Science/Technology videos
BK Channel A simulation of part of the BK channel showed that the mutated channel (right) was less flexible than the wild type channel (left). The mutation is an alteration of a single amino acid (green ball on right), but it affects the dynamics of the entire structural unit of which it forms a part. This unit's greater rigidity makes the channel easier to toggle open and closed, which means the verve cell can fire at undesirably high frequencies. (Yang, Junqui; Krishnamoorthy, Gayathri; Saxena, Akansha; Zhang, Guohui; Shi, Jingyi; Yang, Huanghe; Delaloye, Kelli; Sept, David; Cui, Jianmin, "An Epielpsy/dyskinesia-associated mutation enhances BK channel activation by potentiating Ca2+ sensing," Neuron, June 23, 2010.) Play >
2010/06/21
The Glass Transition An octopus-like instrument that will be slotted into an intense neutron beam at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory will allow physicist Ken Kelton to study one of the toughest problems in solid-state physics: how a liquid turns into a glass. Play >
2010/03/19
Secrets of Drought Tolerance in Moss Research reveals the biological mechanisms that allow desiccated mosses to revive if they are remoistened; mechanisms they may have inherited from the earliest land plants. Play >
2010/02/03
The Lycurgus Cup Lycurgus, King of the Edoni in Thrace, is ensnared by the nymph Ambrosia in the form of a vine. The famous Roman cup looks green when lit from outsid, but glows pink when lit from the inside. Modern analysis shows the ancient glass contains nanoparticles of a silver-gold alloy that scatters light strongly at a wavelength in the green part of the spectrum. When the cup is lit from inside, however, the green light is absorbed, and we see the remaining light, which is predominantly red, the complementary color to green. Gold nanocages made at Washington University in St. Louis exploit the physical effect that underlies the cup's color change. For high resolution images of the cup, please go to the British Museum site: http://www.britishmuseum.org Play >
2009/11/03
Washington University neuroscience doctoral students explain the brain Neuroscience doctoral students from Washington University in St. Louis teamed up with the St. Louis Science Center recently to help St. Louis children and their parents explore the wonders of brain science. The students, all pursuing their P-H-Ds in areas such as neuroscience, psychology or biomedical engineering at Washington University, are part of a specialized neuroscience research training program funded in part by the National Science Foundation. The Cognitive, Computational and Systems Neuroscience Pathway (CCSN) brings together doctoral students from the University's schools of medicine, engineering and arts and sciences for a specialized two-year course of study that combines the latest in neuroscience knowledge from each of the three disciplines, including a heavy emphasis the quantitative analysis necessary to bring brain research to the next level. The CCSN program grant includes a community outreach component that's designed to help graduates become more comfortable communicating the basics of neuroscience research to non-scientific audiences, such as those attending the recent SciFest at the St. Louis Science Center, which took place Oct. 7-11. Play >
2009/10/21
Browse videos by category
Media assistance
Clark Bowen
Multimedia News Producer
(314) 935-8657
