• Question: What is your favourite experiment that you have done? and why?

    Asked by yoyofab to Ben, Dave, Ed, Sam, Susana on 20 Jun 2013.
    • Photo: David Briggs

      David Briggs answered on 20 Jun 2013:

      There is a technique called “Isothermal Titration Calorimetry” or ITC for short.

      In ITC, we mix to molecules together that stick to each other and actually measure the heat absorbed/given off when they stick together – it’s like the worlds most sensitive thermometer – it’s really cool.

      I’ve used that for all sorts of things – how proteins stick to other proteins, or sugars – things like that.

    • Photo: Susana Teixeira

      Susana Teixeira answered on 20 Jun 2013:

      I tested the patterns that were coming out of people’s hair, when we aligned a good number of hairs into a bundle and put that in the beam. There was research published on the possibility of identifying a pattern that is present if people have breast cancer – it could be used to improve early diagnosis. It was such a simple, yet exciting experiment!

    • Photo: Sam Horrell

      Sam Horrell answered on 26 Jun 2013:

      We’ve been working on using X-rays to make a 3D reconstruction of a protein crystal on a sample mount. Kind of like a CAT scan at a hospital but for a crystal much smaller than 1mm. We’ve got some pretty cool looking images so far.

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