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3:22 pm
Councillor
Wed 30-Dec-09
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Hi everyone, well, I have a bit of a request to make. As part of my course at University I need to do something called 'Science Communications' which means I have to engage in a 'dialogue' or do some science type teaching aimed at non-scientists.
I have decided to do a series of science-related blog posts and I have uploaded the first one to my website. This isn't quite the same as asking you to do my homework for me but I'd be grateful if someone could leave a comment, ask a question, suggest a topic for a future article.
I don't think I've got the level quite right for the first one - it dives into chemistry a bit soon without much background, but it will do for starters.
Thanks in advance.
Mike.
Visit my blog for food, drink, photography and hamsters.
4:06 pm
Moderators
Tue 22-Sep-09
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OK, I'm game for a laugh! See you in a minute.
I'll try that again!
4:14 pm
Moderators
Tue 22-Sep-09
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'which is the classic bakers or brewers yeast'
With that statement, it took it to mean that they are one and the same yeast but having read further it would seem not to be the case. Have I read it properly?
I'll try that again!
4:45 pm
Councillor
Wed 30-Dec-09
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Sorry if I made it a bit confusing. The traditional general purpose brewers yeast is indeed the same as bakers yeast. The other 2 yeasts I mention are a bit more specialist.
Visit my blog for food, drink, photography and hamsters.
4:48 pm
Moderators
Tue 22-Sep-09
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Thanks Mike. I wonder how they isolate specific yeasts, as in the pombe one?
I'll try that again!
10:17 pm
Supreme Being
New members
Tue 22-Sep-09
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Ooh too complicated for me at this time of night
8:48 am
Councillor
Wed 30-Dec-09
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Toffeeapple said:
Thanks Mike. I wonder how they isolate specific yeasts, as in the pombe one?
My understanding is you put a dilute solution of growing culture on an agar plate, which is a kind of jelly made using the growth medium, and leave the yeast to grow for a few days. After that you pick out individual colonies, which will usually have grown from single yeast cells. There is likely to be 100s of colonies of various types depending on what is present.
You can then do whatever tests are required to identify them, which these days will often involve some kind of genetic test. If you are wanting to brew wine or beer you can make trial runs with the different colonies to see how they affect the flavour. This is probably how they ended up with the different wine yeasts where you can buy yeast 'optimized' for different types of red or white wine.
Visit my blog for food, drink, photography and hamsters.
9:44 am
Moderators
Tue 22-Sep-09
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Amazing! You can tell I didn't do the sciences at school...
I'll try that again!
6:40 pm
Supreme Being
Mon 21-Sep-09
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bobquail said:
I don't think I've got the level quite right for the first one " it dives into chemistry a bit soon without much background, but it will do for starters.
Thanks in advance.
Mike.
Hi Mike, just picked up a point that your chemical equation is wrong
C12H22O11 + H2O → 2C6H12O6 + C6H12O6
You don't need the second C6H12O6
It should be
C12H22O11 + H2O → 2C6H12O6 
Oh yes! You may have guessed I don't fit your criteria of a non-scientist for reading your blog 
. Hope your project goes well.
6:45 pm
Supreme Being
New members
Mon 7-Jun-10
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JoannaS said:
Hi Mike, just picked up a point that your chemical equation is wrong
C12H22O11 + H2O → 2C6H12O6 + C6H12O6
You don't need the second C6H12O6
It should be
C12H22O11 + H2O → 2C6H12O6
Oh yes! You may have guessed I don't fit your criteria of a non-scientist for reading your blog
I'm suitably impressed.....
Who lives long sees much : The diary of my life in Bulgaria
7:47 pm
Supreme Being
Mon 21-Sep-09
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You see! My degree in Pharmacology and Chemistry wasn't a complete waste of time
8:02 pm
Councillor
Wed 30-Dec-09
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JoannaS said:
You see! My degree in Pharmacology and Chemistry wasn't a complete waste of time
Thanks, well spotted. That was obviously a typo caused by a bit of of over-zealous copying and pasting! I actually meant C6H12O6 + C6H12O6 to show that it was 2 molecules of sugar which look the same but actually aren't.
Visit my blog for food, drink, photography and hamsters.
11:06 am
Supreme Being
New members
Sun 2-Oct-11
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ooh err, back to my baking which I do understand
Trying to enjoy life as it is
11:09 am
Councillor
Wed 30-Dec-09
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I've uploaded the next installment of my science articles here:
http://www.mikedowney.co.uk/blog/science/life1.html
http://www.mikedowney.co.uk/blog/science/life2.html
If anyone has any ideas for me to tackle in future articles, let me know. I am supposed to spend about a week in total on the assignment so a couple more subjects might do the trick.
Thanks.
Visit my blog for food, drink, photography and hamsters.
7:46 pm
Supreme Being
Mon 21-Sep-09
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bobquail said:
JoannaS said:
You see! My degree in Pharmacology and Chemistry wasn't a complete waste of time
Thanks, well spotted. That was obviously a typo caused by a bit of of over-zealous copying and pasting! I actually meant C6H12O6 + C6H12O6 to show that it was 2 molecules of sugar which look the same but actually aren't.
Well that makes sense, I did wonder if that is what you meant.
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