Definining the science of life

'Biochemistry is the chemistry of life' sums it up well. It is nice to read the other descriptions of biochemistry, as it really is a very wide open field. I liked how biochemistry is an experimental science which encourages students to carry out independent research projects under the supervision of faculty.

Gene therapy

Gene therapy does hold some great potential. The part of gene therapy that was unclear was how it will be applied. Many of the regions affected by these three diseases are very poor/ impoverished parts of the world, and there would be no incentive for the drug companies to supply them with medicine.

Animations

One interesting thing I found with the animations was that they actually showed the atoms' orbitals 'orbiting,' instead of showing them all over the place like they are supposed to be. I checked out the cloud chamber because it sounded cool, but I wasn't sure exactly what I was looking at. I guess you need to read the text that accompanies the animations to make more sense out of them... I was hoping a cloud chamber was some kind of vehicle used to surf clouds in, or something along those lines. Oh well!

Alchemy; Science, magic or art...

I think that there is a certain aspect of each of these qualities in alchemy. There is truly an art to visualizing and focusing through internal alchemy. The effects of alchemy can be physically documented or rationalized through science. As far as magic, I think there's a certain amount of magic in every aspect of our lives. As much as we can write down effects, or determine what will happen if we combine one substance with another, sometimes it's easy to forget how amazing and 'magical' it is that all this came together and works how it does.
Music is a great example of the art of alchemy, as well as science and magic. There can be a science to composing a piece of music, even in purely improvisational free-form music, there's an application of previous formulas of sound that create a certain vibe. The art is represented in the creativity and expression, and there's a bit of magic in the way that the vibrations of music make people feel.

Iodine (I)

Iodine (I) is essential in humans and is found in sodium and potassium compounds.

53 protons/electrons, 74 neutrons

Number of Energy Levels: 5

First Energy Level: 2
Second Energy Level: 8
Third Energy Level: 18
Fourth Energy Level: 18
Fifth Energy Level: 7

The color of minerals

This site has some beautiful pictures of colorful minerals! It is pretty interesting how this site talks about atomic bonds absorbing light. From what I could gather, the property of the elements which make up a mineral are what determines its color, as different elements will absorb and emit a different spectrum of light that is derived from pure white light.

What colors are (were) in my kitchen?

I find that the late winter tends to bring less fresh and colorful fruits and veggies. With that said, frozen wild-blueberries are readily available at Trader Joes, and we generally have a stock of these, as well as dried gou qi zi( 'goji berries'), brussel sprouts, broccoli, pink grapefruit, oranges, lemons and unfiltered concord grapejuice. With these foods we have red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple, so it seems to get more or less the full spectrum. The challenge is keeping these in stock and eating them every day, as well as finding affordable and organic supplies, as my local farmers market is on break until spring. Does Berkeley farmers market run through the winter?