Today...

[jasignhagj]

Primary school as in grade 9 as in she becomes 16 in July.

Ok, that's still pretty weird but at least it's not pedophilia.

[Distracted]

To be honest, I was studying philosophy so it's not like I was heading to a bright career anyway. And I think the main reason I'm even attracted to Seattle is its music. I mean, a city that produces Jimi Hendrix and Kurt Cobain must have something going for it. It always just seemed like an awesome place as well. 

[RpgGamer]

Old enough to pee, old enough for me

If there's grass on the field, play ball!

 

_{great, now im probably on some kind of list...}

[RpgGamer]

Good luck Ammako. Both sincerely and with a hint of warning. Its not a hard major, and it was certainly a passion of mine too, but you wont get a career in it without at least an MA

[Low Levelled]

If she's old enough to sit at the table she's old enough to eat

[MuffinMaddy]

Great banter. I'm off to my exam later guys ahhhh

[Saradomin_Mage]

The intriguing life of Saq gets stranger and stranger

[Estonian dude]

I said she's hot, not that I'd want to bang her.

 

For [bleep]s sake, I just wanted to be proud that there is someone hot in my family tree, considering that there isn't anyone handsome or pretty among my closer relatives.

[Bonez899]

Saq, most people would use the word pretty, beautiful, or another describer besides hot when talking about relatives. The use of "pretty [bleep]ing hot" followed by the admission of thinking that way is wrong was, what I assume, most people picked up on.

[Imperator]

 

 

 

 

A biochemist is actually more of an archaic term that describes someone who is skilled in any of the fields that fall within biological science. There is a large amount of overlap between disciplines and is essentially the half-way point between Biology and Chemistry. Essentially, as a Biochemist: one would be interested in cells, but only to a molecular level. As such the job "Biochemist" is very rare as there are a plethora of disciplines within biochemistry that a biochemist could proceed down (Whether through academia or industry).

 

For me, I am essentially at the end of my undergraduate degree for Biochemistry and I have specialized in genomics. I am attempting to pursue academia but it is very competitive, so is industry (as they both want the cream of the crop). You could class me as a Bioinformatician or a Geneticist but I will respond all the same to a biochemist. 

 

It's probably easier just to assume when referred to as a biochemist the person would have a pretty thorough understanding of how everything within a cell works - regardless of their specialization. In the sense that they will be able to apply their knowledge and understand to formulate a rational answer that would best answer your question. If necessary they would be able to read surrounding literature outside of their field and have a good gist of what is being stipulated.

 

They will often say "I am not sure specifically of this example but I know that 'X' protein in 'Y' cells functions 'abc' so that I would assume that 'Q' would operate in a similar fashion". (Unless they happen to know exactly how it works then you get a mini-lecture and given extra reading and a critique on why the experiment wasn't amazing.)

 

In terms of jobs - the most common is probably is labwork, setting up and running experiments with reading literature and journals in your free time (if you are an academic) - ultimately you just test hypothesis and publish anything that is interesting (even negative results are beneficial for science as long as they are statistically viable).

 

Sounds like you're a pretty lucky guy if you enjoy it.  |^_^| Personally, I am not sure how I feel about conducting experiments regularly for a living but it seems like a perfect occupation for an academic such as yourself.  :geek:  Would you say that you use the knowledge learnt form my academic level (High-school) in your everyday work life? Of course, it would be a more advanced level but at least the basic principles of it. 

[MuffinMaddy]

fairly happy with that exam, cant complain

[Ammako]

What the hell, I must have missed something in the last few pages... Probably a good thing I did

[MuffinMaddy]

Imperator,I do the same course at the same institution but I'm a year behind Boris. What I'd say in answer to your question is transcription and translation, cell biology and cell organelles and some chemistry calculations (figuring out the moles of a Substance) are some things that we still use at degree level

[Boris5000]

Well - I was unsuccessful with the PhD application. I will be taking a year off from academia and consider my options - I will likely apply for London institutions (King's, UCL, Imperial) to do a Bioinformatics/Genetics/Biostats (this one ideally) Masters/PhD. Otherwise I will enjoy be finally able to read all the books I have had to shelf because I've been too busy, and also go travelling. Maybe spend some time in the sun. Just have to continue working hard to get a First Class Honours and I can do anything I want.

 

Nonetheless, I am disappointed. But that is failure for you. 

 

@Imperator, Simple answer, "yes". Although, it's difficult to discern what I learnt at highschool and what I learnt elsewhere, since my understanding is so intertwined with other complex knowledges.

 

I guess the example I could use that is radically different would be that Cellular Respiration is explained very simply at the age of 16. 

 

C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂ -> 6CO₂ + 6H₂O + Energy 

At the age of 16 this is an apt (although vague) description of how a cell would make energy. Upon consideration I am appalled that I was taught this in school considering that the above process involves multiple metabolic pathways, dozens of enzymes + co-factors, Electron transport chains, and "intermediates". All of which I am expected to know, and could probably rattle off in a lengthy discussion where I might lose you before I mention Fructose 1,6 bisphosphate. 

 

Oh, I do love Biochemistry.

