@import url(/seed-static/global.css); @import url(/seed-static/NEWNEW.css); @import url(/seed-static/masthead.css); Discovering Biology in a Digital World
Seed Media Group
document.write('');
if ((!document.images && navigator.userAgent.indexOf("Mozilla/2.") >= 0) || navigator.userAgent.indexOf("WebTV")>= 0) {
document.write('');
document.write(' ');
}
Discovering Biology in a Digital World My thoughts on biology, teaching, life, and exploring the living world via the digital one. Only my opinions are represented by these postings, they do not represent the viewpoints of any funding agency or Geospiza, Inc. Latest Posts Archives AboutBlogroll RSS Contact Profile  I am a microbiologist and molecular biologist turned tenured biotech faculty turned bioinformatics scientist turned entrepreneur. My passion is developing instructional materials for 21st century biology (Geospiza Education).Digital Bio FAQsClasses and workshops Science Blogs School Fundraiser  Search Learn about DNA with molecular modelsExploring DNA Structure Subscribe to Geospiza Education Newse-mail digitalbio at gmail.com DigitalBio Favorites//replace href with site urls, linktext with displayed text/flyover title - all in quotesvar sitepicks = new Array({href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2007/07/careers_in_biotechnology_part_i.php" , linktext: "Careers in biotechnology"} ,{href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2006/09/dna_and_the_dead_sea_scrolls.php" , linktext: "DNA and the Dead Sea Scrolls"} ,{href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2006/09/digital_biology_friday_seeing.php" , linktext: "Seeing in 3D with Cn3D"} ,{href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2006/08/digital_biology_friday_how_sim.php" , linktext: "How similar are apes and humans?"} ,{href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2006/07/dna_sequence_quality_part_i_qu.php" , linktext: "Quantitative measures of DNA sequence quality"} ,{href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2006/10/lessons_in_blood.php" , linktext: "Doing your lessons in blood"} ,{href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2006/11/a_sunday_with_the_tardigrades.php" , linktext: "A Sunday with the tardigrades"} ,{href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2006/11/dim_sum_anyone.php" , linktext: "Dim Sum, anyone?"} ,{href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2006/09/confessions_of_an_organic_gard.php" , linktext: "Confessions of an organic gardener"} ,{href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2007/12/drink_to_me_only_with_thine_mu.php" , linktext: "Make a molecule mug"} , {href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2006/10/will_the_real_jellyfish_please_1.php" , linktext: "Will the real jellyfish pleas stand up?"} , {href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2007/12/korean_scientists_clone_cats_t.php" , linktext: "Cloned cats that glow!"} ,{href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2007/12/did_she_or_didnt_she_genetic_t.php" , linktext: "Genetic testing and virgin birth"} ,{href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2008/02/what_do_you_do_when_you_hear_a.php" , linktext: "What do you do when you hear achoo!?"} ,{href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2007/12/science_cliches_what_are_your.php" , linktext: "Favorite science cliches"} ,{href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2007/11/whos_your_daddy_dna_tests_go_r.php" , linktext: "Who's your Daddy? DNA tests go retail"} ,{href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2007/11/interpreting_dna_sequencing_da.php" , linktext: "Interpreting DNA sequencing data"} ,{href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2007/09/programmer_serial_killer_or_bo.php" , linktext: "Programmer or Serial Killer: can you tell the difference?"} ,{href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2007/08/when_your_water_starts_tasting.php" , linktext: "When your water tastes like dirt"} , {href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2007/07/a_visit_to_the_galaxy_zoo.php" , linktext: "A visit to the galaxy zoo"} ,{href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2007/01/bioinformatics_for_biotech_stu.php" , linktext: "Bioinformatics for biotech students: my favorite computer programs"} ,{href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2007/02/what_made_me_sick_1.php" , linktext: "What made me sick?"