MoBi according to Bruce

The following are some "WebTexts in the making" that I am working on that explains molecular biology in a way that I think might be useful. Right now it is just text and rough images or suggestions for images.

Currently available:
Some thoughts on Thinking

Meet the atoms--chemical properties of C, H, O, N, and the origins of hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic 'bonds'

BioMol Rules--Brownian motion, etc.

The Big 4 Bases

Pairing: Fewer rules, more logic

TautomersEach of the nucleotides has a 'secret identity'--with different basepairing properties!

Have a little backbone: a brief look at what's holding the nucleotides together.

DNA as supreme storage material--what's so ideal about DNA as the repository of your genome and why DNA kicks RNA's butt

5to3, not 3to5: Why polymerases only go one way. And why that way is 5’ to 3’

Advanced topics

DNA PolymeraseA cool molecule made up of 'spare parts' that does a tough job

Spotting ringers: How (some) DNA Polymerases 'know' to reject dideoxy nucleotiodes while others are vulnerable

Age discrimination: How E. coli 'remembers' which DNA strand is the newly synthesized one--and is therefore the likely culprit in cases of mismatched bases (dam methylase system).

Crick et al. vs. the Code: The astounding story of the insights and experiments that led to key deductions about the very nature of the genetic code for proteins. All done with 'both hands tied behind their backs'!