by Roberto — In an era of microbiology largely dominated by research surrounding previously unimaginable extent of microbial diversity, here at STC we still have a strong affection for the advances made investigating model bacteria; prime amongst these is E. coli. Thus, it is no surprise that we are fascinated by the history of E. coli research. Read more →
Digital Sequence Information
by Mechas — Microbiologists regularly use sequence data without giving it much thought. What will surprise many scientists is that its use is now being hotly debated in international scenarios such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Read more →
«Anything that can be regulated...
by Christoph — ...will be regulated» Thus goes a lesser‑known but tried-and-tested amendment of Murphy's law among molecular biologists. Practitioners, especially students struggling with their own first PCR and cloning experiments in the lab, are familiar with the original «Anythings that can go wrong will go wrong, and at the worst possible time.» I don't need to dwell... Read more →
Sequencing en Masse
by Roberto — For someone who learned how to determine a short DNA sequence, say 50 bases, by first transcribing a DNA fragment into RNA and then sequencing the RNA using the laborious fingerprinting approach (that was 1975), current DNA sequencing is nothing short of miraculous. Read more →
When shattered glass art evokes a scientific paper?
by Janie — Recently I stumbled across Simon Berger's shattered glass artwork, and was reminded of RNA-seq and transcriptomics, of all things. The Swiss artist's pieces each begin with a large pane of glass. He shatters the pane, sometimes by heavy blows via hammer that generate large fragments... Read more →
Have you ever heard of Fanny Angelina Hesse?
by Corrado Nai — A graphic novel about this forgotten woman in science is on its way – but it's unlikely to make an impact without the strong support from the microbiology community. If you have never heard Fanny Angelina Hesse's name, what's your excuse? Read more →
Summer Vacation
The STC team is taking its customary summer vacation, this year for four weeks. Do you think we deserve it? We do. We look forward to seeing you again on July 15! Read more →
Retrospective, January to June 2024
by the STC team — Did you miss some of our posts from the past six months? Do you want to re-read your favorites? Just scroll to quickly scan through the list of our posts from the last half year, arranged by categories. Read more →
Test Your STC Knowledge – A Puzzle
by Roberto — It's been almost a year since our last puzzle, here's another one. Quite appropriate to have a test at the end of the semester. If you've kept up your STC reading, this may prove an easy test. If you haven't... Well, this is your chance to catch up. Read more →
Lubert Stryer (1938–2024)
by Roberto — Second semester, senior year at Carnegie-Mellon. Newly minted Assistant Professor Bill Brown, with whom I was learning to do peptide mapping, runs into the lab with a huge smile holding a deep blue book with a mesmerizing structure on its cover: "Look at what Stryer has done, this is so beautiful!!" Read more →