The hottest Biochemistry Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Science Topics

The Lab Spills Edition

Why is this interesting? • 1447 implied HN points • 03 Feb 26
🔬 Science Biochemistry
  1. Many major artificial sweeteners were found by accident when people in labs tasted or otherwise noticed unexpected sweetness from spilled or handled chemicals.
  2. Human senses, especially taste, act as extremely sensitive high-throughput detectors and can spot potent effects that controlled screenings often miss.
  3. Accidental discoveries can beat deliberate testing in impact, but safety matters—breakthroughs from exposure to the unknown should never justify reckless lab behavior.

The Origins of Agar

Asimov Press • 373 implied HN points • 22 Feb 26
🔬 Science Biochemistry
  1. Agar is the lab staple that lets scientists grow and isolate microbes, and it made modern techniques like vaccine production, antibiotic testing, and many discoveries possible.
  2. Most lab-grade agar comes from wild-harvested Gelidium seaweed, so its supply is fragile — wartime shortages, overharvesting, climate change and recent contaminated or scarce batches have driven price spikes and alarms.
  3. Researchers have tested many substitutes, but no alternative matches agar’s combination of firmness, transparency, low cost and ease of use, and labs stick with agar because decades of methods and standards depend on it.

Sarmal - FLASH Sequencing!

ASeq Newsletter • 14 implied HN points • 18 Mar 26
🔬 Science Biochemistry
  1. Sarmal is a new company working on DNA sequencing and is pitching a technology called FLASH.
  2. FLASH stands for Fluorescence Activation by Serial Hybridization and is described as involving a polymerase, but the explanation and figure are unclear.
  3. There is a patent for the technology, and deeper details are gated behind a paid subscription paywall.

Metaphors for Biology: Time

Asimov Press • 515 implied HN points • 28 Jan 26
🔬 Science Biochemistry
  1. Biological events occur across an enormous range of speeds — from ultrafast molecular vibrations and ion channel openings to much slower diffusion and chemical reactions.
  2. Proteins are built, folded, act, and decay on wildly different schedules — transcription and translation can take seconds to days in the metaphor, enzymes can be lightning-fast or slow, and protein lifetimes range from minutes to millions of years.
  3. Comparing biology to human technology and behavior emphasizes these contrasts: electronics and engines can outpace many protein machines, neural processing and muscle movement dominate reaction time, and the full span of biological time covers roughly 24 orders of magnitude, so evolution needs a different time metaphor.

How Vinegar Can Kick You Into And Out of Ketosis

Harnessing the Power of Nutrients • 1637 implied HN points • 17 Feb 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Biochemistry
  1. The dose of vinegar is crucial for its impact on ketosis - too little may not kick you into ketosis, and too much can kick you out
  2. Vinegar works by influencing the balance of acetyl CoA to oxaloacetate, which is important for ketogenesis
  3. Careful moderation is key - excessive consumption of vinegar can lead to metabolic abnormalities and kick you out of ketosis
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Missing From the Databases: Glutamine

Harnessing the Power of Nutrients • 1757 implied HN points • 27 Dec 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Biochemistry
  1. Glutamine is crucial for specific health conditions like illness, injury, surgery, and certain dietary needs.
  2. Nutritional databases lack accurate information on glutamine content because of flawed measurement methods, impacting the understanding of amino acid composition in foods.
  3. Animal proteins like leg meat of chicken and pork are high in glutamine, while dairy proteins are intermediate, and plant proteins have varying levels, highlighting the importance of diversifying protein sources for glutamine intake.

Stop Measuring Glucose Without Measuring Lactate

Harnessing the Power of Nutrients • 1338 implied HN points • 12 Nov 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Biochemistry
  1. Measuring glucose alone is not rational; it should also be measured along with lactate and ketones for better understanding of metabolic changes.
  2. BCAAs can impact glucose levels through multiple pathways, highlighting the importance of context in interpreting metabolic markers.
  3. Having a home test for pyruvate could provide more valuable insights into metabolic health, along with glucose and lactate measurements.

