T1 Flashcards
Who was Erwin Schrödinger?
Austrian physicist, published a book called “What is Life? The physicalaspect of the living cell”. He made important contributions to Physics, Quantum Mechanics, including the famous Schrödinger equation, which leads the wave
function of a quantum-mechanical system.
What are the software and hardware of biological systems?
Biological phenomena can be understood from knowledge of the involved genes (software) and their encoded
proteins (hardware), the two central molecules of life. This generalization reflects molecular unity underlying biological diversity of living organisms.
Who discovered X-ray crystallography and Cryo-electron microscopy?
The discoverers of X-ray crystallography were Max Ferdinand Perutz and John Cowdery Kendrew.
The discoverers of the Cryo-electron microscopy were Jacques Dubochet, Joachim Frank and Richard Henderson.
What suggested Steven Pinker to learn science?
Steven Pinker: science is not made to be learnt by heart, instead of this, the best way
is to know how to apply it to explain the universe and to prove if the explanations are
true.
What suggested Ivan Yefremov to learn science?
What should be taught in school is the latest discoveries, not all of
them because a lot of time is lost learning past things that are not so important.
What suggested Albert Einstein to learn science?
You could say that you understand something when you are able to
explain it to your grandmother.
What is the impact factor of a scientific journal?
The Thomson Reuters impact factor of a journal in 2022 is calculated as follows:
A = number of cities in 2022 in all journals to articles published in journal X during 2021 and 2020
B = number of articles published in journal X during 2021 and 2020. Then the 2022 impact factor of journal X is A/B
What is the “h” index of a scientist and who proposed it?
A scientist has “h index” of X if X of his N articles have at least X citations each and the other N-X papers have ≤ X
citations.
The “h index” just takes into account your own articles.
What problem found Randy W. Schekman for the pressure to publish in journals of high impact factor?
Pursue trendy fields of science instead of doing more important work.
The problem was exacerbated by editors who were not active scientists but professionals who favor studies that were likely to make a splash.
What was the discovery of Roderik MacKinnon that deserved the Nobel Prize.
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2003 was awarded “for discoveries concerning “channels in cell membranes”, jointly with one half to Peter Agre “for the discovery of
water channels” and with one half to Roderick MacKinnon “for structural and mechanistic studies of ion channels”.
Indicate four hallmarks of Molecular Biology.
- Molecular unity underlies biological diversity. The central molecules of life are genes and proteins.
- Function of genes can be demonstrated by genetic modifications.
- Function of proteins can be analyzed at the atomic level by structural studies.
- Protein machineries execute chemical, mechanical, osmotic and regulatory works in cells.
Why did Max Planck consider in his time Physics as the only science and the rest as stamp collection?
Because he thought it was the only exact science, whose hypothesis could be tested and proved. Nevertheless, he said that in his time, chemistry and biology hadn’t been
developed yet.
Why, at present, Molecular Biology is a real science?
Because its hypothesis can be tested by genetic modification of organisms (transgenic organisms, GMOs) and by uncovering the atomic structure of proteins.
Why may Physiology be fantasy?
Conclusions extracted from correlations without demonstration of cause-effect relationships.
Why Biochemistry may be an artifact?
Extracts of cells, work “in vitro” may not be relevant “in vivo”; the story of the DNA polymerase of Escherichia coli is a good example: A. Kornberg isolated a DNA polymerase but later a mutant was isolated without the enzyme: the Kornberg polymerase was only a repair enzyme, not the one replicating the genome.
Why only Molecular Biology can prove hypothesis about the mechanisms operating in living cells?
By generating gain-of and loss-of-function (knock-out) mutants using Genetic Engineering and by analyzing protein machineries at the atomic level with X-ray crystallography or Cryo-electron microscopy.
Why are transgenic organisms in agriculture not accepted by the European Union?
This is due to an anti-science attitude of the European Union. Greenpeace is now the only scientific advisor of the European Union. (In the UK: Charles III)
How genetic modifications prove the physiological role of genes and proteins?
Genetic modifications prove physiological roles: loss of function (knock-out) identify genes and proteins that participate in the phenotype. Overexpression of genes identify rate-limiting steps.
Who was Anne Glover?
Anne Glover was a short-term Scientific Advisor of the European Union. She was an english scientific professor, but as she made a document in favor of transgenic organisms she was immediately fired (from the European Union).
What are the three steps of rational drug design?
- Identification of a protein responsible for the disease.
- Solving the atomic structure of this protein.
- Designing an organic molecule able to block the active site of the protein.
Who discovered the double helix of DNA and what were the personal problems and the famous sentence of the Nature paper?
The discovery of the double helix of the DNA was done by Rosalind Franklin,Maurice Wilkins, James Watson and Francis Crick.
In 1953, Watson and Crickpublished a crucial article containing a famous sentence: “It has not escaped our notice that the specific pairing we have postulated immediately suggests a possible copying mechanism for the genetic material” (basically the structure of the double helix explains the reproduction of the genetic material). The main problem is that it is difficult to understand why Watson and Crick did not include in their Nature paper Franklin and Wilkins as the X-ray data belonged to them.
Who discovered hydrogen bonds?
The H-bonds were discovered in 1954 by Linus C. Pauling together with Robert B. Corey. They were the first to recognize that H-bonds stabilize protein, alpha and beta
helixes, as well as DNA structures.
How hydrogen bonds are broken?
Hydrogen bonds are broken by high concentrations of formamide or urea (competition) and by strong acids and bases due to ionization. As well, in liquid water there are less H-bonds and they are broken and reformed dynamically. And they are also broken with high temperatures.
Who discovered the hydrophobic effect?
The hydrophobic effect was discovered by Charles Tanford
