Khoa học hàng tuần/04 tháng 08, 2006
Tế bào học[sửa]
On Simulations of Cell Dynamics
Science is an iterative process of experiments and hypotheses. Experiments produce surprising results; hypotheses are created to explain the results; new experiments are designed to test the hypotheses, of which some agree, some fail without yielding useful information and some produce more surprises; and the cycle continues. As a field matures, knowledge grows and the hypotheses become more elaborate, eventually exceeding the limits of what a scientist can mentally grasp. This is where computational modeling becomes necessary, and where cell biology is today. Full report at http://scienceweek.com/2006/sw060804.htm
Tiến hóa[sửa]
On the Future of Darwinism
Many regard the Darwinian theory of evolution by natural selection as one of the most important and powerful theories of our times, in the good company of the general theory of relativity and quantum theory. What will be Darwin's legacy in the 21st century? Will new work be mainly confirmatory, or can we expect new breakthroughs? What constitutes a Darwinian way of thinking in biology, or more broadly in science? Full report at http://scienceweek.com/2006/sw060804.htm
Thiên văn học[sửa]
On Near-Field Cosmology
These are exciting times for astronomy and cosmology. On the one hand, we find that the main predictions of Big Bang inflationary cosmology are confirmed by observations of distant objects. On the other hand, nearby galaxies continue to surprise and inform us. In February 2006, a group of 50 scientists convened in Aspen, Colorado, to discuss what we are learning about cosmology from detailed observations of the nearest galaxies. Full report at http://scienceweek.com/2006/sw060804.htm
Sinh học cấu trúc[sửa]
On the Folding of Proteins
The three-dimensional structures of proteins govern their activity, yet we know far less than we would like to about how these molecules fold into shape. Proteins use an intricate network of weak, non-covalent interactions to acquire the folded state. Conventional wisdom states that protein folding is a highly cooperative process -- proteins are either completely folded or completely unfolded.
Full report at http://scienceweek.com/2006/sw060804.htm
Chúng ta đều biết rằng chính cấu trúc không gian ba chiều của protein đã quyết định hoạt tính của protein đó. Tuy nhiên, chúng ta vẫn còn chưa hiểu biết đầy đủ về cách thức những phân tử này tạo hình trong không gian. Các protein đã sử dụng một mạng lưới những tương tác yếu, không cộng hóa trị để đạt được trạng thái cấu trúc đúng. Những nghiên cứu hiện nay đều thống nhất cho rằng quá trình tạo hình cấu trúc là một cơ chế phối hợp chặt chẽ để quyết định protein sẽ được tạo hình hoàn chỉnh hay hoàn toàn không được cuộn gấp.
