Before a few days ago, I had no idea about the alpha glycosidic linkages of amylose. OK, who am I kidding, I still don’t really have any idea about the alpha glycosidic linkages of amylose.

If you know what I’m talking about, that’s probably because, A) you’re a professional chemist, or B) you’re taking the online Chemistry of Beer course offered at OU.

If your answer is B, you’re not alone. I had a visit from OU chemistry professor Mark Morvant this week and he told me that more than 7,000 students from more than 80 countries are taking part in the online course.

Though the course started Jan. 13, Morvant said there is still just a little bit of time to jump on the wagon before you fall too far behind. And he calmed my fears about one thing: Although the class is a 4000-level chemistry course, you don’t have to know about every alpha linkage to hang around.