So, a little while ago, I posted about an experiment I was developing as a STEM education program aimed at high school students… Involving yeast. And balloons. 🎈 And I called them the Yeasty Bois. If you didn’t catch that post, I recommend reading it first before reading this one. […]
So far in our little series, we’ve covered how genetic material is extracted from a swab, and how a very basic PCR works. This third part will cover how the theories of a basic PCR are then applied to the fancy type of PCR used for COVID testing… Which is […]
So part 1 covered the process of extracting genetic material from your samples. But before I can explain the next step in the COVID PCR testing process, I first have to explain what a PCR is. 😅 PCR in a nutshell is the process of making lots and lots of […]
Okay. Who knew my previous post on rapid antigen tests would do so well. 😅 So while riding this brief increase in traffic, I’ll follow it up with posts describing the theory behind a COVID-19 PCR test. But given how large a topic this is, I’ve broken it up into […]
First post of 2022 is a hot topic at the moment, given their scarcity during this current Omicron wave here in Australia. If you’re lucky enough to have access to one of these tests, here’s a post to show you how it actually works (i.e. the theory behind it). If […]
It’s that time of year again when I write a reflective piece on the year that was. But… has it really been a year since the last one? Well- not exactly. The last one was posted on the 30th of December 2020, so I still have a week or so […]
I got invited to be a member of a judging panel for a science award aimed at groups of year 7-9 (13-15 year old) students the other day. It was a very inspiring event. The students had to come up with an every day problem that was relevant to their […]
Occasionally I get students who ask me for advice on doing a Ph. D. It usually starts with a, ‘should I do it?’ type of question, and… generally speaking… I tell them ‘no’. Now, some of you may be going, 🤭 (<- that should be a gasp) At that. Others […]
Apologies for the prolonged absence! I just saw that my last post was 21 days ago. 😳 It’s been a busy few weeks since, so I hadn’t actually felt like typing anything until now. What’s been happening since? Well, for one thing, the state opened up, so I’ve been spending […]
Hey there newbie. Yes you, with all your nerves, excitement, and enthusiasm. Welcome to the lab. Maybe you’ve already been introduced to everyone, but lets face it- you’ve already forgotten whose name was whose. So long as you still remember your supervisor’s name, that’s the main thing. Don’t worry- you’ll […]
A Bug's Life 
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