For me, one of the coolest things going on in biology is stuff like this. That scientists can write unique strands of DNA, create proteins, and begin to predict how they fold is absolutely astounding. Even cooler is the fact that normal, everyday people online can help researchers create Ebola vaccines and develop major breakthroughs in AIDS research.Even more amazing than that, is the fact that human brains are still orders of magnitude better at solving these complicated problems than the most sophisticated computers. How's THAT for biology at work?
When I'm a teacher I have this dream that I'll have a back corner station for students who want to stay after school, or want to do some science in their free time.This station will include my favorite science books (see previous posts), a large box of Legos (and the newly released set of female Lego scientists), books of DIY safe science experiments, and maybe a few computers where students can play Foldit and Pandemic. In the case of Foldit, knowing that what you do in the game actually solves real-world problems is a huge motivator for young players. How cool would it be to have a handful of high school students contributing to Ebola research? Super cool. That's what.
