2025

Chemistry Günther Schlonk Chemistry Günther Schlonk

How Big Can The Periodic Table Get Before Students Call Bullshit?

Among the general public, the periodic table is the third most recognisable thing associated with chemistry, after Breaking Bad and the concept of hexagons. This glorified sticker-book of atoms has been growing steadily since the 1600’s, prompting many punters to ask “when will it stop?”. In this article, we will examine this question from two perspectives: energetic (via the Dirac Equation) and scholastic (via an index of student frustration).

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Molecular Biology Günther Schlonk Molecular Biology Günther Schlonk

Occultic Practices in qPCR

qPCR is a famously capricious and fiddly technique, bedevilled by poor reproducibility. When every other source of variation and contamination has been controlled, the only explanation is that the impurities are coming from actual devils. This paper outlines strategies to command, conciliate or banish malevolent spirits in a molecular biology setting.

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Chemistry Günther Schlonk Chemistry Günther Schlonk

On The Origins of Named Glassware

On this day, the 212.89th anniversary of the passing of La Marquis de Burette, we felt it was fitting to recount the remarkable story of his life. We have also described the lives and works of several other chemists whose names have achieved immortality by attaching themselves to pieces of laboratory equipment.

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Social Science Günther Schlonk Social Science Günther Schlonk

Statistical Proof That Binge-Watching VTubers Won’t Make You Happy (But Might Make You Fall In Love)

People say that watching VTubers brings them joy and results in higher life satisfaction. This paper harnesses the power of YouTube statistics tutorials to prove that spending more time watching VTubers does not correlate with spiritual fulfilment, but does make you more likely to fall in love with them.

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Botany Günther Schlonk Botany Günther Schlonk

Genetic Modification of a Carrot with a Flared Base

Necessity is the mother of invention. According to our mate Terrence from the local hospital, if he has to get the endoscope out one more time on behalf of someone who “fell backwards onto their shopping bags”, he’s going to spifflicate them. We feel that this constitutes a necessity, and this paper contains the details of our associated invention.

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Chemistry Günther Schlonk Chemistry Günther Schlonk

The DPhil Team

We recorded a cover of Ed Sheeran's "The A Team". We rewrote this melancholy ballad, originally about homelessness and substance abuse, to reflect the experience of doing a PhD, and somehow made it even more depressing.

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