Gel Filtration Chromatography - YouTube

I promised a follow up to the Ars Technica article on purifying proteins, and here it is. This lecture by AK lectures is excellent. He explains how each method works clearly (This is gel filtration, but there are links here for Ion Exchange and Affinity, as well, which should cover the other methods well enough that everything discussed in the Ars Technica article is reviewed well. The only thing I still want to find is the actual equipment used, so I'll be hunting for that next.

Ladies & Gentlemen, this is why I argue that anyone can be an auto-didact. We can all learn anything we set our minds to! The tools are there! That's why It's The Small Things exists - I wanted to make it easy for us to find and use them!

How and why we purify proteins | Ars Technica

I think, in the last Ars Technica article I linked, I mentioned that I love them. Just in case I didn't, let me say it now: I love Ars Technica. This article more clearly and succintly describes the methods for how and why proteins are purified than I think any of my professors ever explained. I think my biochem professor (Hi RD!!!) came the closest to giving us this level of detail, but even he, I think, focused on the methods we had available to us in our lab and the techniques we'd be using. This is a nice overview. Pair this article with a video showing the actual equipment and techniques (Yes, I'll go hunting for it & cross link when I find it) and your budding biochemists will be well-prepared for the skills required of them in the lab! Not only that, the ordinary people who never go near labs but may rely on protein based medications (like insulin) can read this and get a larger appreciation of the work that goes into ensuring their medication is safe and effective as well as affordable.

The ongoing Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) Outbreak in Korea | Ars Technica

This is a great example of what news should be - informative, but not sensational. There's information here about what MERS is, what it does, and what to do about it. There's also information that puts it in context - MERS isn't just some scary illness, it is caused by a specific virus type, called a corona virus. There's more on why these viruses have that name, other disorders caused by these viruses, how they're transmitted, and what to do about it. I really like the stuff John finds for me in ars technica because it's almost always well-rounded and solid like this. I recommend reading this article, but also, browsing them in general.