The Ultimate Vitamin K2 Resource

Harnessing the Power of Nutrients • 359 implied HN points • 28 Apr 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Biochemistry
  1. Vitamin K2 has several health benefits, such as improving bone strength, stabilizing blood sugar, enhancing exercise performance, and protecting against cancer.
  2. The different forms of vitamin K2 have unique functions in the body, with MK-7 being effective for bone health and MK-4 playing a role in cancer protection and sexual health.
  3. Getting enough vitamin K2 from food sources like natto, goose liver, cheese, egg yolks, and chicken, or through supplements, is essential for overall health, and it's important to pay attention to form, dosage, and food pairing.

Erythritol and Blood Clotting

Harnessing the Power of Nutrients • 1258 implied HN points • 14 Mar 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Biochemistry
  1. Erythritol may contribute to cardiovascular disease by increasing blood clotting propensity, especially in individuals with high erythritol levels.
  2. Understanding the polyol pathway and pentose phosphate pathway is crucial for comprehending how erythritol metabolism affects thiamin deficiency and oxidative stress.
  3. Plasma erythritol likely serves as a marker of pentose phosphate pathway activation, indicating NADPH depletion and suboptimal thiamin status.

Let’s Sequence the Bennu Samples

Viruses Must Die • 52 implied HN points • 06 Dec 25
🔬 Science Biochemistry
  1. Samples from the asteroid Bennu contain DNA bases and amino acids, so the rock carries familiar building blocks of life.
  2. If life can travel between worlds, Earth-style DNA sequencing might actually detect it, so teams should try sequencing Bennu material despite contamination concerns because any truly novel sequence would be decisive.
  3. The amino acids are mostly racemic but show an excess of left-handed valine, which could hint at a biological origin but is ambiguous due to racemization, making sequencing an especially important follow-up.

Action Potentials for December

Neurobiology Notes • 137 implied HN points • 27 Dec 23
🔬 Science Biochemistry
  1. High-pressure freezing method allows larger biospecimens to be imaged with less milling time.
  2. New study maps neurotransmitter expression in the mouse brain, revealing diversity among neuron types.
  3. Advances in neural recording technology now allow for full cortical depth recording in the brain.

O-Day - Balance

Remote View • 196 implied HN points • 01 Mar 23
🔬 Science Biochemistry
  1. Presentation to Russian community to support hypothesis
  2. Elemental analysis in the main off-set changed areas of the vortex pair
  3. Balancing via simultaneous synthesis and de-synthesis

Protein Restriction Paradox

The Heart Attack Diet • 139 implied HN points • 21 Nov 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Biochemistry
  1. Giving up PUFAs doesn't directly lead to immediate weight loss, contrary to popular belief.
  2. Brad Marshall bravely remains honest about his weight despite selling supplements for metabolic issues.
  3. Protein restriction may lead to weight loss in mice by increasing calorie output, revealing a paradox in the diet approach.

Edwin Cohn and the Harvard Blood Factory

Asimov Press • 174 implied HN points • 05 Jan 25
🔬 Science Biochemistry
  1. Edwin Cohn greatly advanced medical treatments during World War II by developing blood products that helped save soldiers' lives. His team created more stable albumin solutions that could be used in emergencies, proving crucial for treating wounded soldiers.
  2. Cohn transformed his lab from a focus on theoretical experiments to practical applications during the war. He implemented pilot plants that increased efficiency, allowing for the quick transition from lab findings to actual medical products.
  3. Cohn's approach shows the importance of combining solid funding, teamwork, and a clear vision to tackle big scientific problems. His success reflects how having the right infrastructure and support can allow researchers to make impactful discoveries.

