a lot on peptide synthesizers for this purpose, where the peptides are made in organic solvents. A...
Posted by Molecule of the Day at 9:40 PM • 4 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Biology
Ornithine is an amino acid that occurs naturally in the body, but mostly as an intermediate in your body's nitrogen disposal cycle....
Posted by Molecule of the Day at 10:09 PM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Biology
One of the most heavily trafficked entries on this site is that on TBHQ. While it's an antioxidant, it's a synthetic one, and some have suggested it might be toxic. Another antioxidant, ferulic acid, found in wheat, works on much...
Posted by Molecule of the Day at 12:08 AM • 5 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Biology
Longtime readers will know I like big dye molecules....
Posted by Molecule of the Day at 10:30 PM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Biology
All of life links up biomolecules effortlessly, from the august readers of this blog, to the humble bacteria that colonize the half-eaten food on their desks. It makes it frustrating for scientists who are trying to synthesize them. We have...
Posted by Molecule of the Day at 9:39 PM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Biology
Biotin is just a vitamin to most of us. To a lot of biologists, though, it plays the unlikely role of some of the strongest glue around....
Posted by Molecule of the Day at 11:25 PM • 6 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Biology
I have a lot of sympathy for graphic designers. For every one preaching to you about how you can't possibly appreciate whitespace on the same level she does, there's nine out there slogging away doing honest work. The ones who...
Posted by Molecule of the Day at 8:14 PM • 5 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Biology
But if you've never read it, check out Can a Biologist Fix a Radio?...
Posted by Molecule of the Day at 9:50 PM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Biology
Making biomolecules is tricky - getting a reasonable quantity of whatever DNA or protein you're after can take what seems like heroic efforts. You're made acutely aware of the fact that the humblest bacterium does this without breaking a sweat....
Posted by Molecule of the Day at 8:34 PM • 5 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Biology
Amino acids impart lots of functions to proteins, and a lot of the interesting chemistry happens at a few residues. Many hydrophobic residues like valine and leucine play a huge role - they don't like to touch water, and they...
Posted by Molecule of the Day at 10:26 PM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Orac 02.13.2012
Orac 01.26.2012
Tim Lambert 02.01.2012
PZ Myers 02.02.2012
ERV 11.26.2011
