Last Minute Lecture

Biotechnology & Synthetic Biology | Chapter 12 of Brock Biology of Microorganisms Welcome to Last Minute Lecture . This post summarizes Chapter 12 of Brock Biology of Microorganisms , which introduces the powerful world of microbial biotechnology and synthetic biology. Discover how scientists manipulate microbial DNA to create everything from recombinant proteins and vaccines to synthetic genomes and gene drives. 🎥 Watch the full podcast summary here: This chapter is critical for understanding modern molecular biology, genetic engineering, and synthetic biology applications in medicine, agriculture, and energy. Core Tools of Genetic Engineering PCR amplifies DNA exponentially Gel electrophoresis separates DNA/RNA by size Nucleic acid hybridization detects specific sequences Molecular cloning inserts DNA into vectors Restriction enzymes and ligases enable splicing Recombineering : homologous recombination editing Common hosts: E. coli, B. subt...

Viral Genomics and Diversity | Chapter 11 of Brock Biology of Microorganisms Welcome to Last Minute Lecture . This post summarizes Chapter 11 of Brock Biology of Microorganisms , which explores the astonishing variety of viral genomes and the mechanisms that drive virus replication and evolution. You'll also learn about subviral agents like viroids and prions , which challenge traditional definitions of life. 🎥 Watch the full podcast summary here: This chapter is essential for understanding virus biology, classification systems like the Baltimore scheme, and the broader impact of noncellular infectious agents. Viral Genomes and Classification Viral genomes: DNA or RNA; ss or ds; linear or circular Plus-strand RNA = same polarity as mRNA Baltimore classification sorts viruses by genome type and mRNA production (7 classes) RNA viruses need RNA replicase (carried or encoded) ICTV classification: host range, structure, replication, phylogeny No universa...

Genomics, Synthetic Biology, and Evolution | Chapter 10 of Brock Biology of Microorganisms Welcome to Last Minute Lecture . This post summarizes Chapter 10 of Brock Biology of Microorganisms , which focuses on how genomics and other omics technologies revolutionize our understanding of microbes. Learn how DNA sequencing, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and systems biology give us a complete view of microbial life — from single-cell analysis to environmental communities. 🎥 Watch the full podcast summary here: This chapter is critical for students interested in modern microbiology, bioinformatics, and synthetic biology applications in research and health. Genomics and Genome Annotation Sequencing technologies: Sanger, Illumina, Nanopore Genome assembly builds contigs and scaffolds from reads Annotation predicts gene functions using tools like BLAST Genome size in prokaryotes ≈ gene count (~1000 ORFs/Mbp) Public repositories: GenBank, GOLD Functio...

Bacterial and Archaeal Genetics — Horizontal Gene Transfer & CRISPR Defense | Chapter 9 of Brock Biology of Microorganisms Welcome to Last Minute Lecture . In this post, we summarize Chapter 9 of Brock Biology of Microorganisms , which explores how microbes generate genetic diversity and defend themselves against foreign DNA. You’ll learn about mutation types, DNA repair, and horizontal gene transfer via transformation, transduction, and conjugation. Plus, we cover mobile DNA elements and the powerful CRISPR–Cas defense system. 🎥 Watch the full podcast summary here: This chapter is essential for understanding microbial evolution, genetic engineering, and biotechnology applications. Mutations and Genetic Variation Mutation = heritable change in DNA sequence Types: Point mutations: missense, nonsense, silent Frameshift: insertions or deletions Transitions (purine→purine) vs. transversions (purine↔pyrimidine) Reversions and suppressor...

Light Wave Interference — Double-Slit, Thin Films & Michelson Interferometer Explained | Chapter 35 of University Physics Chapter 35 explores the wave nature of light through interference phenomena, from Young’s double-slit experiment to thin-film color effects and the precision of the Michelson interferometer. Understanding these patterns is crucial for applications in spectroscopy, metrology, and optical engineering. Watch the full video summary on YouTube to see visual demonstrations of each interference pattern. Principles of Interference & Coherent Sources Interference arises when two or more light waves overlap, with superposition leading to bright and dark fringes. Coherent sources maintain a constant phase relationship and identical frequency, making stable interference patterns possible—lasers are the most common coherent sources in the lab. Young’s Two-Slit Experiment In Young’s classic setup, light from a single source illuminates two narrow slits separa...