Learn Organic Chemistry - Radical Halogenation

If you are planning to become a biologist, a key required course is organic chemistry and in that class one of the reactions you have to memorize is radical halogenation. In this reaction a halogen atom (e.g. chlorine, bromine, iodine) bonds to a carbon and replaces the hydrogen that was formerly bonded to that carbon. When chlorine is used, the process is called radical chlorination. The music video below was created at Columbia University to help students memorize this reaction.

The first step to a Biology education is usually 2 semesters of Chemistry

Here is a free coursera chemistry course to get you up to speed. It is offered by Allison Soult and Kim Woodrum at University of Kentucky. https://www.coursera.org/course/advancedchemistry

Darwintoolbox: A briefcase with built in PCR, Centrifuge, and Gel Electrophoresis.

http://darwintoolbox.com/

Open Textbooks on Biology & Genetics

Collegeopentextbooks.org has a great list of open text books. 

Animal Diversity (CC-BY-SA)

	BioFundamentals: Introductory Molecular Biology (CC-BY-SA-NC)
	Biology by Boundless.com (CC-BY-SA)
	Cell Biology and Genetics (CC-BY-SA)
	CK-12 Biology (CC-BY-SA)
	CK-12 Biology I - Honors (CC-BY-NC-SA)
	Computing Life (PD)
	Diversity of Algae and Plants (CC-BY-SA)
	Ecology and Environment (CC-BY-SA)
	Encyclopedia of Life (CC-BY-SA)
	Evolution Biology (CC-BY-SA)
	Genes and Disease (PD)
	Help Me Understand Genetics Handbook (PD)
	Human Physiology (CC-BY-SA)
	Internet for Microbiology (CC-BY-NC)
	Inside the Cell – Biology (PD)
	Microbiology by Boundless.com (CC-BY-SA)
	Microbiology and Mycology (CC-BY-SA)
	Modern Biology (CC-NC-BY-SA)
	Molecular Biology Lab Manual (CC-BY)
	Nucleic Acids and Chromatin (CC-NC-BY-SA)
	Online Biology Book (Custom)
	Physiology by Boundless.com (CC-BY-SA)
	Plant and Animal Physiology (CC-BY-SA)
	Rediscovering Biology1 (Custom)
	The Brain: Understanding Neurobiology Through the Study of Addiction (Custom)
	The New Genetics (PD)
	The Structures of Life (PD)
	What Do Genes Do? (CC-BY-NC)
	What is Biodiversity (CC-BY)
	What is the Genome Made of? (CC-BY-NC)

Visit collegeopentextbooks.org  http://www.collegeopentextbooks.org/opentextbookcontent/open-textbooks-by-subject/biologyandgenetics

Kimball's Free Online Biology Textbook

http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/F/FallTerm.html

Excellent Introduction to Fluorescence Microscopy by Nico Stuurman

New genetic discovery could regulate plant growth

"The gene, named GIGANTUS1 (or GTS1 for short), is a member of a protein family that controls seed germination, growth, and biomass accumulation in plants. Essentially, it helps plants regulate growth. "Plants must tightly regulate their cellular functions to grow and cope with constantly changing environmental conditions, but exactly how this occurs is largely unknown," says Simeon Kotchoni, an assistant professor of biology at Rutgers–Camden."

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2014-03-genetic-discovery-growth.html#jCp

New technique for identifying gene-enhancer

With the new SIF-seq technique, mouse embryonic stem cells can be used to identify human embryonic stem cell enhancers even when the human enhancers are not present in the mouse genome. 
Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2014-03-technique-gene-enhancers.html#jCp

Fruit flies help uncover tumor-preventing protein complex

Pictured here are ectopic neural stem cells formed from dedifferentiation of progenitor cells upon loss of both HDAC3 and Snr1 (a subunit of the Brahma complex). Credit: Chwee Tat Koe

A team of researchers from Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School have discovered a protein complex that disrupts the process known as dedifferentiation, known to promote tumor development.

Dedifferentiation (reversion) is a process that leads progenitor or mature cells to become 'ectopic neural stem cells' which causes tumors. By detecting this protein complex, Duke-NUS researchers have shed light on a process that inhibits tumor development and gives hope for the discovery of therapies and treatments that target tumor prevention through this pathway.

http://phys.org/news/2014-03-fruit-flies-uncover-tumor-preventing-protein.html

Arduino Sensor Kits by Manylabs

http://store.manylabs.org/
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/petersand/manylabs-sensors-for-students?ref=category