#biophysics

Can Animals Sense Magnetic Field Shifts During Spring Storms?

Homing pigeons have magnetite crystals in their beaks that detect field changes as small as 0.1 microtesla — roughly 1/500,000th of Earth's total field strength. During a G3-class geomagnetic storm, Earth's magnetic field can fluctuate by up to 1,000 nanoteslas within minutes, easily within the dete

Can Animals Sense Magnetic Field Shifts During Spring Storms?

Homing pigeons have magnetite crystals in their beaks that detect field changes as small as 0.1 microtesla — roughly 1/500,000th of Earth's total field strength. During a G3-class geomagnetic storm, Earth's magnetic field can fluctuate by up to 1,000 nanoteslas within minutes, easily within the dete

The blue morpho butterfly displays one of nature’s most stunning color displays Encountering a blue morpho in the forests from Mexico to the Amazon is unforgettable: these large butterflies flash an electric, almost otherworldly blue as they move. That brilliant color, however, is not produced by a blue pigment — it’s a product of microscopic wing architecture that bends and reflects…

22/05/2026 - Kinetics

Orders and rates of change: mostly revision from last year, good to go over it again though.

Half-life and integration, exponential and logarithmic plots: interesting! Reminded me that I haven't done calculus in a while, but it scratched my maths itch.

Temperature-dependence, collision theory, and transition state theory: Haven't finished yet, but getting there. Lots to understand, and I can't wait to look at it with a fresh brain tomorrow!

Next Topics:

Finishing transition state theory

Michaelis-Menten and steady-state

Motor protein kinetics

Downtime:

Made a D&D character for a friend's one-shot

Listened to the Hadestown soundtrack (again)

Read Earthsea (graphic novel─ the art is stunning!)

20/05/2026 - Thermodynamics & Kinetics

Ligand-binding equilibrium: Kd and finding [LP]. Really got me back into thermodynamics!

Ionic membrane transport: Gibbs and Δφ, calculating feasibility using coupled reactions. Reminds me that I actually enjoy maths when it's problem-solving and not just for exam questions!

Redox potentials and Ecell: Cell diagrams and the Nernst equation. Mostly just revision as this topic is in another module.

Orders and rates of change: Starting kinetics revision, more derivatives getting me excited for integration questions for the next topics!

Next topics:

Finishing orders and rates of change

Half-life and integration, exponential and logarithmic plots

Temperature-dependence, collision theory, and transition state theory

Downtime:

Started writing next year's D&D campaign, first time DMing!

Finished some chores I'd been procrastinating

Winter term is finished and grades are out!! Yall know what that means! Term review!!