As scientists, we’re as diverse as the DNA that encodes us. Some of us would read papers at the dinner table, if allowed, while others need a break and leave the literature in the lab. Some of us consider an 80-hour week to be normal, while others just don’t consider it at all. Some of us prefer to work in solitude, while others spend half of the day discussing future experimental plans with colleagues.
Today is about much more than spending time on BenchFly! But we’re honored that in between tryptophan-induced comas, we’re able to share a few minutes of the day with you. We want to take this opportunity to say a few words, but we’ll make it quick before Uncle Dave starts secretly digging into the fridge and eating all of your leftovers…
Research is filled with numbers- from activation energies to reaction rates. While many of us can artfully dodge many of the gruesome equations associated with quantum mechanics or enzyme kinetics, one basic calculation remains inescapable.
You knew trying to set up the last-minute experiment was going to cost you- it just wasn’t clear how badly… After speed-walking to the seminar room, you quietly enter – the introduction has just started. You carefully scan the crowd for familiar faces and empty seats. Unfortunately, you recognize all of the faces sitting next to each of the remaining five seats. Even the Dali Lama would struggle to remain calm when faced with an hour sitting right next to one of these folks.
Biologists, especially people doing genetics, often want to show a diagram of a gene they’re studying, separated into its various parts (e.g. exons and introns) and displayed in a clear, intelligible way. Perhaps even more importantly, they want to include this picture in a publication, which means that it shouldn’t get blurry when it’s printed or magnified on a screen. I recently made a simple web app that helps biologists make these pictures, which I call the Exon-Intron Graphic Maker.
Managing experiments, data and projects can be a challenge. Luckily for us, people like Jonathan Gross, Founder of BioKM are working on solutions to solve these exact problems. We caught up with Jonathan to find out why he started the online lab management service, what they’re working on next and where he sees research 10 years from now.
All it takes is a little paper cut on your pinky to be reminded of exactly how many times you use the finger that you most certainly have forgotten about. For the next day or two, you will have a renewed respect for the distal digit and realize that in fact it’s a pretty productive member of the hand afterall.
Scientific research is often filled with incubations- 30 minutes here, two hours there. In some of these cases, careful monitoring of the reaction or instrument is required. Others, however, leave the door wide open to do other things.
In this month’s installment, you put Dora to the test with some great questions! Thanks for all of the submissions over the last few weeks! Since we’re tackling three questions a week we can’t get to every question each month. So if we didn’t get to your question this time, keep an eye out for our future issues where it will likely show up!
Fresh off of the news that we’ve added a host of new options for connecting to BenchFly (Facebook Connect is Here!), we’re reminded of the extent to which the social media beast affects our lives these days.
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