Some Budding Yeast I USED TO GROW

This parody of Goyte was put together by some friends of mine from grad school. Not only is it highly entertaining, but it perfectly captures the way a lot of professors I know are feeling right now. I can hardly think of a more appropriate video with which to reboot Fun Science Friday.

Seeing Through God's Eyes

One of the pleasures of studying the physical world is perspective. When you work with molecules long enough, you gain a sense of scale. It’s a little like being Neo at the end of The Matrix - you catch a glimpse of the millions of 1s and 0s that make up your daily life.

I was recently reminded of this at a no-kids night at the California Academy of Sciences. If you haven’t been, San Francisco has done a truly amazing job with both the CAS and the de Young art museum directly opposite. The museum night was magical, with low lights, a DJ, and wet bar – the perfect way to experience science.

By the time we made it to the IMAX Planetarium show, I was perfectly buzzed. We flew out and looked down on the planet Earth and the International Space Station, and I felt like I was there. I knew this was the closest I’d ever be to orbiting the Earth, and for a whole lot cheaper.

Then we flew out farther, so we could see the entire solar system, and paused to watch the planets in their rotational orbits. It’s quiet out there in deep space, peaceful, beautiful. As a molecular biologist, I’m used to thinking in terms of nanometers – not millions of light years. We flew out further, seeing nebulae and galaxies in infrared spectra, like looking through the eyes of God. After the show, we strolled through a night reef, watching jellies with four perfect rings of fluorescent pink pulsate rhythmically.

Sometimes it’s hard, as adults who have been-there-done-that, to find an emotional connection to the universe. But if we're going to do science, we may as well enjoy it. And in the right setting, knowledge can open our eyes to fresh perspectives, and help us rediscover the child-like wonder that inspired us in the first place.

Can an Octopus change its spots?

Last time we talked octopus, I showed you a classic vid of an octopus changing color. Watching Planet Earth the other night, I noticed a little squid embryo performing the same trick. It got me wondering: how do they DO that?

Well it turns out people have been studying this. Here's a cute video of a baby octopus embryo doing the camouflage dance:

The 'chromatophores' in the title are specialized skin/pigment cells that are the key to the whole thing. Watch starting at 0:18, where you see individual cells. Inside each cell is a spot of color, like a floating drop of ink; the cell changes color by spreading out the spherical, 3-D droplet into a 2-D hexagon that fills the entire cell.

Humans don't have chromatophores, so we can't change color. Yet.

This ain't undergrad, it's as real as it gets

From the 2009 MCB Follies comes this parody of the Lonely Island's "I'm on a Boat." What's your favorite lyric?

They Might Be Scientists

Kids' music is where its at these days for quirky, creative rockers They Might Be Giants. Enjoy these vids from their new album, "Here Comes Science."

Tim Gunn is Iron Man

Maybe there's hope for us yet.

Really Beautiful People

The cast and set of Mad Men (3rd season starts tonight on AMC) are so good looking, I always come away feeling like I've got to install ivory handles on all my sinks. A short (spoiler-free) intro to the show's main characters so you can jump right in:

Betty Draper (left) - Don's sweet, elegant, gorgeous 1950's housewife. She lives only to serve.

Roger Sterling (below left) - good-natured heir to the agency, knows how to laugh and enjoy life.

Joan Holloway (front left) - sultry, stylish alpha secretary. When this redhead smiles, she gives Betty a run for her money.

Don Draper (center) - Mad Men's Ayn Rand-ian protagonist. The perfect man, he simply lives with no strings attached.

Peggy Olson (front right) - the agency's ambitious, creepy new girl. She's got more balls than the boys.

Pete Campbell (far right) - Mad Men's villain. Spoiled brat, alternatively admiring and jealous of Don.

Tune in to see watch these beautiful people every Sunday at 10PM/9C. Your eyes (and sinks) will thank you for it!

Funny Science

(c) The Onion, America's Finest News Source... Enjoy these links as well, courtesy of my laugh-happy brother:

Researchers Quietly Chuckling at Placebo Group

Studies Show Alternative Medicine Ineffective (American Voices)

Nice lead-in to our discussion about clinical trials!

Science tattoos!

Discover's Carl Zimmer seems to have realized that his biggest impact in 2+ years of blogging is the Emporium of Science Tattoos. He's put a link to the Emporium on his homepage. The tats are interesting because they show the human side of science workers, the love and devotion they have for their trade. A labmate of mine has a science tat on each ankle, one a little frog and another a DNA double-helix. Personally, I like this anglerfish. What's your favorite science tat?

The Science of Qigong

בן זומא אומר, איזה הוא חכם--הלמד מכל אדם

Ben Zoma says: Who is wise? He who learns from every man. (Avot 4:1)

Many American science bloggers are obsessed with disproving Chinese medicine, but good science is about data, not ideology. The jury is still out on Chinese medicine, as well as many conventional Western medical therapies, simply because experiments on people are prohibitively expensive and as a society we prefer to spend our money elsewhere (mostly guns). In fact, studies have vindicated certain alternative therapies, such as acupuncture for back pain, which is why they are covered by health insurance plans here in CA.

