The guardrail arches its length against the road, a Jurassic spine. Clover has grown thick about its vertebrae where a rotting coon no longer warms the stones it hides, gives its eyes back to the earth.
The Science Creative Quarterly
From creative
OF COURSE PROTEINS TALK TO EACH OTHER
My first serious molecular biology course in college was entitled “DNA and Chromatin Structure” and there were only four students enrolled. While we were expected to take our best stabs at entertaining graduate level ideas, the class size made things inherently informal. One of our most common mistakes was the casual anthropomorphizing of molecular machinery. “But the protein wouldn’t want to interact with the binding site because…” or “RNA polymerase acts like a drunken sailor during the process of transcription—halting, pausing, falling off…” We knew that these complex molecules weren’t capable of harboring a yen for anything at all, but…
PUZZLE FANTASTICA #2: NUMBERS-MIRROR-INSTRUMENTS
We begin the new year with a puzzle to tempt you. The first PF was not solved, and was thereafter both lauded and criticized for its design (see below). This time, we are a little more deliberate, more designed, more clever – which we fear will also make it more simply. In any event, here are three clues to confuse you. More clues coming, unless of course, someone actually solves it first… (Click here for a larger version of the schematic clue) IF YOU THINK YOU KNOW THE ANSWER, PLEASE COMMENT HERE. * * * As for setting the Puzzle…
LIMULUS & CHARLIE
– FROM THE ARCHIVES – Charlie wears broken glasses held together with tape and toothpicks. He is unemployed and occupies a one-bedroom apartment in Westchester, California, a half-mile northeast of LAX. Charlie eats in his car. His 1991 Nissan Stanza is a mausoleum of fast food, Frito Lay and Little Debbie wrappers. When Charlie was in the sixth grade, some of his classmates took to calling him “blubber butt.” Although the nickname didn’t stick, he has not quite gotten over it. Limulus is a distant relative of the sea spider and one of the oldest creatures in the ocean. These…
LIMULUS & CHARLIE
– FROM THE ARCHIVES – Charlie wears broken glasses held together with tape and toothpicks. He is unemployed and occupies a one-bedroom apartment in Westchester, California, a half-mile northeast of LAX. Charlie eats in his car. His 1991 Nissan Stanza is a mausoleum of fast food, Frito Lay and Little Debbie wrappers. When Charlie was in the sixth grade, some of his classmates took to calling him “blubber butt.” Although the nickname didn’t stick, he has not quite gotten over it. Limulus is a distant relative of the sea spider and one of the oldest creatures in the ocean. These…
POLIO: A VIRUS’ STRUGGLE
– FROM THE ARCHIVE – Download the pdf (14pages, ~2.7Mb)
A BIO-CHRISTMAS CAROL
– FROM THE ARCHIVES – Characters: Dr. Scrooge Young Scrooge Teen Scrooge Scrooge’s mother Dr. Jacob Marley Graduate Student Bob Cratchett Bob Cratchett’s wife Tiny Tina The Spirit of Christmas Past, a Developmental Biologist The Spirit of Christmas Present, a Biochemist The Spirit of Christmas Future, an Evolutionary Biologist Faculty member #1 Faculty member #2 A boy (14 characters if singly cast. Several parts could be double cast. Scrooge can be either male or female. The Spirits and Faculty Members can also be either gender). – – – – – Scene 1. “Scrooge’s Office” Scrooge and Cratchett are sitting working…
IT’S A WONDERFUL LAB
A 15 minute play, in 7 scenes. Characters Dr. Georgina Bailey Clarence (an angel) Jethro (a graduate student) ZuZu (another graduate student) Faculty member #1 Faculty member #2 Chairman of the Department Willie the bartender Car driver Angel #1/Child #1 Angel #2/Child #2 The set consists of four main areas: The lab: a small table, upstage, center The faculty meeting room: A set of chairs downstage right. The bar: stage left The street in front of the bar: center stage. SCENE 1: WHEREIN GEORGINA BEMOANS THE SITUATION IN HER LAB. GEORGINA: (enters her lab, there is no one there) Hello?…
T’WAS THE NIGHT ‘FORE THE CONFERENCE (A VISIT FROM SAINT AQUINAS)
With apologies to Clement Clarke Moore ’Twas the night ’fore the conference and all through the inn All the PIs were up with their laptops and pens, Making graphs and new slides for their talks the next day, In hopes that they’d have something brilliant to say. At the social, the party was raising good cheer; All us grads were up drinking cheap wine and bad beer, Fondly dreaming of prizes that were to be won, With talks practiced and ready and PowerPoints done, When down from the lobby arose such a clatter, I put down my drink to see…