Download PDF - Howard Hughes Medical Institute

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Q & A The portrayal of science in films often gets mixed reviews. What’s your favorite science-themed film and why does it appeal to you? From Jurassic Park to Contagion, a film’s scientific accuracy is often a hot-button topic. Here, four scientists share their top picks and, unlike movie critics, almost come to a consensus on an all-time favorite. — EDITED BY NICOLE KRESGE Simon W.-L. Chan HHMI-GBMF INVESTIGATOR Eugene W. Myers JFRC GROUP LEADER Lora V. Hooper HHMI INVESTIGATOR Konrad Hochedlinger HHMI EARLY CAREER SCIENTIST UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, DAVIS “I like the movie Gattaca. Although it came out in 1997, it seems prescient now that we are sequencing many human genomes. It’s an entertaining way to introduce ethical issues about personal genetic information. Plus, it was directed by a fellow Kiwi.” JANELIA FARM RESEARCH CAMPUS “I’m a sci-fi junkie—I’ll watch the worst stuff as long as it’s even remotely plausible. But there are many great films too, so it’s hard to pick a favorite. Blade Runner. Alien. Star Wars. Jurassic Park. Brazil. It’s mostly about the visuals and the mood created—the special effects, the technology, and the feeling of being transported to another world. But the film that intrigued me the most was Gattaca. While it was a dud in terms of special effects and acting (sorry Ethan and Uma), it hit incredibly close to home. Not only was the movie’s thesis plausible, but I think it’s just around the corner. I wonder if the audience realized it!” UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER AT DALLAS “One of my favorite sciencethemed films is the 1997 movie Contact. Jodie Foster did an excellent job portraying a heroic radio scientist on a lonely search for extraterrestrial intelligence. This is a rare example of a film in which the lead character is a sympathetically portrayed female scientist, and for that reason this remains one of my favorites.” MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL “I would pick Gattaca as my favorite science [fiction] movie because it is based on a real scientific discovery— preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD)—which is widely used to screen embryos for potential genetic defects. Given that this method is abused by some people to prescreen embryos for a desired gender, the possibility of misusing PGD to select for other traits unrelated to disease raises interesting ethical, legal, and societal questions. That made me think a lot while I watched this movie.” Chan: Steve Yeater / AP, ©HHMI Hochedlinger: MGH Photography Hooper: Amy Gutierrez / AP, ©HHMI Myers: Paul Fetters 36 HHMI BULLETIN | February 2o12
chronicle 38 SCIENCE EDUCATION Bones, Stones, and Genes 40 INSTITUTE NEWS Short Films Make Evolutionary Biology Memorable / New Open Access Journal Gets Name and Editorial Team / International Early Career Awards Provide Connections and Funding 42 LAB BOOK How Much Is Too Much? / Protein Precision in the Brain / Now You See It, Now You Don’t 45 ASK A SCIENTIST How much energy does the brain use to perform different tasks? 46 NOTA BENE Seven HHMI Scientists Elected to <strong>Institute</strong> of Medicine / Bassler Wins L’Oréal-UNESCO Award At the base of the nasal cavity in some animals, two crescent-shaped structures sit enclosed in bony capsules. Each is packed with a network of neurons that travel directly to the brain. The structures make up the vomeronasal organ (VNO)—a specialized organ used by reptiles and most mammals to detect nonairborne scents, such as pheromones. When these chemical cues arrive at the VNO, they are recognized by specific receptors on the neurons. Scientists have figured out how the mouse VNO reacts to pheromones from both friend and foe. This image shows the neurons lighting up in response to a ferret’s scent. Surprisingly, the VNO is more sensitive to cues from predators than from other mice. To read more about this research, visit www.hhmi.org/bulletin/feb2012. Firstname Reprinted by Surname permission from Macmillan Publishers Ltd: Nature (478, 241–247), ©2011. February 2o12 | HHMI BULLETIN 37
Page 1 and 2: 4000 Jones Bridge Road Chevy Chase,
Page 3 and 4: february ’12 vol. 25 · no. o1 12
Page 5 and 6: president’s letter Fundamentals f
Page 7 and 8: Leah Fasten High-Tech Reboot Comput
Page 9 and 10: upfront 08 CHANGING CHANNELS Appeti
Page 11 and 12: Jing Wei challenge for us whether o
Page 13 and 14: IMAGINE THAT THE ONLY ROAD CONNECTI
Page 15 and 16: BORROWING TRICKS FROM PHYSICS, BIOL
Page 17 and 18: Jaosn Grow DNA strand. He could mea
Page 19 and 20: “It’s like trying to analyze a
Page 21 and 22: A hands-on scientist with a clear v
Page 23 and 24: stem cell biology, neuroscience—i
Page 25: Though Art Horwich has a full sched
Page 28 and 29: PART 2 OF 2: This article focuses o
Page 30 and 31: High school teachers need the hands
Page 33 and 34: WHERE DOES IT HURT? Researchers are
Page 35 and 36: Paul Fetters lightest touch hurts o
Page 37: Jeffrey Kieft has always been willi
Page 41 and 42: for human evolution from Africa to
Page 43 and 44: International Early Career Awards P
Page 45 and 46: Protein Precision in the Brain To
Page 47 and 48: ask a scientist Q How much energy d
Page 49 and 50: on cell fate patterning in the nerv

Download PDF - Howard Hughes Medical Institute

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?