Practical advice for increasing your PCR product yield
If you need more PCR product, it might be tempting to just increase your PCR reaction volume (e.g. double everything […]
The meanings and uses of “apo,” “holo,” & “complex” and structural strategies for getting a look at macromolecular complexes
apo: a poor molecule going solo!The “apo” form of a molecule (typically a protein) is that molecule by itself, not […]
What “cognate” means in biochemistry, especially in the context of translation and cognate tRNAs
“Cognate” (in the context of biology) basically means “correct” – when you see it, think “recognize” because molecules are able […]
Oligo-, poly-, and “oligos”
If someone refers to “an oligo” they’re usually talking about an oligonucleotide (a short nucleic acid (DNA or RNA) chain), […]
Strategies for staying organized with your cloning and plasmids
It’s really important to keep your cloning and plasmids organized – take it from someone who’s literally juggled nearing 2 […]
Save yourself a lot of struggle – start with stock solutions not solids!
I prepare a lot of solutions but you won’t see me weighing out lots of solids – instead, I try […]
Heaps of HEPES! (the when, why, & how of using this pH buffer)
Heaps of HEPES! HEPES stands for N-2-hydroxyethylpiperazine-N’-2-ethanesulfonic acid. People can’t agree on how to pronounce it, but many do agree […]
“Dual enrollment” – you can take community college courses in high school (at least in the US)
It’s not that widely known (at least I don’t think so) but in the US you can take community college […]
Some advice for college graduates (past, present, & future) & thoughts on communicating knowledge
Never forget the person you were when you entered college (or any sort of school, class, etc.). Never forget how […]
Useful Adobe Illustrator shortcuts (a guide to my favorites)
This is by no means a comprehensive list, but these are some of my favorite YouTube: https://youtu.be/mxLUpD1FHHo Word doc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VHPyAYFcVrDk6IdhZ1vh3-LATStbro0E/edit?usp=drive_link&ouid=110501489579733284162&rtpof=true&sd=true […]