I've learned to keep an open mind about what's possible in the physical world. For this week's Fun Science Friday, I'll introduce you to John Chang, a master of the ancient Chinese art of Qigong. While I am dubious about his ability to light fires with his hands, I am intrigued by the possibility of sending electric shocks through the body. Brain and nerve cells throughout the body are inherently electric, and signal through instantaneous changes in voltage. With enough practice, it seems possible that a human being could focus these voltages to release energy or heat, like an electric eel.

Laser Protein Flashlight Blackout!

The weird pyramid you see in this movie is a cluster of DNA, about 1 % of a millimeter in diameter. The DNA itself is invisible (black), but it's coated with thousands of fluorescent DNA-binding proteins that I genetically engineered. You can think of these proteins as each having a tiny little flashlight; when they all bind to the DNA, they make it shine bright white. A second or so into the film, I zap the top region of the cluster with a highly focused laser beam. The proteins are still there, but the laser permanently disables their flashlights, resulting in a blackout over the zapped region:

You'll notice that this blackout is quite short - in fact, it's more like a brownout. How are the flashlights returning? The key is to understand that these flashlight-bearing proteins are not permanently bound to DNA. They are constantly coming on and off, too fast for the eye to see. In our case, the zapped proteins with dead flashlights are quickly being replaced by fresh proteins with functional flashlights. Using this method, we can measure the on/off rate of these proteins on DNA. This graph tracks the brightness of a zapped (blue) and an unzapped (olive) region over time; it takes about 30 seconds to fully replace all the proteins in the zapped region:

Your body may look stable, but experiments like this demonstrate that there is constant motion inside every cell, much faster than the eye can see. These experiments are also really fun because you get to fire a laser at a cell - it's kind of like playing a video game, only tinier and real.

Just don't call it a "Borg Arm"

TGIF! Amputees are not a fun topic, but "Luke Arms" like the one shown here promise to give them a piece of their lives back. Skip to 1:30 to watch the arm in action; it takes only a few hours of practice before an amputee can perform simple tasks.

Fun Green Science Friday: How to grow an avocado plant

I'm growing an avocado tree! I learned this trick from my mom when I was a kid. Basically, next time you eat an avocado, save the pit, stick 3 toothpicks in it, and rest it on top of a cup of water as described here. Put it on the kitchen windowsill. If your avocado pit is killer like mine, pretty soon you will have crazy roots and a plant like the one shown at left. (Change the water every couple of days. If you don't see anything after a week, start over with a fresh pit! Not all 'cados are created equal.)

Here's a pic of the gnarly roots from mine. You can see how the seed is now split in two after a few weeks of growth:

And doesn't my avocado tree look cool in this engraved pot I found lying around the garden?

Bottom line, this is a fun and easy nature activity that both kids and adults can enjoy. Happy planting!

"Back off, man. I'm a scientist."

In TV and movies, science is often portrayed as lacking a sense of humor. A notable exception is Ghostbusters - a comedy about four scientists studying the paranormal. It features perhaps the coolest nerd of all time, Egon, as well as the unforgettable Peter Venkman - a scientist so jaded he can't even believe it when his research turns out to be real.

IMDB has assembled a list of memorable Ghostbusters quotes. Check it out, you will enjoy it. I'm going to cut and paste a few of my favorites here.

*****************************

Man at Elevator: What are you supposed to be, some kind of a cosmonaut?
Dr. Peter Venkman: No, we're exterminators. Someone saw a cockroach up on twelve.
Man at Elevator: That's gotta be some cockroach.
Dr. Peter Venkman: Bite your head off, man.

Dana Barrett: You know, you don't act like a scientist.
Dr. Peter Venkman: They're usually pretty stiff.
Dana Barrett: You're more like a game show host.

Janine Melnitz: You're very handy, I can tell. I bet you like to read a lot, too.
Dr. Egon Spengler: Print is dead.
Janine Melnitz: Oh, that's very fascinating to me. I read a lot myself. Some people think I'm too intellectual but I think it's a fabulous way to spend your spare time. I also play raquetball. Do you have any hobbies?
Dr. Egon Spengler: I collect spores, molds, and fungus.

Gozer: [after Ray orders her to re-locate] Are you a God?
[Ray looks at Peter, who nods]
Dr Ray Stantz: No.
Gozer: Then... DIE!
[Lightning flies from her fingers, driving the Ghostbusters to the edge of the roof and almost off; people below scream]
Winston Zeddemore: Ray, when someone asks you if you're a god, you say "YES"!

Dr. Peter Venkman: Ray has gone bye-bye, Egon... what've you got left?
Dr. Egon Spengler: Sorry, Venkman, I'm terrified beyond the capacity for rational thought.

Dr. Peter Venkman: Alice, I'm going to ask you a couple of standard questions, okay? Have you or any of your family been diagnosed schizophrenic? Mentally incompetent?
Librarian Alice: My uncle thought he was Saint Jerome.
Dr. Peter Venkman: I'd call that a big yes. Uh, are you habitually using drugs? Stimulants? Alcohol?
Librarian Alice: No.
Dr. Peter Venkman: No, no. Just asking. Are you, Alice, menstruating right now?
Library Administrator: What's has that got to do with it?
Dr. Peter Venkman: Back off, man. I'm a scientist.

Be Amazing!

Thanks to the Avanator for tipping me off to this superviral video.

It's Called EpMotion

This music video combines elements from two previous Fun Science Fridays: an automated robot, and a researcher as intelligent as she is beautiful. Enjoy!