Its a small world we live in

When I was a kid, I used to have a spinning globe lamp in my bedroom. What can I say? I was a big nerd child (I also had a passion for stamp collecting and making model airplanes, but thats a tale for another time). I loved plugging it in and when it lit up Read More …

Safety first when working in the lab

Do you know what the image above represents? I will give you a clue, it relates to lab safety. Any takers? Still nothing? Well, this my friends represents corrosive materials. This group includes many strong acids and bases and was a question I got wrong in my safety exam today (gasp, shock, you failed Tom). Read More …

Rise of the machines….and Lab automation

Last week this was my view. This week nothing but wintry snow and cold everywhere. Oh, how I miss the sunnier climes of San Diego. I think I will add one more resolution to my first blog, spend some time every winter somewhere sunny, as this cold really gets into the bones. Anyways, I wasn’t Read More …

Blog 2020_1: Scientific resolutions for 2020

A happy new year all. Yes I know, it’s already mid-January and we are nearly all done with our resolutions. But what better way for me to start back to the open notebooking/blogging than to kick off with a top 10 list of my resolutions/hopes for 2020 (some science/some aspirational). Yes, I am back blogging Read More …

The protein WDR41, and its role in ALS.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a terrible disease that affects the way a person speaks, moves and even breaths, and is responsible for as many as 5 deaths for every 100,000 people over the age of 20. ALS is a progressive disease, affecting the neurons in the both the upper and lower brain way[2], as Read More …

Going with the Flow: Some random musings and Tom’s Open Notebook tour

Man, it has gotten cold and windy, its only been a month, and already we have gone from +25 degree sunshine, to overcast, sub-10 degree temperatures, with rain, true Irish weather. The joys of Fall as winter approaches. I hope everyone is doing well, I enjoyed my short hiatus from the notebook, but am now Read More …

2D or not 2D: 3D is the answer

Well the summer has come and gone and after 9 blogs, I am ready for the big finale- Blog number 10. I did tell you when I started I was going to give you ten blogs over 2 months with multiple protocols to be published  online and now we are at the end. So, what shall we talk Read More …

All great things come in threes, even quality control of synuclein fibrils

Someone pointed out a funny quirk of mine the other day. I love things that come in threes. I never realized it before, but then I started thinking about it, and before you could say thirty-three, I was contemplating all the threes I like. Maybe its because the house I lived in growing up was Read More …

The making of alpha-synuclein: A villain of Parkinson’s disease

Growing up I have always loved movies, and in particular movie villains. From Darth Vader in “Star Wars”, to the T-Rex in “Jurassic Park”, to the great white shark in “Jaws” and the villainous roundabout in “National Lampoon’s European vacation”, I have always been fascinated by what makes villains do what they do, what is their Read More …