Biochemistry seeks to understand life at the molecular level.
Amino acids are assembled into proteins, whose three dimensional structures enable them to perform a vast array of functions, including catalysis, immunity, movement, and cellular regulation.
Genetic information stored in DNA is transmitted through RNA and ultimately expressed as proteins.
Modern biochemistry has also paved the way for CRISPR gene editing, a potentially groundbreaking technology that may treat disease but also raises profound ethical concerns about altering human traits and creating so called designer babies.
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Whether I feel good throughout the summer pretty much hinges on whether or not I eat pears. When I peel a pear, I try to minimize both the area I touch and the number of times I handle it. Dessert comes later, so the stress comes later.
The central message of Happiness is that happiness is not merely the absence of negative emotions. Rather, people tend to flourish when they engage in meaningful work, continue learning, and feel that they are making progress.
One of the book's most important ideas is the "progress principle." Even a small accomplishment in meaningful work can enhance motivation, creativity, and emotional well-being. Small wins therefore have a surprisingly profound effect on our inner work life.
Sustainable performance also depends on vitality and learning. People thrive when they feel energetic while continually acquiring new knowledge and skills.
At the same time, the book is wary of the excessive pursuit of happiness. Negative emotions are inevitable and sometimes useful. Trying to remain happy all the time can even be detrimental.
Rather than relentlessly pursuing happiness itself, pursue meaningful progress, learning, and good relationships, and happiness is more likely to ensue.
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Quantum theory describes the strange behavior of matter at extremely small scales.
Particles such as electrons can behave both as particles and waves.
Before measurement, a particle may exist in a superposition of several possibilities.
These possibilities are represented by a wave function.
Measurement produces one particular outcome.
Therefore, quantum mechanics describes nature largely in terms of probability rather than complete certainty.
The quantum world is not simply a world of fixed objects, but a world of overlapping possibilities.
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I've been concentrating intensely for quite some time, and today I was utterly exhausted, so worn out that I felt as though I might collapse.
I took a nap earlier, and now I feel wonderfully relaxed and almost dreamy.
I think I'll call it a day and go to bed early in my clean, comfortable, five star room.
My cat kept me company and slept beside me while I was napping.
The prized pears grown in Iwaki, Fukushima, are absolutely exquisite. Having peeled countless pears over the years, I've become quite dexterous at peeling them with a kitchen knife.