Wake up fellow biotechnologists! The week is halfway done!
Archive for the ‘just for fun’ Category
Midweek Inspiration for Tired Scientists
:: Posted by avi_wener on 02-15-2012
A blasting good way to understand the complex and beautiful world of cell biology
:: Posted by avi_wener on 02-06-2012The winner of the 2011 National Science Foundation’s International Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge have been announced and not surprisingly, one of our favorite contenders, FoldIt! has taken top prize. Since we have written about FoldIt! in the past (see Guilt-Free Computer Gaming for Protein Scientists) we won’t belabor the point any more. However, we will bring to your attention one of the runners up, Meta!Blast which is a serious game that explores the complexities of cellular and metabolic biology.
According to the website, Meta!blast, developed at Iowa State University, is a real-time 3D action-adventure video game, aimed at high school and undergraduate student audiences, meant to provide an entertaining, engaging experience while simultaneously educating players about cell biology. Players discover that their entire lab has been sucked up by a plant cell and it is their job to rescue the group while dodging the hazards associated with the internal cell environment. By immersing players into a virtual cell environment and allowing them to interact with it on their own terms, the developers hope that players will come to a greater understanding of the cell than they could learn from traditional diagrams and textbooks.
The game is available in both windows and mac version and can be downloaded at http://www.metablast.org/downloads
Help show everyone what scientists really look like
:: Posted by avi_wener on 02-01-2012I recently came across a great website that is out to “change the perception of who and what a scientist is or isn’t.” This is What a Scientist Looks Like is collecting pictures of scientists in action and what they have posted will be sure to delight you. Many in the general public tend to think of scientists as labcoat wearing nerds who work in a stuff lab messing around with test-tubes and funny colored liquids. On the contrary, “this is what a scientist looks like” has posted pictures of scuba divers, scientists hanging out in nature, scientists with their kids and even a few “normal” looking scientists. I believe that this is a great endevour and I encourage all of you to visit the website and submit a picture that will help improve our collective image!
After all, we can’t just leave it to the Muppets to show the public who we really are!
Test your knowledge with the Personal Genome Project practice test
:: Posted by avi_wener on 01-26-2012Anyone familiar with scientific advances in the last few years should be well acquainted with the Personal Genome Project (PGP) launched by Dr. George Church in this 2005 Nature editorial. For those of you who have been living in a secluded cave somewhere in Afghanistan for the past 6 years, the Personal Genome Project hopes to enroll 100,000 participants from the general public who are willing to have their genomes sequenced and allow the results to be published in a massive database along with extensive information about their traits and medical history. It is hoped that the information provided will help scientists test hypotheses about the relationships among genes, traits, and environment.
Perhaps less well known is what it takes to become a volunteer for this project. In order to enroll as a volunteer, potential participants must take an entrance exam that tests basic genetics literacy, informed consent expertise, and knowledge about the rights and responsibilities of human research subjects. That’s right…you must take a test and score 100% in order to qualify for participation in the study!
In order to help volunteers study for this exam, the Alan and Priscilla Oppenheimer Foundation have created a Personal Genome Project Study Guide which has information on:
- genetic material
- gene transmission
- gene expression
- gene regulation
- genetics and society
- project literacy
We thought that it would be fun for readers of this blog, who should be more familiar with the above topics than the average PGP volunteer, to take the practice tests associated with the study guide to see how much they actually remember from their first year courses! The tests are multiple choice so that should help prevent total embarrassment, but my guess is that most of us would not score 100% without preparing in advance. I took the gene transmission test and scored 9/10. Not enough to qualify as a volunteer!
Try your hand a the tests below and let us know how well you performed. Good Luck!
- Introduction to Cells, DNA, and Genes
- The Structure of DNA
- DNA’s Role in Determining Your Traits
- Gene Expression and Personal Traits
- Meiosis
- Heredity
- Coding for Proteins
- Controlling Protein-Coding Genes
- The Benefits of Applying Genetic Technology to Health Care
- The Risks of Applying Genetic Technology to Health Care
- Participating in the Personal Genome Project
- Human Research Subjects
For related posts see:
A story of genomic proportion
George Church: The father of personalized genomics
Genomes, Phenomes and Personalized Medicine
Teaching Proteomics “Free Love” Style
:: Posted by avi_wener on 01-25-2012I’m always on the lookout for new ways of teaching proteomics. Here’s a gem that I found on YouTube.
Directed in 1971 by Robert Alan Weiss for the Department of Chemistry of Stanford University and imprinted with the “free love” aura of the period, this short film continues to be shown in biology class today. It has since spawn a series of similar funny attempts at vulgarizing protein synthesis. Narrated by Paul Berg, 1980 Nobel prize for Chemistry.