Epic Quest Bio 12 of 140 files open
Epic Quest Bio · night shift

The case files

Every molecule on the “Have you seen this molecule?” posters has a file: the mugshots, the rap sheet, a film noir, and Keltar in the interrogation room. Spot a poster in the wild and scan it: signed-in players get +1 XP a sighting.

A frame from The Demon Job
A film noir · 31 minutes · every character a real molecule

The Demon Job

A detective made of water, a client who was the first molecule there ever was, and a demon who says he can sort for nothing.

Watch it →

first seen at 0:00
No. 138
KaiC clock protein
“The Old Man”
first seen at 2:31
No. 113
Helium hydride ion
“Helen”
first seen at 5:38
No. 120
Prestin
“Presto”
first seen at 7:12
No. 131
Pd12L24 sphere
“The Fat Man”
first seen at 8:51
No. 122
Molecular information ratchet
“The Demon”
first seen at 10:50
No. 116
MscS
“The Doorman”
first seen at 14:09
No. 123
Thorium monoxide
“The Professor”
first seen at 16:56
No. 136
Phi29 portal motor
“The Muscle”
first seen at 18:02
No. 126
Gas vesicle
“The Float”
first seen at 20:18
No. 132
Benenodin-1
“The Knot”

The exotic forty · Nos. 101–140

No. 101
Mo368 blue lemon
an inorganic molecule the size of a protein
SEALED
No. 102
Pentafoil knot
a molecule tied in a five-crossing knot
SEALED
No. 103
Helium dimer
“The Halo”
No. 104
Cyclo[18]carbon
a ring of pure carbon
SEALED
No. 105
Knotted protein UU089.1
a seven-crossing protein knot
SEALED
No. 106
CsgG
the biofilm exporter that now reads DNA for a living
SEALED
No. 107
Hypusine
the amino acid found in exactly one protein
SEALED
No. 108
Nickel-pincer cofactor
the first pincer complex ever found in an enzyme
SEALED
No. 109
Glucosepane
“The Staple”
No. 110
KRYPTONITE
the plant enzyme that keeps SUPERMAN in disguise
SEALED
No. 111
Matryoshka cluster
Platonic solids, nested like Russian dolls
SEALED
No. 112
Mobius nanobelt
the molecule with one side
SEALED
No. 113
Helium hydride ion
“Helen”
No. 114
Triangulene
predicted in 1953, made one molecule at a time in 2017
SEALED
No. 115
Oblin-1
the protein of a genome nobody knew was there
SEALED
No. 116
MscS
“The Doorman”
No. 117
Collagen IV sulfilimine
the first S=N bond found in biology, and why you need bromine
SEALED
No. 118
Molybdenum storage protein
a soil bacterium's molybdenum vault
SEALED
No. 119
Telomeric G-quadruplex
your chromosome ends, folded in fours
SEALED
No. 120
Prestin
“Presto”
No. 121
Dimolybdenum quintuple bond
two metals, five bonds
SEALED
No. 122
Molecular information ratchet
“The Demon”
No. 123
Thorium monoxide
“The Professor”
No. 124
Anti-Bredt olefin
the double bond the textbooks banned
SEALED
No. 125
Beta-flower protein
the fold nobody had seen until AlphaFold drew it
SEALED
No. 126
Gas vesicle
“The Float”
No. 127
Methyl-coenzyme M reductase
the methane maker, with a nickel heart and six strange amino acids
SEALED
No. 128
Cadmium carbonic anhydrase
the diatom that runs on cadmium
SEALED
No. 129
2-Nonenal
the smell of turning forty
SEALED
No. 130
HK97 capsid
the virus that wears chainmail
SEALED
No. 131
Pd12L24 sphere
“The Fat Man”
No. 132
Benenodin-1
“The Knot”
No. 133
Seaborgium hexacarbonyl
the heaviest element ever bonded to carbon
SEALED
No. 134
NanoKid
a molecule shaped like a person
SEALED
No. 135
Ice-nucleation protein InaZ
the protein that makes snow
SEALED
No. 136
Phi29 portal motor
“The Muscle”
No. 137
Nylonase
the enzyme whose food didn't exist before nylon
SEALED
No. 138
KaiC clock protein
“The Old Man”
No. 139
Gamma-crystallin
the protein older than you are
SEALED
No. 140
Hachimoji DNA
DNA with eight letters
SEALED

