Unit 0: Introduction to Hip Hop Biochemistry
I use one to fuel my love for the other and I want to teach you how to leverage your non-academic interests to inspire your learning. So welcome to my class… my experiment. Welcome to #HipHopBiochemistry Season 1 - just a few short videos that take examples from pop culture (POPULAR culture) to use as analogies to help teach some basic but also fundamental principles in some of my favorite topics in biochemistry. Instagram @STEAMulater Twitter @STEAMulater
Unit 1: Nicki Minaj's 1st Billboard Song vs the 1st Protein Structure
This is all in an effort to find pop cultural analogies to introduce complex topics of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology to a wider and more diverse inclusive audience. In this debut episode Dr. Muk uses Nicki's Billboard 100 debut song with Lil Wayne; "Knockout" to introduce biochemistry's own "charts" called the Protein Data Bank (PDB) and in particular looks at the 1st protein to be deposited on the PDB - myoglobin - as a conduit to explain oxygen storage in muscles. References: My Last Video on Intro to Hip Hop Biochemistry - https://youtu.be/_4AgEEZ4VSM, BA test kitchen Steak Video - https://youtu.be/Jpd_CUX2o98; Myoglobin Figs from Neural Academy - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qv-KE... Intro RCSB Protein Data Bank - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTchs... ; Video of Lil Wayne ft. Nicki Minaj "Knockout: song on his "Rebirth Album" - ; Genius Lyrics to Knockout - https://youtu.be/RfYcOYMNuXM; Billboard 100 Stats on Nicki Minaj - https://www.billboard.com/music/nicki... Nicki Minaj Receives the Game changer award - https://youtu.be/bDxiyPzakAA; PDB 101 on Myoglobin - https://pdb101.rcsb.org/motm/1; Research Paper on Structure Characterization of Myoglobin - https://ftp.wwpdb.org/pub/pdb/validat... Neural Academy on Myoglobin vs. Hemoglobin - https://youtu.be/Qv-KExGKAYw
Unit 2: Does mariah carey and nicki minaj song help explain blood proteins?
In this episode Dr. Muk uses Nicki's 2nd feature to hit the Billboard 100 with Mariah Carey to talk about the transport protein found in our blood, hemoglobin. Using the red color as a through line Muk, discusses the structure of hemoglobin as seen from the PDB deposit: 1buw References: My Last Video on Intro to Hip Hop Biochemistry - https://youtu.be/i18XPrzXQbQ, Video of Mariah Carey's song Up out my face featuring Nicki Minaj - https://youtu.be/5i7GEMQC2IY; Genius Lyrics to Up out my face - https://genius.com/Mariah-carey-up-out-my-face-remix-lyrics; Billboard 100 Stats on Nicki Minaj - https://www.billboard.com/music/nicki... Nicki Minaj Receives the Game changer award - https://youtu.be/bDxiyPzakAA; PDB 101 on Hemoglobin - https://pdb101.rcsb.org/motm/41; Research Paper on Structure Characterization of Hemoglobin - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=9843411; Neural Academy on Myoglobin vs. Hemoglobin - https://youtu.be/Qv-KExGKAYw; Destiny's Child newest Christmas song video - https://youtu.be/MKdndMXIVXw; All I want for Christmas by Mariah Carey - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXQViqx6GMY; Kidfury's video on Mariah vs. Nicki Beef - https://youtu.be/2M5F4UI-5g4; The Read on Fuse channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi_XQVMRd0hrj6Ka0yCnR3A
Unit 3: Can rap analogies explain blue blooded seafood?
In this 3rd episode Dr. Muk uses Nicki's 3rd feature to hit the Billboard 100 with Ludacris to talk about the transport protein found in sea creatures blood, hemocyanin. Using the blue color as a through line Muk, discusses the structure of hemocyanin as seen from the PDB deposit: 4YD9. References: My Last Video on Intro to Hip Hop Biochemistry - https://youtu.be/275a8URHiEc, Video of Ludacris and Nicki Minaj; My Chick's Bad - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqHli... Sasha's Educational Comics on Invertebrates - https://interviewswithinvertebrates.com/ Billboard 100 Stats on Nicki Minaj - https://www.billboard.com/music/nicki... Nicki Minaj Receives the Game changer award - https://youtu.be/bDxiyPzakAA; PDB 101 on Hemocyanin from squid - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?... Strictly dumplings mukbang video -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipe3K... 101 on hemocyanin - https://www.rcsb.org/structure/3j32 ; Neural Academy on Myoglobin vs. Hemoglobin - https://youtu.be/Qv-KExGKAYw
Unit 4: Beyoncé’s Dance Introduction of the Building Blocks of Proteins
#DanceYourPhD and Episode 4 of #HipHopBiochemistry Season 1 - What is the language of proteins? Well some scientists including myself at the University of Washington are studying just that. Now that we understand what the 20 building blocks that make up proteins' alphabet are; we can "write" brand new protein verses that nature hasn't thought of to solve some new and complex problems we have in this day and age. This video is a dance interpretation of my PhD thesis highlighting what goes into designing a "de novo" protein and I am using #Beyonce's "Before I let go" Dance challenge because 1. duh Beyonce is queen but 2. because I nicknamed my pdb deposit 6e5c after her "4BEY" as a source of inspiration during my matriculation. Now that I've graduated and am working on STEM education to increase visibility, representation and inclusion, I just wanted to say thank you. Also this serves as a re-upload of my submission video for the Dance Your PhD Contest hosted by #AAAS: https://www.sciencemag.org/projects/dance-your-phd . Here is a link to the final chapter in my dissertation and my 1st co-1st author publication: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41594-018-0141-6 . Also Look up my other publications here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=chidyausiku
Unit 5: What is the Biochemistry of Blackness?
In this episode of Hip Hop Biochemistry Dr. Muk tries to answer the question; what is the biochemistry of blackness? Read my article on Medium here: https://medium.com/stem-and-culture-chronicle/take-pride-in-stem-your-intersectionality-as-strength-95f009d64804 and Catch up on the full Hip Hop Biochemistry series here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMeQtZBWidWvEN1ZU4fIUW1F7b2cPlODK Or here: STEAMulater.com/hiphopbiochemistry
Unit 6: How Nicki's Lil Freaky Protein Saved the World
In this Unit 6 I explain How Nicki's Lil Freaky Protein Saved the World. As I continue my #HipHopBiochemistry series highlighting different icoNIC Billboard hits vs important proteins from the PBD I discuss how most proteins lose their shape when they are exposed to high temperatures but there is a whole family that are #lilfreaks of nature in this regard. I’ve always considered science and cooking as close cousins so today I poaching an egg to exemplify this property of egg proteins. Lastly we discuss how the biotech discovery of a very stable Nicki Minaj approved polymerase saved the world and ushered in a whole new era of biochemistry. Comment and tell me what you think!