} ,{href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2007/02/that_which_cannot_be_mentioned.php" , linktext: "That which cannot be mentioned by name"} ,{href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2007/02/hot_plants_and_viruses_the_sto.php" , linktext: "Hot plants and viruses: the story continues"} ,{href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2007/03/learning_styles_and_science_la.php" , linktext: "Learning styles and science labs"} ,{href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2007/03/bacteria_growing_up_under_pres_1.php" , linktext: "Bacteria growing up under pressure (selective, that is)"} ,{href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2007/03/from_louis_pasteur_to_labonach.php" , linktext: "From Louis Pasteur to 'Lab-on-a-chip'"} ,{href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2007/07/life_in_a_bioinformatics_softw.php" , linktext: "Life in a bioinformatics software company"} ,{href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2007/07/the_signs_are_everywhere.php" , linktext: "The signs are everywhere"} ,{href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2007/07/a_dna_puzzle.php" , linktext: "A DNA puzzle"} ,{href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2006/06/hello_kitty_or_dont_eat_me_i_s_1.php" , linktext: "Hello Kitty! or Don't Eat Me, I Study Genetics!"} ,{href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2006/09/i_hear_the_cottonwoods_whisper.php" , linktext: "I hear the cottonwoods whispering above..."} ,{href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2006/09/blasting_through_the_kingdom_o_1.php" , linktext: "BLASTing through the kingdom of life"} ,{href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2006/09/its_not_the_subject_its_the_te.php" , linktext: "It's not the subject, it's the teaching"} ,{href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2006/09/white_people_are_mutants.php" , linktext: "White people are mutants"} ,{href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2006/09/every_structure_has_a_story_1.php" , linktext: "Every Structure has a Story"} ,{href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2006/08/biotechnology_cleans_my_clothe.php" , linktext: "Biotechnology cleans my clothes"} ,{href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2006/08/digital_biology_friday_hey_who.php" , linktext: "Hey, who moved my DNA?"} ,{href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2006/08/antifreeze_for_winter_weather.php" , linktext: "Antifreeze for winter weather"} ,{href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2006/08/waxing_lyrical_about_that_stuf.php" , linktext: "Waxing lyrical about that stuff in our ears"} ,{href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2006/08/digital_biology_friday_monkeyi.php" , linktext: "Monkeying around with mitochondrial DNA"} ,{href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2006/07/build_your_own_virus.php" , linktext: "Build your own virus"} ,{href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2006/07/sequencing_the_campus_at_the_j.php" , linktext: "Sequencing the Campus at the Johns Hopkins University"} ,{href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2006/06/its_all_about_aunt_millie.php" , linktext: "It's all about Aunt Millie"} ,{href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2007/01/five_paths_to_antibiotic_resis_1.php" , linktext: "Five paths to antibiotic resistance"} ,{href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2007/02/if_you_cant_stand_the_heat_get.php" , linktext: "If you can't stand the heat, get infected!"} ,{href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2006/11/whats_that_smell.php" , linktext: "What's that taste?"} ,{href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2007/05/finding_scientific_papers_for.php" , linktext: "Finding scientific papers for free"} ,{href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2007/02/mesh_part_i_where_can_you_go_t.php" , linktext: "MeSH: Where can you find the meaning of life?"} ,{href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2006/08/using_hiv_to_prove_some_points.php" , linktext: "Using HIV to prove some points about evolution"} ,{href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2007/02/biology_as_a_second_language_w.php" , linktext: "Biology as a second language"} ,{href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2007/01/basics_how_do_you_sequence_a_g_1.php" , linktext: "How to sequence a genome"} ,{href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2006/10/head_shoulders_knees_and_toes.php" , linktext: "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes"} ,{href: "http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio/2006/07/digital_biology_friday_those_b.php" , linktext: "Those BLASTed results!"