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| THE MATERIAL WORLD
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| | | Quentin Cooper reports on developments across the sciences. Each week scientists describe their work, conveying the excitement they feel for their research projects.
material.world@bbc.co.uk | | | | | LISTEN AGAIN 30 min | | | |
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"For me science isn't a subject, it's a perspective. There are fascinating scientific aspects to everything from ancient history to the latest gadgets, outer space to interior decorating; and each week on The Material World we try to reflect the excitement, ideas, uncertainties, collisions and collaborations as science continues its never-ending voyage into the unknown".
Quentin Cooper |
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BIOGRAPHY
INTERVIEW |
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Quasars
Astronomers have discovered three of the oldest, most distant objects yet found in the universe. Quasars (from quasi stellar object) are distant galaxies thought to be powered by black holes. The universe is thought to be 14 billion years old and these objects are about 13 billion light years away so they can tell us about the origins of the universe and get us close to the Big Bang.
Quentin Cooper speaks to Dr Michael Strauss from Princeton University in the United Statesand Dr Richard McMahon from the Institute of Astronomy at Cambridge to find out more about these galactic dinosaurs.
Protein Folding
What could detecting pollution in murky water have in common with diseases such as Alzheimers, Creutzfeldt-Jacob and cystic fibrosis? The answer lies in the way in which proteins contort themselves into different shapes – known as protein folding.
Proteins are fundamental components of all living cells and the shape they are in is crucial to the particular job they do in our bodies. When exposed to particular chemicals proteins respond by dramatically changing their shape, going from a flat layer to helical twist. Scientists are using this phenomenon as a new way of detecting and measuring river pollutants. By directing light from a small laser onto a surface coated with the proteins and detecting the direction the light shines back – scientists can detect the smallest amounts of water pollutant instantly by the riverside. This means there is no need for to go back to the lab for costly tests where water samples might get contaminated in transit, they can also instantly shut down a plant or factory that is the cause of the pollution problem. This technique, called Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) might be a useful tool for trying to understand more about diseases like Alzheimers, Cystic Fibrosis and Creutzfield Jacob disease which are all thought to result from abnormalities of protein folding.
Quentin Cooper speaks to Professor David Russell from the University of East Anglia who is researching this technique to detect water pollution and to Dr Jane Clarke from the Cambridge University Chemical Laboratory who is looking at the mechanisms of protein folding. | | |
RELATED LINKS
Sloan Digital Sky Survey
Richard McMahon
Michael Strauss
Surface Plasmon Resonance
Unravelling the mystery of Protein Folding - Article
Professor David Russell
Dr. Jane Clarke
BBCi Science
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