Discovering the Secrets of Life: a Summary Report on the Archive For
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Measurement and Interpretation of Diffuse Scattering in X-Ray Diffraction for Macromolecular Crystallography
Measurement and Interpretation of Diffuse Scattering in X-Ray Diffraction for Macromolecular Crystallography Workshop at the 2017 NSLS-II and CFN Users’ Meeting, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, May 15, 2017 Organizers: Michael Wall, [email protected] (LANL), Robert Sweet, [email protected] (NSLS-II, BNL), Nozomi Ando, [email protected] (Princeton University), James S. Fraser, [email protected] (University of California, San Francisco), George N. Phillips, Jr., [email protected] (Rice University) X-ray diffraction from macromolecular crystals includes both sharply peaked Bragg reflections and diffuse intensity between the peaks. The information in Bragg scattering reflects the mean electron density in the unit cells of the crystal. The diffuse scattering arises from correlations in the variations of electron density that may occur from one unit cell to another, and therefore contains information about collective motions in proteins. Leading researchers in diffuse scattering gathered May 15, 2017 for a one-day workshop at the NSLS-II Users’ Meeting. A major focus of the workshop was to provide a roadmap to the acquisition of reliable data by surveying measurement methods and discussing the increase in measurement accuracy enabled by improved detectors, experimental methods, and data integration. Another major focus was to survey examples of information that can be extracted about the behavior of biomolecules that would guide the thinking of biochemists and biologists. A number of talks addressed the measurement of diffuse-scattering data and advances in the modeling of the data in terms of conformational variation. Below we give a short synopsis of each talk, and at the end an analysis of the results of the workshop in total. -
Cambridge's 92 Nobel Prize Winners Part 2 - 1951 to 1974: from Crick and Watson to Dorothy Hodgkin
Cambridge's 92 Nobel Prize winners part 2 - 1951 to 1974: from Crick and Watson to Dorothy Hodgkin By Cambridge News | Posted: January 18, 2016 By Adam Care The News has been rounding up all of Cambridge's 92 Nobel Laureates, celebrating over 100 years of scientific and social innovation. ADVERTISING In this installment we move from 1951 to 1974, a period which saw a host of dramatic breakthroughs, in biology, atomic science, the discovery of pulsars and theories of global trade. It's also a period which saw The Eagle pub come to national prominence and the appearance of the first female name in Cambridge University's long Nobel history. The Gender Pay Gap Sale! Shop Online to get 13.9% off From 8 - 11 March, get 13.9% off 1,000s of items, it highlights the pay gap between men & women in the UK. Shop the Gender Pay Gap Sale – now. Promoted by Oxfam 1. 1951 Ernest Walton, Trinity College: Nobel Prize in Physics, for using accelerated particles to study atomic nuclei 2. 1951 John Cockcroft, St John's / Churchill Colleges: Nobel Prize in Physics, for using accelerated particles to study atomic nuclei Walton and Cockcroft shared the 1951 physics prize after they famously 'split the atom' in Cambridge 1932, ushering in the nuclear age with their particle accelerator, the Cockcroft-Walton generator. In later years Walton returned to his native Ireland, as a fellow of Trinity College Dublin, while in 1951 Cockcroft became the first master of Churchill College, where he died 16 years later. 3. 1952 Archer Martin, Peterhouse: Nobel Prize in Chemistry, for developing partition chromatography 4. -
Physics Today - February 2003
