Browse Titles - 47 results
How Did the Three-Dimensional Structures of Proteins Evolve in Nature?
(Germany: Latest Thinking, 2017), 14 mins
Proteins mediate a vast array of functions in the body, like fighting invaders or transporting oxygen. Their remarkable properties are due to their three-dimensional structure which is acquired by a simple chain of molecules, a polypeptide, folding into a complex structure, the protein. This folding process is sti...
Open Access
(Germany: Latest Thinking, 2017), 14 mins
Description
Proteins mediate a vast array of functions in the body, like fighting invaders or transporting oxygen. Their remarkable properties are due to their three-dimensional structure which is acquired by a simple chain of molecules, a polypeptide, folding into a complex structure, the protein. This folding process is still not fully understood and hence also difficult to replicate in a laboratory. To learn more about how it works the research presented...
Proteins mediate a vast array of functions in the body, like fighting invaders or transporting oxygen. Their remarkable properties are due to their three-dimensional structure which is acquired by a simple chain of molecules, a polypeptide, folding into a complex structure, the protein. This folding process is still not fully understood and hence also difficult to replicate in a laboratory. To learn more about how it works the research presented by ANDREI N. LUPAS in this video looked into the evolution of folded proteins. By comparing protein sequences, they identified common ancestors and found simple processes, such as repetition, are instrumental in allowing these to yield folded proteins: By repeating peptides in molecule chains, the researchers managed to create polypeptides that folded into proteins with a high success rate.
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Field of Study
Science
Content Type
Instructional material
Date Published / Released
2017
Publisher
Latest Thinking
Speaker / Narrator
Andrei Lupas, 1963-
Person Discussed
Andrei Lupas, 1963-
Topic / Theme
Biology, Evolution, Chemistry, Scientific research
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2017 Latest Thinking
×
How Do Cells Form Compartments and How Is this Related to the Onset of Neurodegenerative Diseases?
(Hamburg, Hamburg State: Latest Thinking, 2017), 8 mins
Molecules in cells are not randomly distributed but form compartments that perform specific functions. A few years ago, scientists discovered that many of these compartments develop by the process of phase separation which results in liquid-like compartments. This is the case for stress granules – drops formed b...
Open Access
(Hamburg, Hamburg State: Latest Thinking, 2017), 8 mins
Description
Molecules in cells are not randomly distributed but form compartments that perform specific functions. A few years ago, scientists discovered that many of these compartments develop by the process of phase separation which results in liquid-like compartments. This is the case for stress granules – drops formed by the cell when it is under stress, e.g. from heat or chemicals. As ANTHONY A. HYMAN explains, it has been shown that the same proteins...
Molecules in cells are not randomly distributed but form compartments that perform specific functions. A few years ago, scientists discovered that many of these compartments develop by the process of phase separation which results in liquid-like compartments. This is the case for stress granules – drops formed by the cell when it is under stress, e.g. from heat or chemicals. As ANTHONY A. HYMAN explains, it has been shown that the same proteins that are associated with the formation of stress granules are also linked to neurodegenerative diseases. The research presented in this video followed the hypothesis that if the process of formation of stress granules goes wrong these proteins aggregate which leads to the onset of a disease. An in-vitro aging experiment confirmed this hypothesis and thereby suggests that finding a way to maintain the cell compartments in the liquid state might help in curing neurodegenerative diseases.
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Field of Study
Science
Content Type
Instructional material
Date Published / Released
2017
Publisher
Latest Thinking
Speaker / Narrator
Tony Hyman, 1962-
Person Discussed
Tony Hyman, 1962-
Topic / Theme
General medical conditions, Genetic engineering, Scientific research
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2017 Latest Thinking
×
How Do Climate Change Related Natural Disasters Potentially Increase the Risk of Armed Conflicts?
(Germany: Latest Thinking, 2017), 10 mins
There is an extensive discussion about the connections between climate change related disasters and armed conflicts like civil wars. JONATHAN DONGES explains in this video how the research team looked at this relationship in more detail. Their new approach connects natural disasters with large economic effects, po...