The hundred · Nos. 1–100

No. 1
Lycopene
the red in tomatoes and ketchup
SEALED
No. 2
Dimethyl sulfide
the smell of the seashore
SEALED
No. 3
Geosmin
the smell of rain on dry earth
SEALED
No. 4
Quinine
the bitter in tonic water
SEALED
No. 5
Melatonin
the hormone your brain makes in the dark
SEALED
No. 6
Delphinidin 3-rutinoside
the purple in blackcurrants
SEALED
No. 7
Vitamin B12
made only by microbes
SEALED
No. 8
Transfer RNA
the courier in every cell
SEALED
No. 9
Lysozyme
the enzyme in egg white, tears and snot
SEALED
No. 10
C-phycocyanin
the blue in spirulina
SEALED
No. 11
Caffeine
the buzz in coffee
SEALED
No. 12
Methyl anthranilate
the grape in grape jelly
SEALED
No. 13
Raffinose
why beans make you gassy
SEALED
No. 14
Astaxanthin
the red in a cooked lobster
SEALED
No. 15
Capsaicin
the burn in hot sauce
SEALED
No. 16
Vanillin
the vanilla in vanilla
SEALED
No. 17
DNA
the instructions in every strawberry
SEALED
No. 18
Sucrose
the sweet in maple syrup
SEALED
No. 19
Peonidin 3-galactoside
the red in cranberries
SEALED
No. 20
Cinnamaldehyde
the cinnamon in pumpkin spice
SEALED
No. 21
Menthol
the cold in peppermint
SEALED
No. 22
Carvone
spearmint, whose mirror twin smells of caraway
SEALED
No. 23
Theobromine
the dark in dark chocolate
SEALED
No. 24
Propanethial S-oxide
the tears when you chop an onion
SEALED
No. 25
Myoglobin
the red juice in a rare steak (it isn't blood)
SEALED
No. 26
Allicin
the bite in crushed garlic
SEALED
No. 27
Isoamyl acetate
the banana in banana candy
SEALED
No. 28
2-Acetyl-1-pyrroline
the smell of popcorn and fresh bread
SEALED
No. 29
Piperine
the bite in black pepper
SEALED
No. 30
Bixin
the orange in annatto seeds
SEALED
No. 31
Vitamin D3
the sunshine vitamin
SEALED
No. 32
Trimethylamine N-oxide
what keeps deep-sea fish in shape
SEALED
No. 33
Alpha-pinene
the smell of a Christmas tree
SEALED
No. 34
Methyl salicylate
the smell of wintergreen
SEALED
No. 35
Tryptophan
not why you're sleepy after Thanksgiving
SEALED
No. 36
Collagen
the wobble in gelatin dessert
SEALED
No. 37
Green fluorescent protein
the glow in a jellyfish
SEALED
No. 38
Cas9
the CRISPR scissors of yogurt bacteria
SEALED
No. 39
Rubisco
the most abundant protein on Earth
SEALED
No. 40
Chlorophyll a
the green in leaves
SEALED
No. 41
Beta-carotene
the orange in carrots
SEALED
No. 42
Curcumin
the yellow in turmeric
SEALED
No. 43
6-Gingerol
the heat in fresh ginger
SEALED
No. 44
Eugenol
the smell of cloves (and the dentist's office)
SEALED
No. 45
Limonene
the smell of orange peel
SEALED
No. 46
Nootkatone
the smell of grapefruit peel
SEALED
No. 47
Furaneol
the sweet smell of pineapple and strawberries
SEALED
No. 48
Hydroxy-alpha-sanshool
the tingle in Sichuan pepper
SEALED
No. 49
Allyl isothiocyanate