Physics Today - February 2003 Rosalind Franklin and the Double Helix Although she made essential contributions toward elucidating the structure of DNA, Rosalind Franklin is known to many only as seen through the distorting lens of James Watson's book, The Double Helix. by Lynne Osman Elkin - California State University, Hayward In 1962, James Watson, then at Harvard University, and Cambridge University's Francis Crick stood next to Maurice Wilkins from King's College, London, to receive the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their "discoveries concerning the molecular structure of nucleic acids and its significance for information transfer in living material." Watson and Crick could not have proposed their celebrated structure for DNA as early in 1953 as they did without access to experimental results obtained by King's College scientist Rosalind Franklin. Franklin had died of cancer in 1958 at age 37, and so was ineligible to share the honor. Her conspicuous absence from the awards ceremony--the dramatic culmination of the struggle to determine the structure of DNA--probably contributed to the neglect, for several decades, of Franklin's role in the DNA story. She most likely never knew how significantly her data influenced Watson and Crick's proposal. Franklin was born 25 July 1920 to Muriel Waley Franklin and merchant banker Ellis Franklin, both members of educated and socially conscious Jewish families. They were a close immediate family, prone to lively discussion and vigorous debates at which the politically liberal, logical, and determined Rosalind excelled: She would even argue with her assertive, conservative father. Early in life, Rosalind manifested the creativity and drive characteristic of the Franklin women, and some of the Waley women, who were expected to focus their education, talents, and skills on political, educational, and charitable forms of community service. -
DICTIONARY of the HISTORY of SCIENCE Subject Editors
DICTIONARY OF THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE Subject Editors Astronomy Michael A. Hoskin, Churchill College, Cambridge. Biology Richard W. Burkhardt, Jr, Department of History, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Chemistry William H. Brock, Victorian Studies Centre, University of Leicester. Earth sciences Roy Porter, W ellcome Institute for the History of Medicine, London. Historiography Steven Shapin, & sociology Science Studies Unit, of science University of Edinburgh. Human Roger Smith, sciences Department of History, University of Lancaster. Mathematics Eric J. Aiton, Mathematics Faculty, Manchester Polytechnic. Medicine William F. Bynum, W ellcome Institute for the History of Medicine, London. Philosophy Roy Bhaskar, of science School of Social Sciences, University of Sussex. Physics John L. Heilbron, Office for History of Science & Technology, University of California, Berkeley. DICTIONARY OF THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE edited by W.EBynum E.J.Browne Roy Porter M © The Macmillan Press Ltd 1981 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1981 978-0-333-29316-4 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without permission. First published 1981 by THE MACMILLAN PRESS LTD London and Basingstoke Associated Companies throughout the world. ISBN 978-1-349-05551-7 ISBN 978-1-349-05549-4 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-05549-4 Typeset by Computacomp (UK) Ltd, Fort William, Scotland Macmillan Consultant Editor Klaus Boehm Contents Introduction vii Acknowledgements viii Contributors X Analytical table of contents xiii Bibliography xxiii Abbreviations xxxiv Dictionary Bibliographical index 452 Introduction How is the historical dimension of science relevant to understanding its place in our lives? It is widely agreed that our present attitudes and ideas about religion, art, or morals are oriented the way they are, and thus related to other beliefs, because of their history. -
Peptide Chemistry up to Its Present State
Appendix In this Appendix biographical sketches are compiled of many scientists who have made notable contributions to the development of peptide chemistry up to its present state. We have tried to consider names mainly connected with important events during the earlier periods of peptide history, but could not include all authors mentioned in the text of this book. This is particularly true for the more recent decades when the number of peptide chemists and biologists increased to such an extent that their enumeration would have gone beyond the scope of this Appendix. 