http://achemicallife.wordpress.com Features and news on the chemistry behind biochemistry Fri, 29 Mar 2013 16:13:48 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ http://1.gravatar.com/blavatar/3c068b03f51eced9801ad35dfcf8ec87?s=96&d=http%3A%2F%2Fs2.wp.com%2Fi%2Fbuttonw-com.png http://achemicallife.wordpress.com http://achemicallife.wordpress.com/2013/01/31/turning-cancers-strengths-against-it/ http://achemicallife.wordpress.com/2013/01/31/turning-cancers-strengths-against-it/#comments Thu, 31 Jan 2013 11:32:22 +0000 Ian Le Guillou http://achemicallife.wordpress.com/?p=245 Continue reading →]]> http://achemicallife.wordpress.com/2013/01/31/turning-cancers-strengths-against-it/feed/ 4 achemicallife The phosphate group, shown at the top, consists of one phosphorus atom (in orange) and three oxygen atoms (in red). This can be added to certain amino acids to control the behaviour of the whole protein http://achemicallife.wordpress.com/2012/12/22/how-reca-slides-in-to-the-rescue/ http://achemicallife.wordpress.com/2012/12/22/how-reca-slides-in-to-the-rescue/#comments Sat, 22 Dec 2012 14:17:13 +0000 Ian Le Guillou http://achemicallife.wordpress.com/?p=226 Continue reading →]]> http://achemicallife.wordpress.com/2012/12/22/how-reca-slides-in-to-the-rescue/feed/ 0 achemicallife The single strand break (left) can be easily patched up - the DNA helix is still held in one piece. However, the double strand break (right) means that the sequence is split into two and it's not possible to stitch them back together. Several copies of RecA bind to a stretch of single-stranded DNA http://achemicallife.wordpress.com/2012/11/30/the-hidden-potential-of-mdma-and-psilocybin/ http://achemicallife.wordpress.com/2012/11/30/the-hidden-potential-of-mdma-and-psilocybin/#comments Fri, 30 Nov 2012 22:59:19 +0000 Ian Le Guillou http://achemicallife.wordpress.com/?p=191 Continue reading →]]> http://achemicallife.wordpress.com/2012/11/30/the-hidden-potential-of-mdma-and-psilocybin/feed/ 1 achemicallife When adding together harm to self and harm to others, alcohol tops the list of most harmful drugs. Image credit: The Economist The researchers used pure MDMA, avoiding the contaminants usually found in ecstasy Psilocybin is the hallucinogen in magic mushrooms. Like MDMA is a class A drug in the UK http://achemicallife.wordpress.com/2012/11/01/red-alert-how-red-hair-can-cause-skin-cancer-without-sun-exposure/ http://achemicallife.wordpress.com/2012/11/01/red-alert-how-red-hair-can-cause-skin-cancer-without-sun-exposure/#comments Thu, 01 Nov 2012 21:32:42 +0000 Ian Le Guillou http://achemicallife.wordpress.com/?p=164 Continue reading →]]> http://achemicallife.wordpress.com/2012/11/01/red-alert-how-red-hair-can-cause-skin-cancer-without-sun-exposure/feed/ 0 achemicallife Red hair in the sun Pheomelanine http://achemicallife.wordpress.com/2012/10/21/keeping-up-with-the-red-queen/ http://achemicallife.wordpress.com/2012/10/21/keeping-up-with-the-red-queen/#comments Sun, 21 Oct 2012 14:08:21 +0000 Ian Le Guillou http://achemicallife.wordpress.com/?p=36 Continue reading →]]> http://achemicallife.wordpress.com/2012/10/21/keeping-up-with-the-red-queen/feed/ 2 achemicallife The Red Queen and Alice Haemoglobin http://achemicallife.wordpress.com/2012/10/10/2012-nobel-prize-in-chemistry-g-protein-coupled-receptors/ http://achemicallife.wordpress.com/2012/10/10/2012-nobel-prize-in-chemistry-g-protein-coupled-receptors/#comments Wed, 10 Oct 2012 22:27:36 +0000 Ian Le Guillou http://achemicallife.wordpress.com/?p=130 Continue reading →]]> http://achemicallife.wordpress.com/2012/10/10/2012-nobel-prize-in-chemistry-g-protein-coupled-receptors/feed/ 0 achemicallife Beta-2 adrenergic receptor http://achemicallife.wordpress.com/2012/10/07/magnetic-trigger-for-cancer-death/ http://achemicallife.wordpress.com/2012/10/07/magnetic-trigger-for-cancer-death/#comments Sun, 07 Oct 2012 17:23:45 +0000 Ian Le Guillou http://achemicallife.wordpress.com/?p=120 Continue reading →]]> http://achemicallife.wordpress.com/2012/10/07/magnetic-trigger-for-cancer-death/feed/ 0 achemicallife Antibody http://achemicallife.wordpress.com/2012/10/01/and-this-little-piggy/ http://achemicallife.wordpress.com/2012/10/01/and-this-little-piggy/#comments Mon, 01 Oct 2012 20:19:59 +0000 Ian Le Guillou http://achemicallife.wordpress.com/?p=53 Continue reading →]]> http://achemicallife.wordpress.com/2012/10/01/and-this-little-piggy/feed/ 0 achemicallife http://achemicallife.wordpress.com/2012/09/19/pearls-of-wisdom/ http://achemicallife.wordpress.com/2012/09/19/pearls-of-wisdom/#comments Wed, 19 Sep 2012 18:32:43 +0000 Ian Le Guillou http://achemicallife.wordpress.com/?p=102 Continue reading →]]> http://achemicallife.wordpress.com/2012/09/19/pearls-of-wisdom/feed/ 0 achemicallife Pacific Oyster HSP70 http://achemicallife.wordpress.com/2012/09/04/listening-in-on-lysozyme/ http://achemicallife.wordpress.com/2012/09/04/listening-in-on-lysozyme/#comments Tue, 04 Sep 2012 21:25:26 +0000 Ian Le Guillou http://achemicallife.wordpress.com/?p=28 Continue reading →]]> http://achemicallife.wordpress.com/2012/09/04/listening-in-on-lysozyme/feed/ 0 achemicallife