she/her

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Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: August 2nd, 2023

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  • The large purple rectangle is a protein channel across a cell membrane. It’s normally closed, but can be opened by binding to a specific small molecule, which is called a ligand. Different channels have different ligands, and their presence/absence controls whether the channels will open.

    In the cartoon Larry the ligand has been traveling with his friends, who represent the cargo to be transferred through that channel. When they reach the closed channel, Larry uses himself as the “key” to open the channel. Since channels usually only stay open while the ligand is still bound, Larry stays behind to keep the channel open while his friends make their way forward.

















  • The basic functioning of crispr, including sequences, is public knowledge already. The difficult part is turning that into a functional gene editing system that doesn’t give everyone cancer. A few hundred bucks might get you one semi-functional used centrifuge, it definitely will not provide a whole lab any time in the next several decades. More importantly, it won’t pay the people who know how to develop functional and safe gene editing tech.

    We can synthesize DNA and there are even really cool projects that have used it to build complex 3D nanostructures, but idk what you’re talking about with 3 shades and a toner. DNA synthesis and 3D printing are very different, and the former doesn’t use shades or toner.