5 ms·

Memorizing those factoids builds the base for appreciating the really cool stuff. It's like a language class: you learn a bunch of vocab words so that you can r

Memorizing those factoids builds the base for appreciating the really cool stuff. It's like a language class: you learn a bunch of vocab words so that you can read amazing literature or visit far-off places. Science classes are really bad about motivating this. I don't think I would have made it through the intro-class grind if I hadn't worked in a lab first. Language classes offer an interesting parallel, in that you can either have the old school "learn these 250 flashcards" or more enjoyable short stories that build up to something.

matheusmoreira 5y ago
On wikipedia I learned a lot more facts and it didn't even feel like memorization. I still remember the feeling. I started with the general bacteria article on wikipedia. I was having trouble absorbing this knowledge and didn't know what to do, so I just randomly searched it on wikipedia and started reading. I didn't even expect anything but I got hooked on it. I especially remember reading about bacterial flagella and the little molecular engines that power them. Then I learned about how it could have somehow evolved into the type 3 secretion system, an almost literal needle some bacteria have that they can use to inject toxins into cells. Totally awesome, and it's just one of many bacterial virulence factors I had been mindlessly memorizing. I just kept following links and reading everything, the microbiology articles are so detailed. My attitude to this class completely changed, I was filled with curiosity once again. I was happy to go to the lab and experiment with our cultures. Due to wikipedia I learned even more than what I needed for my class. I started discovering all sorts of cool stuff I had no idea even existed in nature. My favorite example is the article about cnidocytes, explosive cells that deliver stings. They have an organelle that stores large amounts of calcium ions. When triggered, the ions are released and the massive osmotic gradient causes a rapid influx of water into the cell, increasing volume and applying absurd amounts of acceleration to the stinger which is ejected outside and into the target on a nano- to microsecond time scale.

matheusmoreira 5y ago

On wikipedia I learned a lot more facts and it didn't even feel like memorization. I still remember the feeling. I started with the general bacteria article on wikipedia. I was having trouble absorbing this knowledge and didn't know what to do, so I just randomly searched it on wikipedia and started reading. I didn't even expect anything but I got hooked on it. I especially remember reading about bacterial flagella and the little molecular engines that power them. Then I learned about how it could have somehow evolved into the type 3 secretion system, an almost literal needle some bacteria have that they can use to inject toxins into cells. Totally awesome, and it's just one of many bacterial virulence factors I had been mindlessly memorizing. I just kept following links and reading everything, the microbiology articles are so detailed. My attitude to this class completely changed, I was filled with curiosity once again. I was happy to go to the lab and experiment with our cultures. Due to wikipedia I learned even more than what I needed for my class. I started discovering all sorts of cool stuff I had no idea even existed in nature. My favorite example is the article about cnidocytes, explosive cells that deliver stings. They have an organelle that stores large amounts of calcium ions. When triggered, the ions are released and the massive osmotic gradient causes a rapid influx of water into the cell, increasing volume and applying absurd amounts of acceleration to the stinger which is ejected outside and into the target on a nano- to microsecond time scale.