} //no trailing comma!!!);// embed this where you want the links to appearvar site, rnd, HTML = "", numOfSites = 5; //adjustwhile (numOfSites--) {rnd = Math.floor(Math.random() * sitepicks.length);site = sitepicks[rnd];HTML += '' + site.linktext + '';sitepicks.splice(rnd,1);}document.write(HTML);Molecular Mementos Recent Posts AIDs doctors held prisoner by IranA fantastic book for anyone who teaches or works in scienceTeachertube: YouTube for teachersThanks for the 2008 Edublog award nomination!A DIY biology project idea: making yeast that sense heavy metalsMendel's Garden is bloomingAnother reason why science education sucksCould DIY biologists tackle problems with pollutants?DIY biology projects - What's your motivation?DIY biology: incubating in Seattle Recent Comments Sandra Porter on A fantastic book for anyone who teaches or works in science Comrade PhysioProf on A fantastic book for anyone who teaches or works in science Sandra Porter on A fantastic book for anyone who teaches or works in science drdrA on A fantastic book for anyone who teaches or works in science David Crotty on A fantastic book for anyone who teaches or works in science Russ on A fantastic book for anyone who teaches or works in science Cameron on Teachertube: YouTube for teachers Susan on What are your favorite iPhone apps? Sandra Porter on A DIY biology project idea: making yeast that sense heavy metals Sandra Porter on Another reason why science education sucks Categories Ask Dr ScienceBioinformaticsBiology: Animals & PlantsBiotechnologyChemistry & BiochemistryEvolutionGenetics & Molecular BiologyMicrobiology & VirusesScience education & teaching Blogroll Blogs I enjoyScience Education Groups Bio-LinkExpanding Your HorizonsNational Center for Science EducationNorthwest Association for Biomedical ResearchScience Education PartnershipKeep up to date DigitalBio RSS feed Awards   Add Digital Bio to your Technorati Favorites! When you need to laugh xkcdPhD comicsInteresting places Astronomy Picture of the DayClimateCrisis.orgWorld Science Biophysics ORG  var sc_project=1649652; var sc_invisible=1; var sc_partition=15; var sc_security="f6276dd8";   Archives January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 January 8, 2009 AIDs doctors held prisoner by Iran Category: HIV/AIDS AIDS, to me, is such a scary horrible disease that it seems that all of us would naturally support a cure and work together stop it from spreading. I even forced my family to watch a movie on AIDS over the holidays. (And the Band Played On, based on a book with same title by Randy Shilts, who died of AIDS in 1994).That's why I was astounded to read last night, at the Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) news site, that the Iranian government has put two doctors in prison - doctors who specialize in treating AIDS patients. The PHR, if you're wondering, is well known for supporting human rights and shared the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize.The Physicians for Human Rights article describes the doctors as: Read on » Posted by Sandra Porter at 6:46 PM • 0 Comments A fantastic book for anyone who teaches or works in science Category: Science careers My husband brought this fantastic book home from the ASHG* that I think many of you will find interesting. The book is: Making the Right Moves A Practical Guide to Scientific Management for Postdocs and New Faculty, published in 2006 by the Burroughs Wellcome Fund and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. You can download the book for free at the HHMI site and there's even a video of Tom Cech.In fact, this book has such great information, that if it weren't for the interesting discussions in the comment section, I truly think this book would put Drug Monkey Comrade PhysioProf, and Isis the Goddess, out of the blogging business. There would be no need. Read on » Posted by Sandra Porter at 9:10 AM • 6 Comments January 7, 2009 Teachertube: YouTube for teachers Category: Videos Teachertube looks and works much like YouTube, but you're much less likely to run across videos that Not Safe For the Classroom. All of these videos are made by students and teachers. According to the Dallas News, there are 54,000 videos on the site already and 800,00 visitors every day. I especially enjoyed watching Abbot and Costello doing math problems. Posted by Sandra Porter at 8:17 PM • 1 Comments Thanks for the 2008 Edublog award nomination! Category: Science education  Last fall, this blog got nominated for the 2008 Edublog awards, in the Best resource sharing category. I was a bit distracted in December so this information came and passed without any acknowledgement. Now, I would like to thank whoever nominated Discovering Biology in a Digital World. I'm especially thankful because I got to learn about all the wonderful blogs listed at the Edublog award web site. Sigh. So many blogs, so little time.Technorati Tags: 2008 Edublog awards Posted by Sandra Porter at 12:19 PM • 0 Comments A DIY biology project idea: making yeast that sense heavy metals Category: Biotechnology I don't know if any DIY biologists are looking for projects, but I think engineering yeast with a gene to detect heavy metals might be a good DIY biology project