Adding An Epicycle

The Heart Attack Diet • 99 implied HN points • 17 Nov 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Biochemistry
  1. Ancient theories added epicycles to make them work better, until Newton revealed the System of the World that was good enough.
  2. Epicycles in theories should not be added carelessly but should aim to explain data in a simpler way than the theory itself.
  3. Excess protein consumption beyond what the body needs for repair may interfere with the ability to process polyunsaturated fats for fuel.

Action Potentials for August

Neurobiology Notes • 58 implied HN points • 21 Aug 23
🔬 Science Biochemistry
  1. New microscopy method combines electron microscopy with fluorescence imaging for detailed mapping of cell types, proteins, and synaptic connections in neuroscience.
  2. Memory ensembles in the brain are formed by neurons with high excitability, helping link memories and facilitating memory recall.
  3. Memory engrams exist across multiple brain areas, and bioelectric fields may coordinate memory ensembles distributed in the brain.

Unlocking Precision Fermentation Via Protein Engineering

Splitting Infinity • 39 implied HN points • 30 Oct 23
🔬 Science Biochemistry
  1. Yeast, especially in precision fermentation, can be genetically modified to produce a wide range of chemicals, biologics, and medicines by augmenting their genes.
  2. The main challenge in precision fermentation is reducing costs, particularly in the purification process where proteins are separated from complex solutions.
  3. Novel techniques like self-cleaving tags and self-aggregating proteins offer promising solutions for purifying proteins in a cost-effective and efficient manner, potentially eliminating the need for expensive purification methods like column chromatography.

Virtual Screening for New Antibiotics: A Machine Learning Approach to LpxC Inhibition

LatchBio • 20 implied HN points • 12 Nov 24
🔬 Science Biochemistry
  1. Antibiotic resistance is a big problem, and many drug companies are not making new antibiotics anymore. Machine learning can help find new antibiotics by quickly searching through lots of compounds.
  2. In a study, researchers looked at 250,000 chemical compounds to find potential antibiotics that target a specific enzyme in harmful bacteria. This shows how technology can speed up the drug discovery process.
  3. Finding new antibiotics is really important for health, especially as bacteria become more resistant. Using advanced tools to identify promising compounds could save time and money in developing new treatments.

Unbiased mapping of cereblon neosubstrate landscape by high-throughput proteomics

Axial • 14 implied HN points • 24 Nov 24
🔬 Science Biochemistry
  1. A new method helps find powerful compounds that can target hard-to-reach proteins for drug development. These compounds are called molecular glue degraders, and they can help break down unwanted proteins in the body.
  2. The study found many new targets for these compounds, including some that haven't been studied much before. This expands the potential for developing new treatments for diseases like cancer.
  3. The researchers created a process that combines different scientific techniques, making it easier to design and improve these drugs. This means we might see more precise and effective medicines in the future.

The Cause of my Mental Illness

Christian Bonanno • 1 HN point • 12 Jun 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Biochemistry
  1. The author discovered through genetic testing that they had a homozygous carrier of minor alleles in the Purine Nucleoside Phosphorylase gene, affecting their immune system and mental health.
  2. Partial Purine Nucleoside Phosphorylase Deficiency can manifest with mild-moderate immune abnormalities in the third decade of life, impacting immune function and typical development.
  3. Having excess GTP due to the gene deficiency could lead to over activation of serotonin and dopamine receptors, potentially causing symptoms of Bipolar Mania and Schizophrenia, and zinc supplementation might help counteract these effects.

034: Methylate Your Way to Mental Health With Dopamine

Harnessing the Power of Nutrients • 159 implied HN points • 17 Jul 17
🏥 Health & Wellness Biochemistry
  1. Nutrition plays a significant role in mental stability and fluidity, impacting our ability to manage anxiety, depression, and distraction.
  2. Consuming specific foods like liver, egg yolks, meat, leafy greens, and more can help achieve a stable mental disposition.
  3. Understanding the methylation system and the roles of various nutrients like sulfur amino acids, magnesium, B vitamins, and others can optimize energy and mental focus.

