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That reminds me (tangentially) of this piece I read a while back: https://jsomers.net/i-should-have-loved-biology/ https://jsomers.net/i-should-have-loved-biolo
by bschne 5y ago
That reminds me (tangentially) of this piece I read a while back: https://jsomers.net/i-should-have-loved-biology/ https://jsomers.net/i-should-have-loved-biology/
I felt mostly neutral about biology back in high school (mostly due to the fact that I didn't find it that much to remember, so it was hardly a struggle, but the teaching was less than awe-inspiring to be diplomatic). When I read the piece above, I mostly thought it was well written and matched how school had killed a lot of curiosity for me about many a topic.
Then I recently started reading up on molecular biology basics after stumbling across a bunch of youtube videos, and I have to say I don't think I've ever been this thoroughly, viscerally fascinated by anything I've learned about. Much of what I'd read or studied so far was either "here's a neat model that explains a lot of things concisely", or "here's a way practical problems like x, y, and z can be solved". With the foundational mechanisms of biology, on the other hand, it was like suddenly opening my eyes to incredible levels of complexity all around and inside me I had completely neglected before.
- qwertygnu 5y agoAny resources that you find particularly great?
- bschne 5y agoWhat got me started was probably this from "The Thought Emporium", and other videos on his channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3FcbFqSoQY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3FcbFqSoQY (obvious don't try this at home disclaimer). What I'm reading right now is "Molecular Biology of the Cell" — it's a dense textbook and I'm taking my time, so only about two chapters in, but I love how it focuses on a lot of fundamental principles and occasionally points out astonishing facts. There's also this series which might be a nice, casual primer: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3EED4C1D684D3ADF https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3EED4C1D684D3ADF James Somers also lists some other books in his post I linked to above, might be worth checking out.
- kens 5y agoI second the recommendation for "Molecular Biology of the Cell" if you want to know how cells work, which is a pretty interesting and important subject. One thing I like about this book is that it's clear about what we don't know, and there is a lot. (It's interesting to read books from before a discovery (e.g. geology books before continental drift) and see if they acknowledge something is unknown or if they confidently give the wrong answer.)
- imranq 5y agoCheckout the MIT class: Biology Secret of Life by Eric Lander, who is a mathematician turned geneticist who led the Human Genome Project. He teaches in an axiomatic way, which I think many here would appreciate. I found the teaching to be way better than any high school class, which is the biology background for most people. https://www.edx.org/course/introduction-to-biology-the-secret-of-life-3 https://www.edx.org/course/introduction-to-biology-the-secre...
- bschne 5y agoWow, I need to check that out, thanks!