and I have some ideas for how to do this. Read on » Posted by Sandra Porter at 9:55 AM • 2 Comments January 6, 2009 Mendel's Garden is blooming Category: Genetics & Molecular Biology My garden at home is looking a bit bleak after all the snow, Mendel's Garden is blooming wonderfully at Jeremy Cherfas' blog Another Blasted Weblog. Jeremy has prepared a nice collection of perennial favorites. I especially like the story about pea breeding and, if you view the post, there are several interesting pictures of peas. These peas are far more diverse than the kind you'd normally see in a genetics text. Not all peas are shrunken or waxy.  genetics, Mendel's garden, blog carnival Posted by Sandra Porter at 5:46 PM • 0 Comments Another reason why science education sucks Category: Science education Science education faculty don't get no respect At least that's a strong conclusion from a paper in the December 19th issue of Science (1). According to the article almost 40% of the 59 science education specialists, surveyed in the California University system, were "seriously considering leaving" their current jobs and some (20%) were considering leaving the field entirely.Why?  Figure 1. Are science education specialists the Rodney Dangerfields of academics? Read on » Posted by Sandra Porter at 2:05 PM • 16 Comments January 5, 2009 Could DIY biologists tackle problems with pollutants? Category: Biotechnology Some of the things that are attracting people to DIY biology are:the idea of doing science with others for funthe possibility of doing something that might be beneficial to societybeing part of larger movementAll of those notions appeal to me and since I've been involved with biotech for many years, I have lots of project ideas. After thinking about the yogurt and melamine detection project, I started to wonder if a DIY project could even have a bigger impact, and say, develop a cheap test for heavy metals like arsenic or lead. Read on » Posted by Sandra Porter at 2:36 PM • 3 Comments January 4, 2009 DIY biology projects - What's your motivation? Category: Biotechnology My oldest daughter's favorite sweatshirt is one from the Seattle Children's Theatre Drama School, with the motto, "What's your motivation?" I was reminded of motivation the other day, as I talked about projects with the DIY biology group. It's pretty clear that you can't pick a project without knowing whether you're motivated by the discovery or the application. Read on » Posted by Sandra Porter at 8:49 PM • 0 Comments January 3, 2009 DIY biology: incubating in Seattle Category: Biotechnology This afternoon, I attended the first meeting of a DIY biology group in Seattle, after a kind invitation from one of the founders. DIY, for those of you new to the acronym, stands for "Do It Yourself." But, you say, there are lots of people who do biology on their own. Some people keep pets. Some have children. Others raise tropical fish, go bird watching, or mushroom hunting. Some people even make yogurt or cheese, or brew beer, or make wine. What makes DIY biology so different? Read on » Posted by Sandra Porter at 9:09 PM • 7 Comments January 2, 2009 Personalized medicine is on the way (but not quick enough) Category: Genetics & Molecular Biology The New York Times had a great article a couple of days ago on the need for personalized medicine to become more than a catchy phrase.As we're learning more about the interaction between genes and drug metabolism, we're also learning that large numbers of people are either taking the wrong drug or taking drugs that won't work. tags: personal genomics, pharmacogenomics Read on » Posted by Sandra Porter at 5:49 PM • 2 Comments Protecting health by genetically engineering mosquitoes Category: Biotechnology Mosquito-borne diseases, like Dengue and Malaria, are serious problems in many parts of the world. While some people are working on treatments for mosquito-carried disease, others are looking at ways to treat the mosquitoes.  Figure 1. Image of Aedes aegypti from the Public Health Librarytags: tropical disease, yellow fever, dengue, insect control, malaria Read on » Posted by Sandra Porter at 3:51 PM • 3 Comments January 1, 2009 New Year's Eve Fireworks at Seattle Center Category: Holidays I made this video last night with a Flip Cam Mino. There are some kind of wild trippy effects. Sometimes it even looks like there's popcorn shooting out the top of the space needle. It was sure fun!Happy New Year everyone!technorati tags: fireworks, Seattle, New Year's Eve, Space Needle Posted by Sandra Porter at 3:27 PM • 2 Comments How well do you know your bacteria? Category: Microbiology The other day, one of my commenters stated that "a well-informed sixth-grader should be able to distinguish between MRSA and E. coli".Here's a nutrient agar plate with some of the bacteria that we isolated from a local creek last fall. We identified our bacteria by sequencing the 16S ribosomal DNA, but for various reasons, that I won't go into here, we don't know which sequences belong to which colonies.  