It's Not You. It's Your Biochemistry

Neuro Athletics • 17 implied HN points • 11 Mar 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Biochemistry
  1. Your physiology and biochemistry, not your circumstances, play a key role in determining your potential and performance.
  2. Optimizing recovery is crucial for reaching peak performance, reducing risks of burnout and enhancing physiological resilience.
  3. Personalized approaches that consider unique biochemical and physiological profiles are vital in unlocking individual potential for peak performance.

(Ad-free Video) Jennifer Doudna: Scientist and World Changer

Critical Mass • 5 implied HN points • 15 Jan 25
🔬 Science Biochemistry
  1. Jennifer Doudna played a key role in developing CRISPR, a powerful genetic tool that could greatly impact human health and genetics.
  2. Her work highlights the importance of fundamental research in science, which can lead to unexpected and significant advancements.
  3. Discussions around scientific discoveries like CRISPR are crucial as society must consider the ethical responsibilities that come with such powerful tools.

047: Niacin, Part 2: Blood Tests, Foods, and Supplements

Harnessing the Power of Nutrients • 59 implied HN points • 16 Mar 19
🏥 Health & Wellness Biochemistry
  1. The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for niacin has flaws, often underestimating the niacin needs of women.
  2. Proper food processing methods like nixtamalization, fermentation, and sprouting can increase the availability of niacin in foods like coffee, seeds, and grains.
  3. High-dose niacin as a supplement may have benefits for managing cholesterol levels, but caution is advised to avoid potential side effects like liver failure and insulin resistance.

Textbooks

Harnessing the Power of Nutrients • 79 implied HN points • 05 Aug 17
🚌 Education Biochemistry
  1. To truly master nutrition, understand it from the ground up by gaining competence in the sciences it's based on and selecting the right textbooks.
  2. Top recommendations for nutrition textbooks include 'Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism' by Gropper and 'Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease' by Ross.
  3. Essential background education for nutrition includes chemistry, organic chemistry, biology, anatomy and physiology, and molecular and cellular biology.

006: Why “Glycation” Is a Bad Reason to Restrict Carbs

Harnessing the Power of Nutrients • 79 implied HN points • 02 May 16
🏥 Health & Wellness Biochemistry
  1. Glycation can be driven by the metabolism of protein, carbohydrate, and fat, and insulin protects against glycation from all three sources.
  2. Glycation may serve important physiological roles under conditions of low insulin signaling, indicating it's not inherently a bad process.
  3. Restricting carbohydrates may actually increase glycation instead of decreasing it, suggesting glycation is not a good argument against consuming carbohydrates.

📈 My outlook for algae bioremediation in 2024?

paxtier • 5 implied HN points • 03 Jan 24
🔬 Science Biochemistry
  1. Algae bioremediation faces challenges like wastewater treatment methods and integration with existing infrastructure
  2. Positive market signals in 2023 for algae bioremediation including government support and innovative projects
  3. Recent developments include Zanzibar seaweed production increase and Inalve raising €2 million for microalgae production

The Biochemistry of Vitamin K2

Harnessing the Power of Nutrients • 79 implied HN points • 28 Apr 13
🏥 Health & Wellness Biochemistry
  1. Vitamin K2 plays a crucial role in carboxylating proteins to enable calcium binding, essential for various bodily functions.
  2. Vitamin K is vital for blood clotting as it helps in activating different clotting factors and is required for both procoagulants and anticoagulants.
  3. Osteocalcin, dependent on vitamin K, influences metabolic and hormonal health, and MGP regulated by vitamin K helps distribute calcium appropriately in the body.

