Return To RNA

Genetic humor at its finest! The meme brilliantly illustrates why deleting a single nucleotide (frameshift mutation) is more catastrophic than deleting three. When you delete three nucleotides, you're just removing one amino acid from the protein - like losing one Lego piece from your SpongeBob. But delete just one? The entire reading frame shifts, and suddenly your genetic instructions are reading "GAHFKDLSJ" instead of "MAKE PROTEIN" - turning our beloved SpongeBob from mildly concerned to absolute genetic panic! Every biologist silently nods in understanding while their non-science friends wonder why they're laughing at colored flags.

The ultimate scientific pickup line! While humans get all smiley when told they're attractive, proteins have a more dramatic reaction - they literally unfold under heat. That bottom panel is biochemistry's version of a dad joke. When proteins get "hot" (as in temperature, not Instagram-worthy), their carefully folded structure falls apart faster than my self-control around free conference food. This process, called denaturation, is why egg whites turn from clear goo to solid white when cooked. Next time someone calls you hot, just remember - at least you're not unraveling your tertiary structure!

The greatest scientific heist in history, illustrated! Watson and Crick reaching out to help Rosalind Franklin, only to snatch her X-ray crystallography data and sprint off to publish the DNA double helix structure first. Franklin's groundbreaking Photo 51 revealed DNA's helical nature, but the boys' club of 1950s science meant her crucial work was used without proper credit. The Nobel Prize committee later ghosted Franklin harder than your ex—she died before they awarded the prize (which can't go to deceased scientists). Scientific collaboration at its finest... if by "collaboration" you mean "yoinking someone else's research and becoming science legends." The double helix of scientific discovery sometimes comes with a double cross!

The humble fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster , transforms into Drosophila melanogangster with the addition of pixelated sunglasses, a gold chain, and a cigar. These flies went from being the backbone of genetics research to looking like they're about to steal your research funding. Graduate students spend years studying their genes only for these microscopic thugs to develop resistance to everything we throw at them. Survival of the flyest.

When your Arctic landlord shows up for an unexpected inspection! That polar bear isn't just being polite—it's basically saying "Hey human, notice anything different about my neighborhood? All this melting ice? My shrinking habitat?" As Arctic sea ice vanishes faster than my sanity during grant application season, these magnificent beasts are literally knocking on our doors asking for help. The bear's not after your truck—it's after our attention! Climate change is forcing these apex predators into human territories as their icy hunting grounds disappear. Next time a 1,500-pound carnivore politely taps on your window, maybe hear them out? They've got some rather pressing feedback about our carbon footprint!

Want to keep your sandwich fresh but also terrify your coworkers? Simply transfer all the mold to a separate bag! It's basically microbiology's version of "sweep it under the rug." The green spots just needed their own zip code. Revolutionary food preservation technique that absolutely no microbiologist would approve of. Next week: how to separate bacteria from your yogurt using only a strainer and wishful thinking!