Figure 1. Bacteria isolated from a local creek.I guess we need some well-informed sixth graders. ;-) Posted by Sandra Porter at 8:00 AM • 6 Comments December 29, 2008 DIY BIO: clone at home but kill them later Category: Biotechnology Cloning the gene for green fluorescent protein is fun. Lots of fun. Cloners have put the GFP gene into rabbits, plants, cats, fish, and worms, and made mutants that code for proteins in every color of the fluorescent rainbow. Teachers like GFP so much that every year, high school students throughout the U.S. clone GFP in biology class.  Now, some people, who call themselves DIY biologists, have started cloning GFP for fun in their kitchens. Other people find this alarming.From Yahoo news: Read on » Posted by Sandra Porter at 6:46 PM • 30 Comments November 30, 2008 Community-based science, an introduction to finding opportunity Category: Science education Getting kids involved in science, outside of the classroom.A conversation with a friend last night reminded me of some posts I wrote earlier about helping scientists connect to programs for helping students.My friend, as a parent, approached this idea, of connecting scientists with students, from a different angle. She wanted to know how you go about connecting students with science? What do you do if the science program at your kid's high school seems a little, well, uninspiring? If the teachers aren't interested, how do you help? How do you create opportunities for kids to get involved in doing some kind of science? As I talked to her, despite all the difficulties flashing before me eyes, I realized that I do know some things about finding science opportunities, at least in my community, and I could help by writing about them. I've written a few things about ways that scientists can connect, now, it's time to write about ideas for students.Here are some of the different ways that high school kids can participate in science:School science clubs or other kinds of school clubs with a service component, or other organizations like Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, or Campfire.Participate in some kind of outreach programVolunteer somewhereContests and fairsPaid internshipsI'll write about each topic, in no particular order. If you have ideas, questions, or suggestions, I'd be glad to hear them. Posted by Sandra Porter at 6:48 PM • 3 Comments Make a merry molecule mug! Category: Arts & Crafts The grocery store magazine covers all say that home made gifts are big this year. So I thought, some of you might like to channel your inner Martha Stewart and make gifts with a science theme.Reposted in honor of the holiday and the economy. I'm here to help to you make a merry mug with one of our favorite molecules. Yep, we're talking caffeine. Read on » Posted by Sandra Porter at 9:05 AM • 1 Comments November 29, 2008 Dangerous chemistry: explosive experiments with junk food Category: Chemistry & Biochemistry It's a long, long, weekend; perfect for going outside and doing a few loud, messy experiments. Cooking-intensive holidays always remind me how much fun it is to do a bit of chemistry, especially when it comes to food.If you watched the video that I posted on Thanksgiving, you've probably been itching to try one of these experiments yourself. Read on » Posted by Sandra Porter at 2:21 PM • 1 Comments November 28, 2008 Plants that make crystals that look like plants Category: Plant biology A crystalline botanical fashion show.Awhile back Chemical & Engineering News published a fascinating article called "The Secret Life of Plant Crystals" with some wonderful photos of calcium oxalate crystals. Special cells (called "idioblasts") produce these crystals, with shapes that are unique to each type of plant. Reposted for the holiday. Read on » Posted by Sandra Porter at 10:29 PM • 0 Comments Thanksgiving Leftovers: Under the Microscope Category: Holidays Would you recognize your leftovers when they're magnified? Would you know turkey if you saw it at 40X?Make a guess and click an image to see the answer.Reposted from DigitalBio's greatest hit collectiontechnorati tags: Thanksgiving, food science, microscopy Read on » Posted by Sandra Porter at 10:00 AM • 3 Comments November 27, 2008 Cooking a turkey in an egg Category: Holidays Thanksgiving is a holiday (in the U.S. at least) when we're all reminded about the things we're thankful for. At our house, we're thankful for the opportunity to cook all day and share a meal with friends and young adults. And, even though I haven't given my turkey an IP address, this is still a meal that deserves some documentation. Here's the turkey soaking in brine. That large pink tongue belongs to our