Archive for the 'better living through biochem' Category

Gender inequities in pain relief and the importance of cell receptor proteins

If you've ever had to have surgery, whether it is major or minor, you may have been prescribed a painkiller to ease the pain of the first few post-op days, when the pain is most intense. Often, these prescription painkillers are synthetic opiate derivatives such as hydrocodone, which mimics natural opiates found in plants [...]

Fantastic Plastics May Not be so Fantastic After All

Have you ever conducted an experiment that produced results that may not have turned out the way you wanted them to? Think about the things in your experimental environment that may have contributed to your "off" results. Would you ever suspect the lab equipment you use as the source of your error? Well, scientists [...]

The price of corn could go down again soon…

A few weeks ago, I posted a story about the use of corn as the plant of choice in the production of ethanol. Scientific American is reporting that several Central U.S. states--Nebraska and the Dakotas, to name a few--are planting large fields of a native grass called switchgrass. Switchgrass is being touted [...]

Is there nothing enzymes can’t do?

This article, sent to me by the awesome Brandi Manthei, describes how a research team was able to generate an electrical connection between an enzyme and a carbon nanotube. Don't know about nanotubes? Well, you can read more about them here, and see what research is being done locally in nanotechnology [...]