There's Always Time for Coffee...
As a former (and relapsed) caffeine addict, anyone who knows me will tell you that I lived off the good stuff during my undergraduate career. I rarely turned down a cup of coffee (especially from The Aussie Bean) because to be quite honest with you, I probably needed it. I'm sure anyone who was once a student knows that the modern education system can be quite demanding, and I can only anticipate that graduate school will be no different.
As your friendly, caffeinated (aspiring) genetic counselor, I know there is always time for coffee. But, the title of this blog is representative of more than just my love for coffee. In the process of choosing a title for this blog, I wanted to represent myself, as well as the silliness that is biological nomenclature.
When you study biology, you quickly learn that biologists can get pretty creative with their nomenclature. For example, the inspiration for this blog's title is the tic, or time for coffee, gene in Arabidopsis thaliana (otherwise known as the thale or mouse-ear cress).
A gene is a physical unit of information, in the case of the cartoon above, the king's actual decree to "build a wall". A gene is made up of a collection of proteins and chemical bonds (something we can get into more detail in another blog post) that are essentially coded with information or instructions that are passed down and translated, just like the little assistant does in the cartoon, through a series of chemical reactions that will eventually elicit a response, the actual building of a wall.
The time for coffee gene in A. thaliana is responsible for regulating the little flowering plant's circadian rhythm. This rhythm is a natural process that dictates biological rhythms in living things, within a 24 hour period -- yes, this happens in humans as well! In fact, your circadian rhythm is partially responsible for your varying energy levels throughout the day (click here to learn more).
When this gene is expressed, the information contained within the gene elicits a response, and in the case of the time for coffee gene this response is keeping A. thaliana's biological rhythms on time. Essentially, the time for coffee gene is responsible for making sure that this little flower stays on schedule.
Obviously, this story is very different if the gene is mutated (or changed/altered in a certain way), but that's for another blog post.
Well, I hope you enjoyed my little doodles! I apologize for the delay in this post, I'm still working on finding my own biological rhythms with everything that is changing in my gap year. I hope to post more in the future, as applications for 2019 admission will be opening in a few months, so keep an eye out for those!
Let me know what you think of these science-y blog posts in the comments!
Resources:
All of the information about the time for coffee (tic) gene was gathered from: The TIME FOR COFFEE Gene Maintains the Amplitude and Timing of Arabidopsis Circadian Clocks
A gene is a physical unit of information, in the case of the cartoon above, the king's actual decree to "build a wall". A gene is made up of a collection of proteins and chemical bonds (something we can get into more detail in another blog post) that are essentially coded with information or instructions that are passed down and translated, just like the little assistant does in the cartoon, through a series of chemical reactions that will eventually elicit a response, the actual building of a wall.
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| A. thaliana | Source |
The time for coffee gene in A. thaliana is responsible for regulating the little flowering plant's circadian rhythm. This rhythm is a natural process that dictates biological rhythms in living things, within a 24 hour period -- yes, this happens in humans as well! In fact, your circadian rhythm is partially responsible for your varying energy levels throughout the day (click here to learn more).
When this gene is expressed, the information contained within the gene elicits a response, and in the case of the time for coffee gene this response is keeping A. thaliana's biological rhythms on time. Essentially, the time for coffee gene is responsible for making sure that this little flower stays on schedule.
Obviously, this story is very different if the gene is mutated (or changed/altered in a certain way), but that's for another blog post.
Well, I hope you enjoyed my little doodles! I apologize for the delay in this post, I'm still working on finding my own biological rhythms with everything that is changing in my gap year. I hope to post more in the future, as applications for 2019 admission will be opening in a few months, so keep an eye out for those!
Let me know what you think of these science-y blog posts in the comments!
Resources:
All of the information about the time for coffee (tic) gene was gathered from: The TIME FOR COFFEE Gene Maintains the Amplitude and Timing of Arabidopsis Circadian Clocks
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