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"Matters of Scale" Part 2 - Biology and the Problem with Scale

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Big Questions - with Oxford Sparks
Audio Embed
Dr Sylvia MacLain talks about how water creates a problem when researching biology. Structures can be studied when they are in solid form, but approximately 60% of our bodies are made of water.
Proteins, essential for life, are especially problematic as their entire function is related to their structure, which is different in solution. This means that no-one has yet been able to work out how they fold into ordered structures.

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Episode Information

Series
Big Questions - with Oxford Sparks
People
Sylvia MacLain
Chris Lintott
Keywords
education
research
scale
water
biology
biochemistry
cells
protein folding
Department: Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences (MPLS)
Date Added: 08/10/2014
Duration: 00:11:03

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