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'Light' Part 3 - How does sunlight damage DNA?

Series
Big Questions - with Oxford Sparks
Audio Embed
Once we've received our genetic make-up from our parents our genomes are stable, right? What causes mutations in our DNA as we live and grow, and how do our cells repair damage?
We all know we should be careful when in the sun, but Prof Catherine Green's interests lie in understanding how Human cells manage to copy the enormous amounts of DNA they have without making mistakes and how they cope with threats; like sunlight. Cath describes what happens when DNA gets damaged and how her work seeks to understand the cellular machinery involved in copying and repairing DNA. She also discusses other threats and risks, how other animals protect themselves from sunlight and how understanding these processes better will help us understand disorders, everyone's risks and develop more targeted treatments.

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"Hidden Worlds" Part 2 - Robert Robinson’s chemical box

Edward Imrie and Dr Stephen Johnston Edward Imrie and Dr Stephen Johnston talk about a surprising discovery – a collection of boxes, originally containing chocolates and soap, now full of tiny chemical vials thought to date back to the 1930s.
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Big Questions - with Oxford Sparks

'Killers' part 2 - Keeping water flowing with smartphones

Water pumps are a lifeline for many communities in developing countries. But how can you monitor them all to know whether they're in working order? And can you collect data based on pump usage to provide useful insights into community health?
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Episode Information

Series
Big Questions - with Oxford Sparks
People
Catherine Green
Keywords
Medicine
cancer
molecular biology
biology
mutations
sunlight
dna damage
genome stability
research
science
experiments
treatments
Department: Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences (MPLS)
Date Added: 03/08/2016
Duration: 00:12:06

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