Marginally On Topic

Things like this are exactly what got me into bioengineering in the first place:

jtotheizzoe:

blamoscience:

Seahorses get their exceptional flexibility from the structure of their bony plates, which form its external armor. The plates slide past each other as the creature moves. Shown at left is an image from a micro CT-scan of the animal, revealing the seahorse’s skeleton, as well as its bony plates. The structure, lightness and strength of many materials in nature are inspiring scientists and engineers to create new “bio-mimetic” materials that could lead to better body armor, lighter aircraft and stronger, more flexible materials.

Evolution has already done a lot of the engineering work for us. I’m constantly amazed by the design inspiration we can draw from nature.

I started writing my lab write-up here…apparently Shakespeare decided that when loading a collagen scaffold with growth factor solution, one must do it zealously.

misslampface:

couragemadnessfriendshiplove:

world-shaker:

Want to collaborate on a Google Doc with Nietzsche, Shakespeare, Dostoyevsky, Dickinson, Dickens and Poe? 

Click here. Start typing. Enjoy the hilarity. 

Ninja Update: Wanna see something fun? Mention Shakespeare in a sentence and see what happens. 

Poe kept writing distinctly into my sentences so I wrote ”Edgar, you’re not funny” aND HE BLATANTLY DELETED THE NOT I AM SO DONE WITH THIS ASDFKJL

I stopped writing for a moment because I got distracted and suddenly this appeared

Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him. 

-Yes thank you for your input, Dickens.

This reminds me of my awesome high school photography teacher. He always used to tell us that personal safety came before our equipment. 

This is such a lovely, beautiful, tender letter. Francis Crick sharing his discovery of the structure of DNA with his son.

jtotheizzoe:

Francis Crick’s letter to his 12-year-old son Michael announcing the discovery of DNA’s double-helix structure 60 years ago this week. More at The New York Times.

“Dear Michael,

Jim Watson and I have probably made a most important discovery. We have built a model for the structure of de-oxy-ribose-nucleic-acid (read it carefully) called D.N.A. You may remember that the genes of the chromosomes – which carry the hereditary factors – are made up of protein and D.N.A.  Our structure is very beautiful…

Now we believe that the D.N.A. is a code.  That is, the order of the bases (the letters) makes one gene different from another gene (just as one page of print is different from another)…

In other words we think we have found the basic copying mechanism by which life comes from life.  You can understand that we are very excited. Read this carefully so that you understand it. When you come home we will show you the model.

Lots of love, Daddy.”

It will be auctioned off by Christie’s in April.

Since you all liked Earl the crocheted Erlenmeyer flask so much, here he is with his new buddy, Bill the Beaker! Ted the test tube will follow when I get dark blue yarn.

This awesome car is in my apartment complex’s garage. Unfortunately, they removed the mustache before I could make them an accompanying monocle.

jtotheizzoe:

A flaming double helix made of matchsticks, as photographed by Caleb Charland. An allusion to the “fiery conflicts” that take place within, and around, evolution?

(via The Finch and Pea)

Absolutely beautiful

(via jtotheizzoe)