the kick in mustard and horseradish
SEALED
No. 50
Sulforaphane
the booby trap in broccoli sprouts
SEALED
No. 51
Asparagusic acid
why asparagus changes your pee
SEALED
No. 52
Indole
jasmine in a whisper, poop in a shout
SEALED
No. 53
Ethylene
the gas that ripens fruit
SEALED
No. 54
Carbon dioxide
the fizz in seltzer
SEALED
No. 55
Urobilin
the yellow in pee
SEALED
No. 56
Cortisol
the stress hormone
SEALED
No. 57
Taurine
named after a bull
SEALED
No. 58
Creatine
your muscles' backup battery
SEALED
No. 59
Trehalose
the sugar that helps tardigrades come back to life
SEALED
No. 60
Glycine
the sweet in scallops
SEALED
No. 61
Ethyl formate
vinegar, and the middle of the galaxy
SEALED
No. 62
Buckminsterfullerene
a soccer ball made of carbon
SEALED
No. 63
Glutamic acid
the savory in Parmesan
SEALED
No. 64
Citric acid
the sour in lemons
SEALED
No. 65
Vitamin C
the C in orange juice
SEALED
No. 66
Riboflavin
the yellow that glows in energy drinks
SEALED
No. 67
Lactose
the sugar in milk
SEALED
No. 68
Lactic acid
the tang in sourdough
SEALED
No. 69
Fructose
the sweet in honey
SEALED
No. 70
Glycyrrhizin
the sweet in licorice root
SEALED
No. 71
Anethole
the licorice in fennel and anise
SEALED
No. 72
Rebaudioside A
the sweet in stevia
SEALED
No. 73
Mogroside V
the sweet in monk fruit
SEALED
No. 74
Carminic acid
the red that comes from bugs
SEALED
No. 75
Indigo
the blue in blue jeans
SEALED
No. 76
Crocin
the gold in saffron
SEALED
No. 77
Capsanthin
the red in paprika
SEALED
No. 78
Lutein
the yellow in egg yolks
SEALED
No. 79
Betanin
the red in beets
SEALED
No. 80
Epigallocatechin gallate
the dry in green tea
SEALED
No. 81
Humulone
the bitter in hops
SEALED
No. 82
Linalool
the smell of lavender
SEALED
No. 83
Geraniol
the smell of roses
SEALED
No. 84
Thymol
the smell of thyme (and mouthwash)
SEALED
No. 85
Camphor
the cool in chest rub
SEALED
No. 86
Cuminaldehyde
the smell of cumin
SEALED
No. 87
Oleic acid
the oil in olive oil
SEALED
No. 88
Cholesterol
the stiffener in every cell membrane
SEALED
No. 89
Phosphatidylcholine
what holds mayonnaise together
SEALED
No. 90
Beta-lactoglobulin
the protein in whey shakes
SEALED
No. 91
Papain
the meat tenderizer in papaya
SEALED
No. 92
Actinidin
why kiwi stops gelatin from setting
SEALED
No. 93
Catalase
why peroxide fizzes on a cut
SEALED
No. 94
Salivary amylase
starts digesting crackers before you swallow
SEALED
No. 95
Antifreeze protein
keeps winter flounder from freezing
SEALED
No. 96
Hemocyanin
the blue in horseshoe crab blood
SEALED
No. 97
Nucleosome
the spool your DNA is wound on
SEALED
No. 98
Alpha-hemolysin
the first protein nanopore to read DNA
SEALED
No. 99
Firefly luciferin
the glow in a firefly
SEALED
No. 100
Ribosome
the machine that builds every protein
SEALED