dog. Read on » Posted by Sandra Porter at 7:50 PM • 1 Comments Fun experiments for Thanksgiving Category: Chemistry & Biochemistry If you're not cooking today, why not experiment? Here's something fun you can do with Mentos and Diet Coke - and for those of you who think these experiments are too messy, you can still watch the movie.Enjoy the music in the video, then go outside, and enjoy the show. Later, go to EepyBird.com and learn about the science behind the fountain effect. technorati tags: Mentos and Diet Coke, chemistry, science you can do at home Posted by Sandra Porter at 1:20 PM • 0 Comments Cooking on Thanksgiving? Category: Chemistry & Biochemistry Our household is very excited about Thanksgiving. That's because this Thanksgiving, my husband is cooking a turkey in an egg. A big green egg.  Check back later today, about 5:30 pm, Pacific Standard Time, to see a picture of the turkey. In the meantime, here are some other items that were cooked in the egg. Read on » Posted by Sandra Porter at 10:00 AM • 2 Comments November 26, 2008 A Thanksgiving mash-up Category: Bioinformatics I suppose I should have expected this.I thought it might be fun to see what the databases had to say about turkeys.Technorati Tags: Thanksgiving,, turkey,, mash-up Read on » Posted by Sandra Porter at 8:20 AM • 0 Comments November 25, 2008 Using a "distributed grid of undergraduate students" to annotate genomes Category: Bioinformatics I just love this title! It's nerdy and cute, all at the same time. I read about this in www.researchblogging.org and had to check out the paper and blog write up from The Beagle Project (BTW: some of you may be interested in knowing that The Beagle Project is not a blog about dogs.) Read on » Posted by Sandra Porter at 8:36 PM • 6 Comments Wikis with students: what I've learned about managing files and folders Category: teaching It's funny but even though I work with data on a regular basis, I can't always predict the best way to manage data until I have my own data to manage.My classroom wiki site is no exception. Now, that I've been seriously using a wiki with my class, I've found that I should have set a few things up a bit differently. Technorati Tags: teaching, teaching technology, wikis, wiki, science education" Read on » Posted by Sandra Porter at 9:00 AM • 4 Comments November 24, 2008 What are your favorite iPhone apps? Category: technologies for teaching Now that I've downloaded really important applications like a timer for cooking, a program for playing with molecular structures, and an app that lets me listen to NPR on my phone, I'm ready for more. I'm seriously overwhelmed by the iTunes App store. I found a program for learning human anatomy, a laboratory calculator for making solutions, music programs, wow! Who knew? I know some schools are using iPhones for teaching, but I never realized how much was out there.Deepak recommends something called TouchPhysics. What are you using? What cool apps do you suggest?Technorati Tags: iphone Posted by Sandra Porter at 2:10 PM • 9 Comments Checking out the new Ebola virus and playing some tricks with BLAST Category: Bioinformatics Ebola virus has impressed me as creepy ever since I read " A Sunday with the Tardigrades Category: Science education It was a wet and rainy day yesterday, and we have a dissecting microscope, so I decided to see if I could find some tardigrades. Tardigrade photo by  nebarnixReposted from Nov. 2006 Read on » Posted by Sandra Porter at 11:36 AM • 7 Comments November 8, 2008 Fun with molecular structures: it looks like a holiday wreath... Category: molecular structures but the red berries are RNA.Picture below the fold. Read on » Posted by Sandra Porter at 1:21 PM • 7 Comments November 7, 2008 Mad dogs, rabies, and maps of the world Category: viruses Over 55,000 people die each year from rabies, a disease that is 100% preventable, according to Dr. Guy Palmer, who spoke last night at the University of Washington.Dr. Palmer is from the School for Global Animal Health, a group that works towards improving global health through advancing preventative care for both humans and animals. One of the preventative measures is through rabies vaccination.  Image from the CDC Public Library of Health. Read on » Posted by Sandra Porter at 9:46 AM • 2 Comments November 6, 2008 It's an RNA world after all Category: Science education Before mammals, before dinosaurs, before bacteria, or plants, there was something else; a protocell containing RNA.  The Exploring Origins Project has excellent animations of protocells, a timeline of life's evolution, and best of all- fantastic animations of the RNA world. You can see how RNA folds, ribozymes (RNA that catalyzes chemical reactions), and learn about the role of RNA when the Earth was young.BTW- I made this ribozyme image with Cn3D. The RNA is synthetic - made by humans with machines, that is, and this molecule can cut chemical bonds. Posted by Sandra Porter at 1:19 PM • 1 Comments