250 Appendix Plate 8. Emil Abderhalden (1877-1950), Photo Plate 9. S. Akabori Leopoldina, Halle J Plate 10. Ernst Bayer Plate 11. Karel Blaha (1926-1988) Appendix 251 Plate 12. Max Brenner Plate 13. Hans Brockmann (1903-1988) Plate 14. Victor Bruckner (1900- 1980) Plate 15. Pehr V. Edman (1916- 1977) 252 Appendix Plate 16. Lyman C. Craig (1906-1974) Plate 17. Vittorio Erspamer Plate 18. Joseph S. Fruton, Biochemist and Historian Appendix 253 Plate 19. Rolf Geiger (1923-1988) Plate 20. Wolfgang Konig Plate 21. Dorothy Hodgkins Plate. 22. Franz Hofmeister (1850-1922), (Fischer, biograph. Lexikon) 254 Appendix Plate 23. The picture shows the late Professor 1.E. Jorpes (r.j and Professor V. Mutt during their favorite pastime in the archipelago on the Baltic near Stockholm Plate 24. Ephraim Katchalski (Katzir) Plate 25. Abraham Patchornik Appendix 255 Plate 26. P.G. Katsoyannis Plate 27. George W. Kenner (1922-1978) Plate 28. Edger Lederer (1908- 1988) Plate 29. Hennann Leuchs (1879-1945) 256 Appendix Plate 30. Choh Hao Li (1913-1987) Plate 31. -
Is It the First Use of the Word Astrobiology ? Author
Title : Is it the first use of the word Astrobiology ? Author : Danielle Briot Adress : Observatoire de Paris 61 avenue de l’Observatoire 75014 Paris France tel : 33(0)1 40 51 22 39 and 33(0)1 45 07 78 57 [email protected] running title : First use of the word Astrobiology ? 1 Abstract The research of life in Universe is a ancient quest that has taken different forms over the centuries. It has given rise to a new science, which is normally referred as Astrobiology. It is interesting to research when this word was used for the first time and when this science developed to represent the search for life in Universe as is done today. There are records of the usage of the word "Astrobiology" as early as 1935, in an article published in a French popular science magazine. Moreover this article is quite remarkable because its portrayal of the concept of the subject is very similar to that considered today. The author of this paper was Ary J. Sternfeld (1905 - 1980), who was ortherwise known as a poorly respected great pioneer of astronautics. We provide a brief description of his life, which was heavily influenced by the tragic events of the 20th century history, from Poland and France to Russia. He was a prolific scientific writer who wrote a number of very successful scientific books and papers. Keywords : History – Pioneers 2 1. Introduction The question of the life in the Universe, in relation with the question of the multiplicity of worlds, is very ancient and probably dates back to Greek philosophers. -
Crystal Vision Dorothy Hodgkin & the Nobel Prize “Few Were Her Equal in Generosity of Spirit, Breadth of Mind, Cultivated Humaneness, Or Gift for Giving
Crystal Vision Dorothy Hodgkin & the Nobel Prize “Few were her equal in generosity of spirit, breadth of mind, cultivated humaneness, or gift for giving. She should be remembered not only for a lifetime’s succession of brilliantly achieved structures. While those who knew her, experienced her quiet and modest and extremely powerful influence, learned from her more than the positioning of atoms in the three-dimensional molecule, she will be remembered not only with respect, and reverence, and gratitude, but more than anything else, with love. Let that be her lasting memorial.” Anne Sayre, in the Autumn 1995 Newsletter of the American Crystallographic Association Cover image © Emilio Segre Visual Archives/American Institute of Physics/Science Photo Library Letter from the Principal Dr Alice Prochaska, Somerville College Many remarkable woman scientists have passed through Somerville, but few rival Dorothy Hodgkin, whose path-breaking work in crystallography showed a mind not only attuned to high science but one also able to envision a crystal structure from the pattern made by its X-ray diffraction. Her ability to ‘see’ molecules such as cholesterol, penicillin, vitamin B and insulin transformed her field. 2014 sees the fiftieth anniversary of Professor Hodgkin’s Nobel prize. It is also the International Year of Crystallography, marking the 100th anniversary of Max von Laue’s Nobel Prize for Physics, awarded for his discovery that X-rays could be diffracted by crystals. That discovery underpinned Dorothy Hodgkin’s work. We are proud that Somerville supported her at a time when there was widespread opposition to married women pursuing academic careers. -
Reflections on the Historiography of Molecular Biology
