Presumably, most of the world's population wouldn't break out into sudden and uncontrollable laughter while reading a thick tome on Cell Biology (the general populous does not typically seem to have such a refined sense of humour as that). But molecules can be quite humourous, and I'm not just talking about the naming schema. Some are downright comedic, like this formin protein which uses its whiskers to load actin, thus speeding filament growth. Left side, right side, left side, right side. It's a bit like a child stacking bean bags on her head.
And, just to keep the record straight, no, I was not the one to discover this amazing molecule (or the section about it in the textbook). Nor was I the one to break into hysterical laughter while reading about it. While I do find it an amusing image to consider, I was actually the one to stare in open-mouthed amazement at my biologist boyfriend: What, really, have you found so humourous in your textbook?
Quote of the morning: "This protein is so funny!"
2 comments:
Not gonna lie, I didn't get it either. Looks like a bunch of grapes.
Though, I have been looked at oddly when laughing out loud at theology books. So I can sort of empathize with Jonathan.
In the way you describe it, it does seem somewhat humorous. Funny moment of my day... my friend Cindy and I were trying to figure out pulmonary artery pressure catheter readings... and when we finally figured out that an elevated CVP means elevated preload, and therefore we should give our client a diuretic, we were so excited that we actually high-fived... in public. :)
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