@import url(/seed-static/tempWide.css);
ScienceBlogs home
Last 24 Hours
Syndication Feeds (RSS)
Email Subscriptions
The SB Weekly Recap
Blogs in the Network
All BlogsA Blog Around The ClockA Few Things Ill ConsideredA Good PoopA Vote For ScienceAardvarchaeologyAdventures in Ethics and ScienceAetiologyAfarensisAngry ToxicologistbioephemeraBuilt on FactsChaotic UtopiaCognitive DailyCommon KnowledgeThe Corpus CallosumCulture DishThe Daily TranscriptDeltoiddenialism blogDeveloping IntelligenceDiscovering Biology in a Digital WorldDispatches from the Culture WarsDr. Joan Bushwell's Chimpanzee RefugeDrugMonkeyDynamics of CatsEffect MeasureervevolgenEvolutionBlogEvolving ThoughtsFraming ScienceThe Frontal CortexGene ExpressionGenetic FutureGood Math, Bad MathGreen GabbroGreg Laden's BlogHighly AllochthonousThe IntersectionThe Island of DoubtLaelapsLiving the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)Mike the Mad BiologistMolecule of the DayNeuron CultureNeurophilosophyNeurotopia (version 2.0)Next Generation EnergyNot Exactly Rocket ScienceOf Two MindsOn Becoming a Domestic and Laboratory GoddessPage 3.14PharyngulaPure PedantryThe Quantum PontiffThe Questionable AuthorityRespectful InsolenceScience After SunclipseThe ScienceBlogs Book ClubSciencewomenThe Scientific ActivistThe Scientific IndianSee Jane ComputeShifting BaselinesSignoutStoatStranger FruitTerra SigillataTetrapod ZoologyThoughts from KansasThus Spake ZuskaUncertain PrinciplesWhat's New in Life Science ResearchThe World's FairZooillogix
Advertisement
document.write('');
if ((!document.images && navigator.userAgent.indexOf("Mozilla/2.") >= 0) || navigator.userAgent.indexOf("WebTV")>= 0) {
document.write('');
document.write(' ');
}
Top Five: Readers' Picksdenialism blog : Rejecting Homosexual Children Results in Disastrous Health Outcomes - An Appeal to ParentsGreg Laden's Blog : Biker and Greg get Eaten by LionsRespectful Insolence: Dr. Sanjay Gupta for Surgeon General? Yawn.Evolving Thoughts: Darwin worship, and demonisationAdventures in Ethics and Science: Is cheating the kind of thing we do?
document.write('');
if ((!document.images && navigator.userAgent.indexOf("Mozilla/2.") >= 0) || navigator.userAgent.indexOf("WebTV")>= 0) {
document.write('');
document.write(' ');
}
Search All Blogs Science News From: Obama Is Urged to Open High-Tech ExportsTheory Ties Radio Signal to Universe’s First StarsTierneyLab: The Pluto FilesDot Earth: Whale Wars and Bison BurgersJapan Seeks Australia’s Help to Thwart Whaling OpponentsGet more from NYTimes.com
document.write('');
if ((!document.images && navigator.userAgent.indexOf("Mozilla/2.") >= 0) || navigator.userAgent.indexOf("WebTV")>= 0) {
document.write('');
document.write(' ');
}
div#embeddedForm {float: right; margin: 12px 36px 12px 0; _margin-right: 18px; width: 298px; _width: 300px; border: 1px solid #ccc; font: normal 12px 'Trebuchet MS', arial ! important; background: #fff;}div#embeddedForm img#formTitle {display: block; margin-bottom: 11px;}div#embeddedForm p {margin: 0 14px 6px; font: normal 11px 'Trebuchet MS', arial ! important;}div#embeddedForm p a {color: #000;}div#embeddedForm table {clear: both; margin: 14px; border: 0;}div#embeddedForm table input, div#embeddedForm table img {display: inline; vertical-align: bottom; background: #eee;}div#embeddedForm table td {padding: 0 10px 7px 0; font: normal 10px 'Trebuchet MS', arial ! important;}} YES! Send me a free issue of Seed. If I like what I see, I'll receive 5 more issues (6 in all) for just $19.95. If I'm not completely satisfied, I'll simply write "cancel" on the invoice and owe nothing. The free issue is mine to keep. function submitOffer () { var f1 = document.pcdfrm; var f2 = document.clientfrm; f1.i_name.value = f2.i_first.value + "|" + f2.i_last.value; f1.i_addr1.value = f2.i_addr1.value; f1.i_city.value = f2.i_city.value; f1.i_state.value = f2.i_state.value; f1.i_pcode.value = f2.i_pcode.value; f1.i_email.value = f2.i_email.value; f1.submit(); return false;} First Name: Last Name: Address: City: State: Zip Code: Email: (Non-U.S. subscribers, click here.) Copyright ©2005-2009 ScienceBlogs LLC · Advertise with Seed · Privacy Policy · Terms & Conditions · Contact Us · Home var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://ssl." : "http://www."); document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src="http://scienceblogs.com/digitalbio//" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E")); var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-163469-3"); pageTracker._initData(); pageTracker._trackPageview(); _qacct="p-99371ybtcwVuI";quantserve(); if (document.comments_form) {document.comments_form.action = 'http://scien' + 'ceblogs.com/cgi-bin/M' + 'T/mt-com' + 'ments.cgi'; } |
|
