Feynman’s Flower

In a wonderfully timed article in Cosmos, I learn that some very insightful students are creating a yeast that will make resveratrol as it ferments beer. That means the benefits of resveratrol will not simply be reserved for snotty red wine lovers (of which I proudly claim membership), but also beer swillers. Here’s to a long life of dark pubs and tipsy darts!

(I say wonderfully timed, since I have resveratrol on my brain due to the launch of my latest molecule offering, the resveratrol necklace.) Resveratrol is interesting because it does wonderful things in mice - from improving cardiovascular health to preventing cancer to significantly increasing lifespan. But don’t go buy yourself a jar of resveratrol pills, just yet. Very few benefits have been shown in humans.

In a clear case of genetic engineering used for the powers of good, these brilliant Rice undergrads are putting resveratrol-making genes into yeast. A (currently still imaginary) libation created with their yeast has been given the unfortunate name BioBeer, but that won’t stop me from buying a case as soon as it hits the shelves. Considering that the project is still incomplete and will have to jump through a number of FDA hoops, this will probably be a ways off. Although I imagine there will be a few fortified keggers in the meantime.

Read about it in Cosmos Magazine

Part of MIT’s iGem competition for students creating cellular machines

Jeff Hoke, Museum of Lost Wonder

That’s really what science art is about, to me: Re-introducing people to the wonder and awe they felt from exploring nature as children. Besides the Particle Zookeeper, another person I was pleased to meet last weekend was Jeff Hoke.

If you are not familiar with Jeff’s book The Museum of Lost Wonder, go familiarize yourself with it now. A synthesis of science, alchemy, and philosophy, it is also a one person’s journey pondering big questions. It will have you pondering these, too.

Jeff’s drawings are amazing, reminiscent of Edward Gorey and Chris Ware. His lines contain so much emotion and mystery. More amazing are his models, which can be cut out and assembled into 3D, often moving, dioramas. He has truly created his own world, a dusty library of a world with magic and secrets and symbols and endless possibility contained within.

Jeff has an interesting day job, too. He is an exhibit designer at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. He designed a exhibit with “lots of velvet” for jellyfish. Really, so cool.

I admit that I first checked out his book at the local library. But before I had finished reading, I had ordered 6 books to be scattered among my friends and family. Come to think of it, I may need a few more for Winter Solstice gifts.

Visit The Museum of Lost Wonder

Last weekend I showed my stuff at Wonderfest, the Bay Area science festival held one day at Stanford and one day at UC Berkeley. Despite the pouring rain and thunder outside, the turn-out was great. My favorite part of Wonderfest was meeting other people who combine art and science in fun & amazing ways. One of these people is Julie Peasley who creates cuddly subatomic particles.

Julie, from LA but previously from the bay area, hand sews her particle softies. She has the complete standard model collection, including the - still elusive in real life - Higgs Boson. Many of her creations contain fun hints at the particle’s identity. The strange quark has three eyes.

In a most insipred bit of geekiness, Julie weights the plushies to reflect the relative weights of the particles. And, of course, they all come with a little story card about the particle. *swoon* I love those covert science lessons!

See the awesomeness of the Particle Zoo