Open Access
(Germany: Latest Thinking, 2017), 10 mins
Description
There is an extensive discussion about the connections between climate change related disasters and armed conflicts like civil wars. JONATHAN DONGES explains in this video how the research team looked at this relationship in more detail. Their new approach connects natural disasters with large economic effects, potentially related conflicts as well as the socioeconomic contexts. The findings show that in countries with a high ethnical fractionali...
There is an extensive discussion about the connections between climate change related disasters and armed conflicts like civil wars. JONATHAN DONGES explains in this video how the research team looked at this relationship in more detail. Their new approach connects natural disasters with large economic effects, potentially related conflicts as well as the socioeconomic contexts. The findings show that in countries with a high ethnical fractionalization the likelihood of armed conflict related to natural disasters is particularly high. This relationship is surprisingly stronger than all other socioeconomic issues like poverty, inequality or the country’s conflict history. The study also reveals a particularly strong impact of heat waves and droughts on a potential armed conflict. The implications of this research call for a more synchronized approach of climate and security policies.
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Field of Study
World History
Content Type
Instructional material
Date Published / Released
2017
Publisher
Latest Thinking
Speaker / Narrator
Jonathan F. Donges, fl. 2013
Person Discussed
Jonathan F. Donges, fl. 2013
Topic / Theme
Economic development, Environmental policy, Armed forces, Natural disasters, Climate change
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2017 Latest Thinking
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How Do Insects Use Their Sense of Smell and How Does It Function?
presented by Bill S. Hansson, 1959- (Latest Thinking), 12 mins
Insects are very smell-dependent which makes them prime candidates for studying how the sense of smell works and how it influences behavior. In this video, BILL S. HANSSON describes how the research team studied the olfactory system of flies. Following the whole process from molecule detection and the reaction of...
Open Access
presented by Bill S. Hansson, 1959- (Latest Thinking), 12 mins
Description
Insects are very smell-dependent which makes them prime candidates for studying how the sense of smell works and how it influences behavior. In this video, BILL S. HANSSON describes how the research team studied the olfactory system of flies. Following the whole process from molecule detection and the reaction of the nerves to the outcome of behavior the researchers found a line in the fly's brain that identifies bad odors and leads the fly to av...
Insects are very smell-dependent which makes them prime candidates for studying how the sense of smell works and how it influences behavior. In this video, BILL S. HANSSON describes how the research team studied the olfactory system of flies. Following the whole process from molecule detection and the reaction of the nerves to the outcome of behavior the researchers found a line in the fly's brain that identifies bad odors and leads the fly to avoid these smells as they indicate something is toxic. Because the olfactory systems of all species work in a similar way, the findings can be used to draw conclusions to the human sense of smell.
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Field of Study
Science
Content Type
Instructional material
Author / Creator
Bill S. Hansson, 1959-
Date Published / Released
2017
Publisher
Latest Thinking
Topic / Theme
Insects
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2017 Latest Thinking
ORCID
0000-0002-4811-1223
×
How Do Planetary Systems Develop out of a Disk of Young Stars?
(Latest Thinking, 2017), 13 mins
Over the last two decades the discovery of planets outside our solar systems has enabled researchers to study how planetary systems form - the major question within the field of astronomy today. These planetary systems and the respective planets vary significantly from each other. In order to understand how these...
Open Access
(Latest Thinking, 2017), 13 mins
Description
Over the last two decades the discovery of planets outside our solar systems has enabled researchers to study how planetary systems form - the major question within the field of astronomy today. These planetary systems and the respective planets vary significantly from each other. In order to understand how these differences come about, the research presented in this video goes back to the birth sites of planets and investigates how they form out...
Over the last two decades the discovery of planets outside our solar systems has enabled researchers to study how planetary systems form - the major question within the field of astronomy today. These planetary systems and the respective planets vary significantly from each other. In order to understand how these differences come about, the research presented in this video goes back to the birth sites of planets and investigates how they form out of the gas and dust in the disk of young stars. THOMAS HENNING explains that, due to the small nature of the objects and the low mass of the disks, the researchers employed two complementary telescope technologies to reach the necessary spatial resolution and sensitivity. Combining this with numerical simulations and laboratory experiments, the research team was able to observe the growth process of planets and characterize the chemical composition of the disks. The results indicate that the variety in the molecular content of the diskstriggers diverse planet properties.
