More fluorescence

As I was saying... here are a few more AWESOME images demonstrating the use of fluorescence in biology. Yes, you can make a whole organism fluoresce!

Here we have fluorescent mice, fluorescent macaque monkeys, and, my favorite: a picture painted with different colors of fluorescent yeast.
The cool part about the yeast painting is that you first paint the picture with microscopic bits of yeast, then grow the culture in an incubator before you see the image you made.

And, I can't stress enough, this isn't just scientists playing around. This technology won the nobel prize a couple of years back by a team that isolated the fluorescent protein from jellyfish. The fluorescence is used as a "marker", not as in a crayola marker, but a marker as in a "signifier". For example, the monkeys shown were being used to study Huntington's disease, neurodegenerative disease. A protein associated with the disease was cloned into these monkeys along with the fluorescent protein and you can tell that they in fact are expressing the actual protein of interest because you can see that they also express the fluorescent protein marker. Pretty neat trick, huh?

Super beautiful image of fluorescence staining of epithelial cells. In blue are the nuclei. The green and red are the "cytoskeleton" which are structural proteins that give the cell its shape and enable it to move by rearrangement of the cytoskeleton. In red are "actin" filaments, which direct movement, and in green are "microtubules" which are involved in cell division and intracellular transport.
I'll probably post more images like this because there are just some absolutely astounding pictures of florescence staining - and, yes, these cells are actually glowing, like a firefly.

Happy Holidays from Cara and I

This year's christmas card!

...and counting.

I have less than 2 weeks left in the UK. I honestly can't believe it. It feels like yesterday that I was standing in Logan airport with mom saying goodbye. This has, without a doubt, been one of the most exciting semesters of my life and a trip I will never forget.

Returning home is going to be extremely difficult. I am entirely reluctant to leave my friends here. I find myself asking questions like "how can I stay longer?", "how can I spend the spring here?". Though, of course, this isn't actually possible.

It will be so difficult to say goodbye to my flatmates. I have made some great friends while living here. In the past few weeks the reality of the term coming to an end has really set in. My flatmates constantly remind me that I can not be replaced and that they won't be able to help but feel some resentment towards the person who moves into my room. It's so strange to think that someone will be moving into this room in my place. This flat is a unit; we are like a family in many ways. It's difficult to imagine that when I return, the rest of the flat will still be here together for another term. ...Oh well, such is life I suppose. All and all, I am grateful that I have been able to see England, enjoy living in Norwich, and make new friends here. It has been more than I could have hoped for.

Listen

Renovations

So I have decided to change the entire concept of this blog from a way of keeping in touch while in Norwich, to a much more general blog about everything and anything that is on my mind. I'll post good youtube videos that I find, songs that I'm listening to, news articles that I think are worth sharing, and general tidbits about my day. I think it will be much more fun for me to keep up with and, hopefully, it will be much more fun for everyone to read!

When you begin to think that biochemistry is foreign and impossible, consider this: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/13/science/space/13lhc.html?ref=science

Yes, that's right, two highly respected physicists have proposed that by attempting to activate the LHC we produce some sort of particle/waves that resonate backwards through time preventing the machine from working. Now, physicists seem to love metaphors that use "god" - this has nothing to do with any sort of god. That part of the article annoyed me.

If you haven't heard of the LHC before, its pretty neat. I saw a discovery channel special on it a while back. The most incredible thing about it (mentioned in the article) is that it's 18 miles long!! When it was first built, some thought that its activation would induce a black hole - destroying our existance. I think they were also originally hoping to isolate the "graviton" with this - i.e. the (theoretical) subatomic particle responsible for gravity.

This is the sort of stuff that our former next-door neighbor, Dave, knows all about. Unfortunately, I have only the mildest idea of what I'm talking about. Very far from my territory, but neat nonetheless. And if that's not enough to stimulate, look at the cost of that thing - 9 billion! I know this isn't so much money these days, but still NINE BILLION DOLLARS SPENT BUILDING A MACHINE FOR 15 YRS AND ONCE IT'S BUILT AND FAILS TO WORK SCIENTISTS PROPOSE THAT FORCES FROM THE FUTURE ARE HINDERING IT FROM FUNCTIONING!!!

I just had to share my thoughts.

I didn't realize that chicken salad here is actually just chicken and salad... so I asked for mayo, and now its the best sandwich!

I will be much more motivated to write on this if people post comments so I know that it is actually being looked at.

RANDOM THOUGHTS:

Freshers party was very fun.

This morning-less fun.

I met everyone living on my flat last night and they are all very nice. Much more sociable than Americans.

After these LCR events there is a dirty truck selling greasy food outside the exit door. I tried a cheeseburger last night and it was quite literally the best cheeseburger I have ever had in my life!

Also, I think there is serious potential to make a lot of money in America selling alcoholic ciders.

More later, when I can think a bit more clearly.

Be sure to click "older post" to read the most recent one. The page got filled with pictures. This will probably happen all too often.

Freshers

First, I just want to mention that the capacity of the LCR is 1,500-the size of Goucher!

So, yesterday Lucy gave me and Dana a proper tour of Norwich. The city is absolutely beautiful! I think that pictures will speak louder than words, so I will be posting quite a few shortly. The city center is filled with very quaint little shops. Lots of toy shops, candy stores, and, of course, clothing shops and cafes.
Whoever said that England is expensive is terribly mistaken. While the exchange rate is not so great, at about 0.5, the general cost of living is simply less. We had an amazing gormet lunch at a cafe called cafe 33 and the main course was about 6lbs, which with the exchange rate is about $12; this meal would have easily cost $20 in America.
There are some very beautiful churches; and it is so European in that you turn a tiny street corner to discover an enormous cathedral or something of the sort. Just incredible.
We spent some time at our friend Steve's place. He lives with 6 friends and they have a very cool, messy, but large house in town.
Later, we ended the day at Lucy's house. She lives with our other British friends from Goucher-Lydia and Rachel, as well as a few new friends. Their house is in a gorgeous part of town. It sits on a small hill and looks over the rooftops. Very picturesque.
I tried fish and chips for my first time ever for dinner- very delicious. We bought some wine and watched a very popular TV show called the Peep Show. http://www.channel4.com/programmes/peep-show
Check it out! It is hysterical! Very much like "The Office" or something.

I am finally overcoming the jet-lag. I actually got a good night's sleep last night. This morning Dana and I went to an info session on doing volunteer work in the city. We decided this will be a good way to experience the culture a bit more intimately.
The weather is just perfect and the University center is filled with students and parents having Beers and Ciders by the fountain. Its just lovely.
Tonight is the Freshmen welcome party at the LCR, the kick off of "Freshers Week" events. Sure to be a good time.
Classes are somewhere in the distance-beginning for me on the 28th.

The Returners

So, as you can see, I decided to switch blog sites since Blogger integrates with Picasa-which I am using for my pictures.

I've decided to keep my entries considerably shorter than the previous one.

Last night was so much fun. The event we went to wasn't a "show" at all, but, rather, basically a club night on campus called "The returners" at the LCR (which i figured out stands for large common room). It was unreal!

The night began downstairs, where there are two rooms:the red bar and blue bar. Then things moved upstairs where there is an insanely large club. like, a club on campus.
There were multiple bars in the room and two separate dance floors. The place was absolutely packed. Everyone had a blast.

I'm definitely feeling the aftermath today though... blah.

-Cass