Reflections on the Historiography of Molecular Biology HORACE FREELAND JUDSON SURELY the time has come to stop applying the word revolution to the rise of new scientific research programmes. Our century has seen many upheavals in scientific ideas--so many and so varied that the notion of scientific revolution has been stretched out of shape and can no longer be made to cover the processes of change characteristic of most sciences these past hundred years. By general consent, two great research pro- grammes arising in this century stand om from the others. The first, of course, was the one in physics that began at the turn of the century with quantum theory and relativity and ran through the working out, by about 1930, of quantum mechanics in its relativistic form. The trans- formation in physics appears to be thoroughly documented. Memoirs and biographies of the physicists have been written. Interviewswith survivors have been recorded and transcribed. The history has been told at every level of detail and difficulty. The second great programme is the one in biology that had its origins in the mid-1930s and that by 1970 had reached, if not a conclusion, a kind of cadence--a pause to regroup. This is the transformation that created molecular biology and latter-day biochemistry. The writing of its history has only recently started and is beset with problems. Accounting for the rise of molecular biology began with brief, partial, fugitive essays by participants. Biographies have been written of two, of the less understood figures in the science, who died even as the field was ripening, Oswald Avery and Rosalind Franklin; other scientists have wri:tten their memoirs. -
Photograph 51, by Rosalind Franklin (1952) [1]
Published on The Embryo Project Encyclopedia (https://embryo.asu.edu) Photograph 51, by Rosalind Franklin (1952) [1] By: Hernandez, Victoria Keywords: X-ray crystallography [2] DNA [3] DNA Helix [4] On 6 May 1952, at King´s College London in London, England, Rosalind Franklin photographed her fifty-first X-ray diffraction pattern of deoxyribosenucleic acid, or DNA. Photograph 51, or Photo 51, revealed information about DNA´s three-dimensional structure by displaying the way a beam of X-rays scattered off a pure fiber of DNA. Franklin took Photo 51 after scientists confirmed that DNA contained genes [5]. Maurice Wilkins, Franklin´s colleague showed James Watson [6] and Francis Crick [7] Photo 51 without Franklin´s knowledge. Watson and Crick used that image to develop their structural model of DNA. In 1962, after Franklin´s death, Watson, Crick, and Wilkins shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine [8] for their findings about DNA. Franklin´s Photo 51 helped scientists learn more about the three-dimensional structure of DNA and enabled scientists to understand DNA´s role in heredity. X-ray crystallography, the technique Franklin used to produce Photo 51 of DNA, is a method scientists use to determine the three-dimensional structure of a crystal. Crystals are solids with regular, repeating units of atoms. Some biological macromolecules, such as DNA, can form fibers suitable for analysis using X-ray crystallography because their solid forms consist of atoms arranged in a regular pattern. Photo 51 used DNA fibers, DNA crystals first produced in the 1970s. To perform an X-ray crystallography, scientists mount a purified fiber or crystal in an X-ray tube. -
158273443.Pdf
Cover: A single cell from a mouse embryo, moving about on a glass slide. The cell was fixed and then stained with antibody to actomyosin, a contractile protein complexof muscle cells. The antibody was visualized by fluorescence, and its pattern revealed thatthe embryo cell contained actomyosin in sheaths, even though it was not a muscle cell. (Photo by B. Pollack, K. Weber, G. Felsten) ANNUAL REPORT 1974 COLD SPRING HARBOR LABORATORY COLD SPRING HARBOR, NEW YORK COLD SPRINGHARBOR LABORATORY Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island,New York OFFICERS OF THE CORPORATION Chairman: Robert H. P. Olney Secretary: Dr. Bayard Clarkson 1st Vice Chairman: Edward Pulling Treasurer: Angus P. McIntyre 2nd Vice Chairman: Arthur Trottenberg Assistant Secretary-Treasurer: William R. Udry Laboratory Director: Dr. James D. Watson Administrative Director: William R. Udry BOARD OF TRUSTEES INSTITUTIONAL TRUSTEES