Glucose is brought into a cell in ventricles (essentially endocytosis) and is soon after converted to glucose 6 phosphate via the enzyme hexokinase, and why do you ask? To trap glucose. The membrane is permeable to glucose and the cell you see, wants to use glucose as a source of energy so enzymes add a phosphate to the substrate (using ATP) and wallah, glucose can no longer pass through the membrane. Poor guy never even had the chance. Trapped forever now to undergo a series of reactions that will strip it down, carbon by carbon, until all that is left is pyruvate and eventually CO2.
Quite sad isn't it.
Quite sad isn't it.
It sort of reminds me of people who get trapped in situations that they cannot get out of. For example, a woman buys her dream home, but she bought it at the wrong time, now the house isn't worth what it was when she bought it and she is has found herself having to foreclose because she put so much money into the house in order to spruce it up. The bank then is harvesting her $$ and she can do nothing about it. Trapped, stripped down, until all the is left is a bad credit score.
Glucose can also represent people who become morally bankrupt from putting themselves in poor situations but I think the first example is a better representation of the American climate.
The Winter quarter has begun once again. Where I thought this quarter would be easier since I am finally done with all math related classes, I was quite wrong. Multicellular biology and metabolic biochemistry are a whirlwind of memorization and concepts, while quite enjoyable to say the least, the intensity of the quarter system doesn't allow you to really enjoy and indulge in the subject matter. There is hardly enough time to make it into the deep end of the forest by venturing off of the path. The path is where you must stay because there is no time to mess around and explore, the sun is setting fast and you have to make it out before night fall. In other words, all that I have time for is to stick to the lecture material, memorize it, know it like the back of my hand, and pray for success on the HUGE exams.
For those who do not understand how fast the quarter system is, I started school Jan 3rd and I have my first mid terms in both of the classes listed about next Friday and the Monday after this coming Monday.
My other class is History of East Asia. Not really much of a challenge when it comes to material, but as I said before, no time to really understand and relay ideas over China and Japan. I must stick to the lectures, skim the reading for the important buzz concepts to regurgitate on the midterm essays. Sigh. And to think I thought I would really "learn" something at a University.
What school has become, really, is just get in and get out with your head still sewn on with a high GPA so you can get into grad school. With the way testing is, I feel like I am a robot sometimes just trying to download meaningless data into my head, just words that I don't quite understand but as long as I memorize the concept I can get A's; which is what happens. But have I learned anything really? No, but I am quite the encyclopedia. A fact giver.
But really, I do enjoy school. I wish I could be in school forever. A professional scholar. Wouldn't that be a joy?