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Field of Study
Science
Content Type
Instructional material
Contributor
THOMAS HENNING, 1956-
Date Published / Released
2017
Publisher
Latest Thinking
Topic / Theme
Telescopes, Planets
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2017 Latest Thinking
×
How Does the Molecular Machine That Drives Energy Conversion in the Cell Membrane Work?
presented by Werner Kühlbrandt, 1951- (Latest Thinking), 10 mins
Cells need to convert the energy derived from food to perform functions like muscle contractions. A “molecular machine” in the cell membrane plays a key role in this process. It works like a rotor and converts one component into another. In this video WERNER KÜHLBRANDT describes how the scientists used state-...
Open Access
presented by Werner Kühlbrandt, 1951- (Latest Thinking), 10 mins
Description
Cells need to convert the energy derived from food to perform functions like muscle contractions. A “molecular machine” in the cell membrane plays a key role in this process. It works like a rotor and converts one component into another. In this video WERNER KÜHLBRANDT describes how the scientists used state-of-the-art electron microscopy to study the structure of this nanometer turbine down to the atomic level. The obtained data was then us...
Cells need to convert the energy derived from food to perform functions like muscle contractions. A “molecular machine” in the cell membrane plays a key role in this process. It works like a rotor and converts one component into another. In this video WERNER KÜHLBRANDT describes how the scientists used state-of-the-art electron microscopy to study the structure of this nanometer turbine down to the atomic level. The obtained data was then used to create a 3D model of the molecule. The surprising finding is the orientation of the rotor elements that goes against established knowledge of membrane molecule structure.
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Field of Study
Science
Content Type
Instructional material
Author / Creator
Werner Kühlbrandt, 1951-
Date Published / Released
2017
Publisher
Latest Thinking
Topic / Theme
Biology
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2017 Latest Thinking
ORCID
0000-0002-2013-4810
×
How Does the Presence of FLRT Proteins Influence Cortex Folding?
(Latest Thinking, 2017), 13 mins
RÜDIGER KLEIN and his research group are interested in the question of how newly born cells, so-called neurons, communicate with other cells during embryonic development and how this communication shapes the brain. During development, neurons explore their environment for the presence of chemical signals. One fam...
Open Access
(Latest Thinking, 2017), 13 mins
Description
RÜDIGER KLEIN and his research group are interested in the question of how newly born cells, so-called neurons, communicate with other cells during embryonic development and how this communication shapes the brain. During development, neurons explore their environment for the presence of chemical signals. One family of such chemical signals are called FLRTs. It is assumed that these FLRT proteins tell the neurons in which way to migrate from the...
RÜDIGER KLEIN and his research group are interested in the question of how newly born cells, so-called neurons, communicate with other cells during embryonic development and how this communication shapes the brain. During development, neurons explore their environment for the presence of chemical signals. One family of such chemical signals are called FLRTs. It is assumed that these FLRT proteins tell the neurons in which way to migrate from the inner to the outer layer of the cortex and, thereby, control cortex folding. As Rüdiger Klein explains in this video, the researchers manipulated genes of mice to find out how exactly this mechanism works. Their results suggest that there is an inverse correlation between the levels of FLRT and the degree of cortex folding: the less FLRT, the more folding we see. Their findings offer new insights into the mechanisms of the folding of the human brain.
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Field of Study
Science
Content Type
Instructional material
Contributor
Rüdiger Klein, 1958-
Date Published / Released
2017
Publisher
Latest Thinking
Topic / Theme
Psychiatry
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2017 Latest Thinking
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How Does The Recycling Process Within Eukaryotic Cells Work on a Molecular Level?
(Latest Thinking), 12 mins
The research presented in the video investigates how endosomes are able to transport material back to the cell surface in a process called recycling or endosomal exocytosis. In order to do so, endosomes have to have their own identity which is defined by a phosphoinositide, Phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate (PI3P)....
Open Access
(Latest Thinking), 12 mins
Description
The research presented in the video investigates how endosomes are able to transport material back to the cell surface in a process called recycling or endosomal exocytosis. In order to do so, endosomes have to have their own identity which is defined by a phosphoinositide, Phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate (PI3P). To deliver the material to the cell surface the endosomes have to get rid of their old PI3P identity and acquire a new identity that i...
