Myofibrils
http://www.science-groove.org/Now/Myofibrils_lofi.mp3
written by Douglas Fieger and Burton Averre; scientific lyrics by Greg Crowther
Greg: lead vocals
Lori DeGloria: backing vocals
Adam Ludwig: bass
Gretchen Ludwig: backing vocals
Do: electric guitar, drum programming
Kirk L. Van Scoyoc: banjo
Ooh my little filaments, filaments --
Actin and myosin myofibrils:
Proteins that are long and dense, long and dense,
Making up the structure of the myofibrils.
CHORUS:
Signal from the brain rides the nerve to the muscle,
Where the myosin inside will slide past the actin of the
My-my-my-y-y, woo! Muh-muh-muh-myofibrils.
Add a little calcium, calcium
To the cytoplasm near the myofibrils.
It will turn troponin on, troponin on,
Causing the contraction of the myofibrils.
CHORUS
Muscles need energy, energy,
Most of which is needed by the myofibrils.
Myosin burns ATP, ATP
Fueling the contractions of the myofibrils.
CHORUS
Glucose, Glucose
http://www.science-groove.org/Now/Glucose_lofi.mp3
written by Jeff Barry and Andy Kim; scientific lyrics by Greg Crowther
Greg: keyboard, tambourine, claps
Lori DeGloria: backing vocals
Gretchen Ludwig: backing vocals
Do: acoustic guitar, bass, drum programming, claps
Kirk L. Van Scoyoc: lead vocals
Glucose -- ah, sugar sugar --
You are my favorite fuel
From the blood-borne substrate pool.
Glucose -- monosaccharide sugar --
You're sweeter than a woman's kiss
'Cause I need you for glycolysis.
I just can't believe the way my muscles take you in.
(For you, they'll open the door.)
All it takes is a little bit of insulin
(To upregulate GLUT4).
Ah, glucose -- ah, sugar sugar --
You help me make ATP
When my predators are chasing me.
Ah, glucose -- you're an aldehyde sugar,
And you're sweeter than a woman's kiss
'Cause I need you for glycolysis.
I just can't believe the way my muscles break you down.
(My glycogen is almost gone.)
A few more seconds and I'll be rigor mortis-bound.
(Acidosis done me wrong.)
Your sweet is turning sour, baby.
I'm losing all my power, baby.
I'm gonna make your muscles ache.
No, no, no!
I'm swimming in lactate, baby.
Yes, I'm swimming in lactate, baby.
Now I'm drowning in lactate, baby.
I'm gonna make your muscles ache.
No, no, no!
I'm drowning in lactate, baby.
Ah, glucose -- ah, sugar sugar --
I used you up and you left me flat;
Now I'll have to get my kicks from fat.
Oh, glucose, glucose, sugar, sugar,
The honeymoon is over now.
The Krebs Cycle
http://www.science-groove.org/Now/Krebs_lofi.mp3
melody and lyrics by Lynda Jones; adapted by Do Peterson and Greg Crowther
Greg: geek vocals, keyboard Lori: lead vocals
Do: bass, hyper-dramatic vocals, keyboard, acoustic and electric guitar, drum programming
Kirk L. Van Scoyoc: banjo
Acetyl CoA combines with oxaloacetic acid
To create a citric acid. That's how it begins.
Then a water removed and added makes it isocitric acid,
Which, in turn, oxidized and loses CO2.
Then alpha-ketoglutaric is oxidized again,
Losing carbon dioxide with an NADH spin.
Then through a phosphorylation
Succinyl CoA congeals a GDP to GTP to toss back CoASH.
CHORUS:
Acetyl CoA, citric acid, iso-,
Alpha-ketoglutaric, succinyl CoA,
Succeeded by succinic, fumaric and malic,
Then oxaloacetic starts the cycle again.
Soon we see succinic acid forming a fumaric acid
As it forms an FADH2 along the way.
Water washed upon fumaric makes it into acid malic.
Now there's only one step left, so let's be on our way.
With one more oxidation, resisting degradation,
A final NADH is made and brings us to the end.
Oxaloacetic acid, first and last, a simple acid
Then accepts an acetyl CoA and starts again.
CHORUS
Come On Down (The Electron Transport Chain)
http://www.science-groove.org/Now/Come_lofi.mp3
written by Greg Crowther and Do Peterson
Do: bongo drums
Kirk L. Van Scoyoc: vocals
Electron pair on NADH,
Looking for a place to go?
You could jump onto pyruvate,
But if you want to reach a lower energy state,
Why don't you come on down the electron transport chain
And take a downhill ride on this one-way train?
Oh, won't you come on down the electron transport chain?
It exploits delta G to make ATP.
ATP Synthase
http://www.science-groove.org/Now/Oxidative_lofi.mp3
written by Greg Crowther and Do Peterson
Greg Crowther: lead vocals, claps, tambourine
Lori DeGloria: lead and backing vocals
Do Peterson: lead and backing vocals, claps, drum, acoustic guitar, chimes, melodica, keyboard
Do you see the athletes run?
Do you see the children crawl?
Every soul beneath the sun --
Ox phos fuels them one and all.
You can't see inside their cells;
If you could, here's what you'd see:
Small cigar-shaped organelles
Synthesizing ATP.
Matrix protons get pumped out
To the intermembrane space.
Then they take an inward route
Through the ATP synthase.