Don't say you weren't warned
Acetyl Coenzyme-A.
Many of these pages use Jmol to display pretty 3D molecules in (optional) pop-up windows: if you don't see a spinning thing in a pop-up when you click on the picture over there →, then you probably need to install Java. (Previous incarnations of this site used Chime, which I have now ditched).
The most useful general resources for any students out there may well be my guide to writing essays. As for the rest of the pages, I take no responsibility if anything on them is wrong! However, in the aim of preventing such things happening, I have introduced a peer review system. Simply click on the symbol:
and tell me what the problem is (preferably with a verifiable source). I'll try and fix any misleading stuff as quickly as possible.
Cell and molecular biology
- Prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Structures and physiology. Differences between Bacteria, Archaea and Eukarya.
- Genomes. Structure of the DNA in prokaryotic and eukaryotic genomes.
- DNA replication. Replication of DNA: principles and practice.
- Transcription. Transcription of RNA and post-transcriptional processing.
- Translation. Translation of mRNA into proteins at the ribosome.
- Protein targeting. Translocation of proteins into the RER. The secretory pathway, and targeting of proteins to the nucleus and other organelles.
- Extracellular matrix. The ECM and basal lamina.
- Cell cycle. Phases and mitosis.
- Cell communication. Cell receptors and communication pathways.
Biochemical and molecular methods
- Chromatography and electrophoresis. Chromatography and electrophoresis.
- Spectroscopy. UV/visible spectrophotometry, fluorimetry, NMR, X-ray crystallography, IR spectroscopy, and the other dark arts of the serious biochemist.
- Molecular biology methods. Quantification and purification of proteins; sequencing of DNA; and related molecular biology.
- Electron microscopy. Principles and practice.
Physics and chemistry
- Atomic structure. Atomic and molecular structures and bonding.
- Nuclear structure. Nuclear structure and radioactivity.
- Moles. Calculations with moles and molarity.
- Thermodynamics. The physics that underlies all of life: thermodynamics, redox potentials and membrane potentials.
- Kinetics. Simple reaction kinetics.
- Reaction mechanisms. The chemistry that underlies all of biology.
- Acids, bases and pH. Understanding the behaviours of acids, bases and water. Rather a lot of maths here.
Biological molecules
- Biochemical nomenclature. How and why we name chemicals what we do. Also covers geometric and optical isomery in painful detail.
- Proteins. Amino acids and proteins.
- Carbohydrates. Monosaccharides and their polymers.
- Lipids. They're not just grease.
- Nucleic acids. Bases, nucleotides, DNA and RNA.
Enzymes and core metabolic pathways
- Enzymes. Enzyme kinetics and inhibition.
- Enzyme mechanisms. Applying mechanisms to understand enzyme-catalysed reactions.
- Core metabolism. Glycolysis, Krebs and the pentose phosphate pathway.
- Oxidative phosphorylation. Mitochondrial electron transport chains and general chemiosmotic principles.
- Photosynthesis. Light and dark reactions.
- Photorespiration. Photorespiratory pathway and C4/CAM metabolism.
- Nitrogen metabolism. A little bit on the biochemistry of nitrogen compounds.
Plant physiology
- Plant mineral nutrition. What plants need to grow, and what happens if they don't get it.
- Carnivorous plants. One particulraly interesting example of what plants do when they can't get what they need to grow.
- Photomorphogenesis. Plant reactions to light (phytochrome, cryptochrome and friends).
- Plant circadian rhythms. How plants keep time.
- Plant action potentials. Resting potentials, action potentials and thigmonasty.
- Plant growth. Primary and secondary growth and the structure of wood.
- Water potential. Factors affecting where water moves, and how this applies to xylem.
- Phloem. Loading and transport in phloem.
- Seeds. Seed structure, commercial exploitation and storage in seed banks.
- Plant secondary metabolites. Alkaloids and terpenes, and their medical uses.
Genetics and evolution
- Natural selection. How we got here from nothing. Covers natural selection, speciation, the origin of life, and evolutionary applications of game theory. More fun than a flock of Archaeopteryges.
- Genetics. Mendelian genetics, selection and mutation.
- Cladistics. Taxonomy and classification.
Miscellaneous
- Statistics. Everything you never wanted to know about the bit of biology everyone hates. Quite a large page.
- Nervous system. Nerves, brains and neurotransmitters.
- Biotransformation. How bacteria and fungi break down organic pollutants.
- You are what you eat. The plants we eat, and what they really are.
Reference
- Molecules. Every chemical structure I have ever drawn in ISIS Draw format and as PNG files for downloads.
- Plants. Every useful picture of a plant I've ever taken.
- Model organisms. The things biologists use to study biology, and why we use them.
- The genetic code. Codons and exceptions.
- Timeline of life on Earth (the geological progression).
- Domains of life: characteristics of the three domains of life.
- Vegetable empire. How the major groups of plants are related to one another.