Introduction
This is a continuation of my old blog, The Libertarian Scientist. I will in general keep the same format, but since I find that I blog more about science than about libertarian ideas, my new blog title...
View ArticleStructural data in the aftermath of Pfizer's pfailure
By now I'm sure a lot of you have heard about the disappointing results of Pfizer's Phase III clinical trial of torcetrapib. The reason that it didn't work as expected is still a topic of debate, and...
View ArticleMore on torcetrapib, and protein modeling
While there is much speculation about the reason for the poor results with torcetrapib, if in fact the probelm is due to an off-target effect (i.e. interaction with a protein target other than CETP),...
View ArticleWeek of Science make-up
My participation in the Week of Science was interrupted by my circumstances surrounding my traveling to interview at Princeton's graduate school, and by the time I got back it had ended over a week...
View ArticleSystems biology network maps
I am in the process of visiting graduate schools now, and I wish to do research in the area of systems biology. For those who don't know what this area is about, it is the study of biological systems...
View ArticleA case of the wrong hand
A perfect example of the danger of blindly trusting the output of computers, as well as the self-correcting nature of science, was provided by the lab of Geoffrey Chang. The work here concerned the...
View ArticleConvergent imprinting
There has been a lot of talk within the last decade or so about so-called epigenetic phenomena, in which the chemical structure of either DNA or the proteins with which it is associated are modified...
View ArticleThe latest on microRNAs
(from Gene Expression)In the latest new development in the hot field of gene regulation by non-coding RNA molecules, researchers at the Wistar institute found that microRNAs can be edited after...
View ArticleEcstasy through serotonin
It has long been known that the recreational amphetamine derivative MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, "Ecstasy") causes a massive release of the neurotransmitter serotonin within the brain,...
View ArticleAlgorithms that could use some re-working (Part 1)
A few months ago I found out about a website called SongTapper.com, where people can go to try to find the title and artist of a song just from the rhythm. You tap each syllable of the lyrics on the...
View ArticleAlgorithms that could use some re-working (Part 2)
Having seen this site, I looked up some of the other sites created by one of its creators (Geoff Peters). One particularly interesting one is the Baby Name Guesser, where you type in someone's first...
View ArticleAn unlikely prank
This one via Reason Magazine:In April 2006, TSA officials at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport played a prank on a woman and her boyfriend, who were returning from a spring break trip to...
View ArticleReflections on Virginia Tech
I would like to say a few things regarding the massacre at Virginia Tech.First, I think the "blame war" going on now around the incident is very counterproductive. As terrible as this incident was, it...
View ArticleThe many roles of the brain cannabinoid pathway
Now on a more celebratory note: In honor of 4/20, I will post a brief review of the multifaceted activity of the central cannabinoid receptor, CB1, which is expressed in the brain. The peripheral...
View ArticleA little puzzle
Here's something for whoever reads this blog to try and figure out. Below I have posted what I have tried to make look like an excerpt from a story (it actually isn't from any story). The "plot" is a...
View ArticleShout it from the rooftops...
... a new G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) has been crystallized!!! This one is actually pharmacology relevant, and closely homologous to the targets of many clinically important drugs. Namely, it's...
View ArticleTransmembrane pump structure
We are clearly now fully in the era of the membrane protein crystal structure--it's clear that even being in the greasy environment of the cell membrane isn't going to protect proteins much longer from...
View ArticleMembrane protein structures--part 3
I haven't posted here for a long time, so I decided to summarize a little of membrane structural biology over the last few months.By far the most exciting advancements have occurred in the field of...
View ArticleThe Swine Flu Song
I haven't posted on here in a long time, but I just saw this and got an idea that I wanted to share with the world. A San Francisco man named Stephan Zielinski, who is NOT a biochemist, decided to turn...
View ArticleJust a crazy idea (warning, technical)
This is officially the first time I actually say something "serious" about science on this blog. I don't know if there are any who will read this who will have the knowledge to even understand this,...
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