The research presented in the video investigates how endosomes are able to transport material back to the cell surface in a process called recycling or endosomal exocytosis. In order to do so, endosomes have to have their own identity which is defined by a phosphoinositide, Phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate (PI3P). To deliver the material to the cell surface the endosomes have to get rid of their old PI3P identity and acquire a new identity that is characteristic of the plasma membrane such as PI4-phosphate (PI4P). VOLKER HAUCKE explains that understanding how this conversion of phosphoitnositide identities occurs is important to understand communication within a cell and how it may be related to diseases.
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Field of Study
Science
Content Type
Instructional material
Date Published / Released
2017
Publisher
Latest Thinking
Topic / Theme
Biology
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2017 Latest Thinking
×
How Is Cross-Talk Between Calcium and Actin Cytoskeleton Involved in Memory Formation?
(Latest Thinking), 8 mins
How are memories formed and stored in the human brain? This is the overarching question that leads MARINA MIKHAYLOVA’s research. As she explains, there are two important features of memory formation: plasticity and stability of dendritic spines, small protrusions where synapses are formed. Activity-dependent rem...
Open Access
(Latest Thinking), 8 mins
Description
How are memories formed and stored in the human brain? This is the overarching question that leads MARINA MIKHAYLOVA’s research. As she explains, there are two important features of memory formation: plasticity and stability of dendritic spines, small protrusions where synapses are formed. Activity-dependent remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton in dendritic spines is essential for synaptic plasticity. This process is triggered by a signal sent...
How are memories formed and stored in the human brain? This is the overarching question that leads MARINA MIKHAYLOVA’s research. As she explains, there are two important features of memory formation: plasticity and stability of dendritic spines, small protrusions where synapses are formed. Activity-dependent remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton in dendritic spines is essential for synaptic plasticity. This process is triggered by a signal sent from the connected neuron, which results in a calcium influx into the spine. The specific question presented in this video is how initial calcium influx into dendritic spines is connected to actin reorganization. To answer this question the researchers proposed that synapses would need to sense the calcium concentrations. They found that neuronal calcium binding protein caldendrin and filamentous actin-binding protein cortactin are orchestrating direct translation of the initial calcium influx into coordinated rearrangement of spinous actinfilaments at the nanoscale in dendritic spines. This novel mechanism could be essential in understanding the pathology of certain synaptic diseases, such as schizophrenia.
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Field of Study
Science
Publisher
Latest Thinking
Topic / Theme
Brain, Biology, Memories
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2018 Latest Thinking
×
How Is Genetic Variance Maintained Through Sexual Selection?
(Hamburg, Hamburg State: Latest Thinking, 2017), 9 mins
How does sexual selection contribute to biodiversity on earth? ASTRID T. GROOT investigates this question using the example of moths. As she explains in this video, in many species, including moths, the most common individuals are chosen as mates and the ones that deviate away from the mean are selected against. F...
Open Access
(Hamburg, Hamburg State: Latest Thinking, 2017), 9 mins
Description
How does sexual selection contribute to biodiversity on earth? ASTRID T. GROOT investigates this question using the example of moths. As she explains in this video, in many species, including moths, the most common individuals are chosen as mates and the ones that deviate away from the mean are selected against. Following this principle, you would expect less and less variation but this is not the case. Thus, her research team examines how geneti...
How does sexual selection contribute to biodiversity on earth? ASTRID T. GROOT investigates this question using the example of moths. As she explains in this video, in many species, including moths, the most common individuals are chosen as mates and the ones that deviate away from the mean are selected against. Following this principle, you would expect less and less variation but this is not the case. Thus, her research team examines how genetic variance is maintained. They analyzed the mechanism underlying signal variation and response variation and questioned the general assumption that the average is always chosen over the extremes. After detailed behavioral analysis in the laboratory and the field they found that the signaling itself changes and that, indeed, the most common individuals are not always chosen. These findings add to a better understanding of how sexual selection and its evolution might drive diversity.
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Field of Study
Science
Content Type
Instructional material
Date Published / Released
2017
Publisher
Latest Thinking
Speaker / Narrator
Astrid T. Groot, fl. 2012
Person Discussed
Astrid T. Groot, fl. 2012
Topic / Theme
Biodiversity, Genetics, Scientific research
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2017 Latest Thinking
×