Albert Einstein College of Medicine New York University MedicalCenter Dr. Harry Eagle Dr. Milton R. J. Salton The City University of New York Princeton University Dr. Norman R. Eaton Dr. Bruce Alberts Columbia University The Rockefeller University Dr. James E. Darnell, Jr. Dr. Rollin Hotchkiss Duke UniversityMedical Center Sloan-Kettering Institute Dr. Robert E. Webster Dr. Bayard Clarkson Harvard MedicalSchool University of Chicago Dr. Charles A.Thomas, Jr. Dr. Robert Haselkorn Long IslandBiological Association University of Wisconsin Mr. Edward Pulling Dr. Julian Davies Massachusetts Wawepex Society Institute of Technology J. Knight Dr. HermanEisen Mr. Townsend INDIVIDUALTRUSTEES Dr. DavidP. Jacobus Colton P. Wagner Watson Mrs. GeorgeN. Lindsay Dr. James D. White Angus P.McIntyre Mrs. Alex M. A. Woodcock RobertH. P. Olney Mr. William WalterII. Page Honorary Trustees: Hollaender CharlesS. -
Max Ferdinand Perutz 1914–2002
OBITUARY Max Ferdinand Perutz 1914–2002 Max Ferdinand Perutz, who died on in the MRC Laboratory of Molecular 6 February, will be remembered as Biology, which has grown to house one of the 20th century’s scientific over 400 people. He published over giants. Often referred to as the ‘fa- 100 papers and articles during his re- ther of molecular biology’, his work tirement. Once asked why he didn’t re- remains one of the foundations on tire at 65 he replied that he was tied up which science is being built today. in some very interesting research at Born in Vienna in 1914, Max was the time. Until the Friday before educated in the Theresianum, a Christmas, he was active in the lab al- grammar school originating from most every day, submitting his last an earlier Officers’ academy. His paper just a few days before then. parents suggested that he study law Max’s scientific interests ranged far to prepare for entering the family beyond medical research. As a sideline, business, but he chose to study he also worked on glaciers in his chemistry at the University of youth. He studied the transformation Vienna. of snowflakes that fall on glaciers into In 1936, with financial support the huge single ice crystals that make from his father, he began a PhD at the Cavendish up its bulk, and the relationship between the mechanical Laboratory in Cambridge. Using X-ray crystallography he properties of ice measured in the laboratory and the mecha- aimed to determine the structure of hemoglobin. But the nism of glacier flow. -
Mathematical Virology Reidun Twarock
INFERENCE / Vol. 5, No. 3 Mathematical Virology Reidun Twarock ymmetry is ubiquitous in nature. It occurs in icosahedron from, 4, 8, and 20 equilateral triangles, respec- snowflakes, crystals, and molecules; and it is cen- tively. tral to our understanding of subatomic particles. Both the icosahedron and its dual, the dodecahedron, SAlthough the importance of symmetry in chemistry and possess icosahedral symmetry, and together they com- physics is widely appreciated, its significance in biology prise the largest rotational symmetry group in three is often underestimated. Viruses are notable examples of dimensions.3 Given a set of identical building blocks biological systems in which symmetry plays a pivotal role. under a repeating pattern of assembly, it is an icosahe- Mathematical techniques directed at understanding their drally symmetric shape that optimizes container volume. structure and symmetry have a transformative potential Since viruses are under selective pressure to package their both within virology and biology as a whole. genetic material efficiently, it is no surprise that evolution has forced their convergence to icosahedrally symmetric iral genomes are packaged in protein containers shapes. known as viral capsids. These containers function like Trojan horses, facilitating the release of the nlike other types of rotational symmetries in viralV genome into host cells and providing protection from three dimensions, icosahedral symmetry is non- host defense mechanisms between rounds of infection. In crystallographic: it is not possible to tessellate a their simplest form, viral capsids are less than 20 nano- Uthree-dimensional physical space using a single icosahe- meters (nm) in diameter and encapsulate short genomic drally symmetric shape without creating gaps or overlaps.