[Imperator]

Imperator,I do the same course at the same institution but I'm a year behind Boris. What I'd say in answer to your question is transcription and translation, cell biology and cell organelles and some chemistry calculations (figuring out the moles of a Substance) are some things that we still use at degree level

Ahh okay, that's very interesting. Which university do you both currently attend? Also, it is interesting how you folk still use knowledge carried over from several years ago. Did you have to refer to your old documents when you took the course since they recycled some old key knowledge? Or perhaps you and Boris don't forget stuff. :P

 

 

Well - I was unsuccessful with the PhD application. I will be taking a year off from academia and consider my options - I will likely apply for London institutions (King's, UCL, Imperial) 

 

Imperial does sound like an attractive option.  :o  I wasn't aware that the institute covers biological science; I usually think of Mathematics or Engineering when Imperial comes to mind. 

 

 

I guess the example I could use that is radically different would be that Cellular Respiration is explained very simply at the age of 16. 

 

C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂ -> 6CO₂ + 6H₂O + Energy 

At the age of 16 this is an apt (although vague) description of how a cell would make energy. Upon consideration I am appalled that I was taught this in school considering that the above process involves multiple metabolic pathways, dozens of enzymes + co-factors, Electron transport chains, and "intermediates". All of which I am expected to know, and could probably rattle off in a lengthy discussion where I might lose you before I mention Fructose 1,6 bisphosphate. 

 

Oh, I do love Biochemistry.

My apologies but you've lost me at "Co-Factors". Haha  :wacko:. At GCSE level they do teach complex concepts quite broadly and don't include the crazy scientific jargon you've taught me. Perhaps fo my sake, that's a good thing.  |^_^|

[Major Dash]

What the hell, I must have missed something in the last few pages... Probably a good thing I did

 

Saq is now a drunk incestuous pedophile. And Estonian.

[fastortoise]

That's interesting, I check these forums maybe once per year (because I deep hatred for myself) and people are in the middle of biochemistry talks. If I recall, the only other person on these forums interested in academia and smart enough to pursue a career in it was warri0r. If you're not in the top 10% of your class don't bother. I wonder what he's up to nowadays...

 

An update about me: moved across the country to pursue a PhD in genetics. Currently back home for a funeral/vacation, bar hopping with friends and banging my way through old exes that suddenly think I'm a million times smarter and more mature now that I'm doing a (funded) PhD... people can be dense.  

 

An insight into grad life: graduate students are the worst. Graduate life is actually great, the reason why grad students complain about it all the time is because they suck as people. Even if you get into a PhD, you can still be an [wagon] and not succeed, so you have to be the best grad student too. You're constantly surrounded by hot undergrads.. obviously life is gonna be good. 

 

Hope everyone else is doing well (except saq - sexy 12 year old cousin? really??). Where is the hegemony thread??

[Arceus]

My mouse is having issues. It won't register clicks half the time. I think it's time for me to buy a new one...or to scream and bash it a few times, you know, either way...

[Crocefisso]

 

To be pedantic, in Britain it's a constituency, not a riding, which in Britain is an archaic term for how Yorkshire used to be divided into 3 ridings. 

 

As for the whole "candidate can get 30% and win", it's true, but then any parliamentary system with more than 2 parties has the same problem, even in a country like Germany where PR is used - in 2009 Merkel returned as Chancellor with 34% of the vote. Only in Presidential runoffs like US or France does someone always get at least 50% by definition. And in practice, there are many seats where the winner gets more than 50%. My local Tory has just been returned to Parliament with close to 60% of the vote. Very few win with below 30%, they have to be ultra-marginal seats. 

 

And, truth be told, FPTP is good at shutting out extremist parties. UKIP is a fringe right party of morons who took almost 4 million votes but 1 MP, and the Green Party are a far left fringe which took a million votes and one MP. In any other system, these would be very powerful parties.

I'm aware, constituency is an awful word though. In North American English, people tend to pronounce the second and third syllables as some bastardisation of stitch and chew, and it sounds awful.

 

FPTP may work now to keep out 'extremist' parties, but it also could allow them in with far less than the majority of the vote. And I'd consider SNP a more extremist party than UKIP. UKIP is not too far to the right of the Tories, which makes it amusing you'd call them a party of morons.

 

 

SNP is indeed also extremist, but for all their "56 MPs the voice of Scotland will be heard at last" nonsense, they're now out in the cold. During the Labour years Scotland had a big say in national govt thanks to being a Labour stronghold, and had some say during the Lib-Con coalition because, again, a lot of Lib Dem seats were in Scotland. Over the coming years SNP parliamentarians, who are fringe left, vote consistently against a centre-right majority government with no ability to change the outcome. I predict an SNP collapse in 2020. [End of SNP digression.]

 

But the truth is that the UKIP lot are not all too similar to the Tories. People forget that at least 2/3 of Tory MPs are in some sense pro-Europe, and Tory policy isn't based on nostalgia for 1950s Britain. UKIP is the party of low skilled people who don't like the fact that Eastern Europeans can out-compete them because they got used to being lazy. Just because some fringe Tories like Dan Hannan are UKIP-esque shouldn't tar the whole party. The Tories also have people like Ken Clarke, lest we forget. 

 

Meanwhile, in Estonia, a sexy young cousin is spotted by a notorious predator. 

 

[Bonez899]

My mouse is having issues. It won't register clicks half the time. I think it's time for me to buy a new one...or to scream and bash it a few times, you know, either way...

Do both, in no specific order.

[Goonstalf]

Today was a sexy day.

[Ammako]

Did somebody try to milk your teats?

[RpgGamer]

Yo fastortoise! Nice of you to drop by

 

Weird that we have such a strong biochemist population here. Lots of comp sci and psych majors too if I recall

[Goonstalf]

Did somebody try to milk your teats?

What kind of question is that?

[Ammako]

You're telling me you didn't get the joke? :o