Tiny Science Club
An educational resource about the fine details in STEM
At my core I am a teacher, I believe that everyone has the right to an education and the means to succeed. As a public-school student I know the value of mentorship and resource availability; success in academia is contingent not on skill, but on finding psychosocial support throughout your academic journey. I have dedicated my life to creating spaces for people to grow and learn, while sharing the resources I have acquired along the way.
Tiny Science Club is how I continue to support the growth of future scientists through tutoring, mentorship, and lifetime-learning in bite-sized posts.
Immunohistochemistry
When you hear people talk about “screening” and “testing” for disease markers, chances are they might be looking at a change in protein expression. This is especially true for endogenous (from the body) diseases like cancer.
In research we can use this technique to figure out what a cell is capable of. Let’s say we have a new drug therapy, and we want to see if the liver will be able to break it down using the enzyme Cytochrome P450*. First we take a sample of cells from our target tissue - the liver.
Then comes the “Immunology” party of the process, using the natural specificity of antibodies to highlight our target on a microscopic level. The primary antibody binds to our target Cytochrome P450, flagging it for future use.
The secondary antibody has the “chemistry” part of the process. One end is specific to the primary antibody, while the other end contains a chemical marker. Most secondary antibodies use fluorescent tagging, and act like microscopic highlighters to show you where the target protein is!
*The Cytochrome P450 family of enzymes is responsible for metabolizing most of the exogenous compounds your body may encounter. It’s sometimes used as a metric when considering a new pharmaceutical drug for approval!
What makes something magnetic?
Ferromagnetism is the term used to describe compounds that can be magnetized. This property is based on the electron configuration of the component’s elements and the subsequent bonds.
Pure elements are categorized as paramagnetic or diamagnetic based on the pairing of their valence electrons. Each orbital can accommodate two electrons of opposite spins. When a magnet is introduced, unpaired electrons will realign forming a temporary dipole. All paramagnetic elements are attracted to an applied magnetic field, but at different scales. Oxygen has a much weaker attraction to a magnetic field than Nickel.
Polyatomic compounds are more difficult to predict because of the hybridization of their orbitals, but will still fall into one of three categories: paramagnetic (attracted), diamagnetic (repelled), or antiferromagnetic (it’s complicated).
Can a Biker go faster than a Car?
Theoretically, yes!
Speed is a combination of two concepts: velocity and acceleration. Velocity is the displacement of an object over time, so the net change in distance for the moment you're measuring it. We calculate acceleration by measuring those changes over the total time, which is how a speedometer reports speed as a rate of miles-per-hour.
To generate acceleration, you need to use force to move mass. A car has more mass than a bike, so it takes a lot more force (horsepower) to move it.
Science Lemonade
Don't forget to stay hydrated, no matter what the weather! Sometimes it seems like scientist have their own language when it comes to labeling foods, but don't worry! Unlike proprietary ingredients, these chemical names are part of the public domain, and help everyone understand what exactly is going in their food.
Our favorite lemonade recipe uses: water, citric acid (lemon juice), glucose (table sugar), and peppermint!
Cells connect with connexins!
Take a look at your skin. Poke it, pull it, do you see any gaps or tears? Unless you've got an active cut (ouch!) your cells are sticking together through straw-like structures called connexins. Cell membranes are kind of like bubbles, and connexins cross both membranes to allow passage of nutrients and ions between cells.