017: Ketogenesis Isn’t All About Carbs and Insulin

Harnessing the Power of Nutrients • 39 implied HN points • 28 Jul 16
🏥 Health & Wellness Biochemistry
  1. Ketogenesis can be initiated by oversupply of acetyl groups to the TCA cycle during conditions of oxaloacetate depletion, not just by restricting carbs.
  2. Adding MCT oil or coconut products can help achieve ketosis without strict carb restrictions, offering flexibility in diet choices.
  3. Different conditions may require varying degrees of ketogenesis, and understanding these differences can help make informed dietary decisions.

010: How to Know if Your Genetics Contribute to Your Sensitivity to Blue Light and Poor Sleep, and What to Do About it

Harnessing the Power of Nutrients • 39 implied HN points • 20 May 16
🏥 Health & Wellness Biochemistry
  1. You can determine if your genetics contribute to sensitivity to blue light and poor sleep by looking at variations in the melanopsin gene.
  2. Understanding your genetics can help you optimize your light exposure and improve your sleep and alertness.
  3. Tools like f.lux, blue-blocking glasses, and specific light bulbs can assist in creating a sleep-friendly environment based on your genetic sensitivity to light.

035: The Biochemistry of Why Insulin Doesn’t Make You Fat

Harnessing the Power of Nutrients • 19 implied HN points • 22 Jul 17
🏥 Health & Wellness Biochemistry
  1. Insulin doesn't directly make you fat; it's regulated by energy needs and availability at a biochemical level.
  2. All biochemical pathways, including the storage of fat by insulin, are influenced by cellular energy levels.
  3. Although insulin promotes fat storage, it also boosts glucose oxidation, leading to no net change in caloric balance.

013: Wait a Second, Is Glycation Actually GOOD For You?

Harnessing the Power of Nutrients • 19 implied HN points • 09 Jun 16
🏥 Health & Wellness Biochemistry
  1. Glycation may play essential roles in the body as part of a regulatory system and energy metabolism.
  2. Methylglyoxal produced during glycolysis can prevent dangerous buildups of compounds and help preserve glucose and convert fat to glucose.
  3. The rise of methylglyoxal during carbohydrate restriction is a stress response that should not be constantly activated.

009: Balancing Calcium and Phosphorus in the Diet, and the Importance of Measuring Parathyroid Hormone (PTH)

Harnessing the Power of Nutrients • 19 implied HN points • 11 May 16
🏥 Health & Wellness Biochemistry
  1. Balancing calcium and phosphorus in the diet is crucial for maintaining a healthy balance in the body.
  2. Measuring parathyroid hormone (PTH) can be used to assess if the dietary balance of calcium and phosphorus is working for an individual.
  3. Understanding the roles of calcium and phosphorus, distribution among foods, and the physiological principles behind their balance is important for overall health.

Where Do Most AGEs Come From? O Glycation, How Thy Name Hast Deceived Me!

Harnessing the Power of Nutrients • 39 implied HN points • 07 Oct 11
🏥 Health & Wellness Biochemistry
  1. AGEs are mostly formed from dicarbonyls, which are much more reactive than glucose and come from broken pieces of glucose, protein, and fat.
  2. Dietary AGEs are unlikely to significantly contribute to the pool of AGEs circulating in our bodies at any given moment as they are absorbed and excreted quickly.
  3. Most AGEs in our bodies are likely formed inside our cells, emphasizing the importance of cellular processes and defense mechanisms in handling AGEs.

We Really Can Make Glucose From Fatty Acids After All! O Textbook, How Thy Biochemistry Hast Deceived Me!

Harnessing the Power of Nutrients • 19 implied HN points • 07 Jan 12
🔬 Science Biochemistry
  1. Biochemistry textbooks may claim that animals cannot convert fatty acids to glucose, but evidence suggests that it is possible under certain conditions.
  2. Acetate from fatty acids can be converted to glucose in a process involving ketogenesis, particularly when high levels of fatty acids flood the liver.
  3. Insulin plays a role in regulating the conversion of fatty acids to glucose by influencing enzyme production, demonstrating a complex network of reactions in the body.