Science by a Scientist: Macromolecules

Science by a Scientist: Macromolecules

A simple sugar. Several of these attached make a polysaccharide, like starch. The little balls represent amino acids. Those attach, the chain curls up, and the final result is a functional machine. The four railroad cars of DNA are guanine, cytosine, thymine, and...
Science by a Scientist: Germy Sponges

Science by a Scientist: Germy Sponges

Kitchen sponges. Those who use them love them. Those of us who are scientists trained in microbiology don’t. Why not? Wet Places are often Germy The simple answer is: because they remain wet. Bacteria love to grow in damp places. During COVID, I had my students...
Science by a Scientist: On Skepticism

Science by a Scientist: On Skepticism

Are scientists made or born? Obviously, career scientists do need training, but why do they even bother? It certainly isn’t for the money! I can’t guess why anyone else did it, but I can explore why I became a scientist. Fashion? It was not as a fashion...
Science by a Scientist: On Molecules

Science by a Scientist: On Molecules

Science by a Scientist: On Molecules I recently wrote about atoms, the fundamental unit of matter. You can find that here. The article may have caused you to wonder how fewer than 100 types of naturally occurring atoms form the basis of all we see. The answer is...
Science by a Scientist: On Atoms

Science by a Scientist: On Atoms

My eldest granddaughter recently told me she has chemistry homework. Although she understands my quirks, I opted not to geek out on her by enthusing about how cool atoms are. I am, after all, a scientist. But, I’m telling you: they’re seriously amazing....
Science by a Scientist: On Tetanus

Science by a Scientist: On Tetanus

My mother, who is 90, pricked herself while sewing. not a disaster, but, as a result, the finger became infected…and we went to the doctor. He prescribed antibiotics and gave her a tetanus booster. According to a recent study, that may be unnecessary for people...