World Science Festival Videos

I See a Darkness: Perlmutter on Discovering Dark Energy

2012-02-06T15:21+00:00

In 1997, physicist Saul Perlmutter was studying supernova explosions in order to get a sense of how fast the universe was expanding. But what he and his team discovered was unexpected. Rather than slowing down, our growing universe seemed to be gaining momentum, as if something was putting energy into the whole system. Here, he explains just how he came to the conclusion that won him the 2011 Nobel Prize in physics.

Topics: The Cosmos, Insights,

Tags: astronomy, cosmology, physics, supernova

Mary-Claire King: Queen of the Blue Moon

2012-01-24T15:05+00:00

Every scientist has had a “once in a blue moon” discovery—an accident or epiphany that goes favorably for them. Geneticist Mary-Claire King has had four. From her early days discovering the link between chimpanzees and humans, her work reuniting kidnapped children to their grandparents through the use of mitochondrial DNA, and all the way to her discovery of BRCA1, the “breast cancer gene,” King’s work has not only been groundbreaking, but has changed the lives of countless people.
You can watch more clips featuring Mary-Claire King here

Topics: Life, Insights,

Tags: cancer, group-cancers last stand, pioneers in science

The Infamous Hand Injury

2012-01-23T16:00+00:00

Performance artist Andrew Dawson ends the night with the story of a roller derby player who shattered her middle finger in a fall. What followed was months of recovery, which included the insertion of bone from a cadaver to replace her shattered finger, and the retrospectively amusing social dilemma of having one’s middle finger constantly extended. The Articulate Hand is a media-rich, on-stage portrayal of patients whose peculiar impairments—physiological and neurological—provide stunning insights into just how we humans are wired, and how adaptable that wiring may be.
Warning: Contains explicit language
More from this series: The Articulate Hand

Topics: Life, Performances,

Tags: group-articulate hand, medicine, neuroscience, sports

The Importance of Feedback

2012-01-19T21:14+00:00

Due to a freak spinal infection, Ian Waterman lost all proprioception, his body’s sense of position in space, as well as all feeling. In order to do the everyday things we take for granted, he needs to watch his limbs and concentrate on his actions. In an interview, Waterman is asked to try to light a match with his eyes closed, which proves frustratingly difficult. Andrew Dawson presents The Articulate Hand, a media-rich, on-stage portrayal of patients whose peculiar impairments—physiological and neurological—provide stunning insights into just how we humans are wired, and how adaptable that wiring may be.
More from this series: The Articulate Hand

Topics: The Mind, Performances,

Tags: andrew dawson, biology, group-articulate hand, neuroscience

Ian Waterman’s Missing Body

2012-01-18T19:16+00:00

Ian Waterman woke up one morning and realized that his body was gone. In reality, it was still there, but Ian had lost all proprioception—the body’s awareness of positioning in space, often considered a sixth sense—from the neck down. Based on his collaboration with neurophysiologist Jonathan Cole, performance artist Andrew Dawson presents The Articulate Hand, a media-rich, on-stage portrayal of patients whose peculiar impairments—physiological and neurological—provide stunning insights into just how we humans are wired, and how adaptable that wiring may be.
More from this series: The Articulate Hand

Topics: Life, Performances,

Tags: andrew dawson, biology, group-articulate hand, neuroscience

The Articulate Hand: Debbie Graham

2012-01-17T22:24+00:00

When Debbie Graham was 23, she dove into a pool and broke her neck, mostly paralyzing her from the neck down. Thanks to the clever work of her doctors, she has regained some function. Narrated by herself, and portrayed by Andrew Dawson, Graham describes her unique new condition and the difficulties it presents. The Articulate Hand, a media-rich, on-stage portrayal of patients whose peculiar impairments—physiological and neurological—provide stunning insights into just how we humans are wired, and how adaptable that wiring may be.
More from this series: The Articulate Hand

Topics: The Mind, Performances,

Tags: group-articulate hand, hand, neuroscience

Eric Lander: The Genesis of Genius

2012-01-17T15:32+00:00

How did Eric Lander go from being an extremely talented and accomplished mathematician to making one of the most important contributions to the field of genetics? We take a look back at Lander’s life: a man described as “young, but in charge,” and eager to solve some of life’s great mysteries.
You can watch more clips featuring Eric Lander here

Topics: Life, Insights,

Tags: eric lander, genetics, mathematics, pioneers in science

Do You Want to Live Forever?

2012-01-11T21:38+00:00

What happens to life if you remove death? How do our decisions change when the “long term” becomes “indefinite”? These are the sort of things that one asks themselves when confronted with the prospect of immortality. ABC News correspondent Bill Ritter poses this very question to the distinguished panel.
More from this series: Longevity

Topics: Life, Looking Ahead,

Tags: biology, group-longevity, life, philosophy, politics

Longevity: Differences in Emphasis

2012-01-10T16:49+00:00

When you work in a highly experimental field, you’re bound to disagree with your colleagues now and then. Biomedical gerontologist Aubrey de Grey and evolutionary biologist Michael Rose banter playfully about their work—sharing the same goal, but taking different paths.
More from this series: Longevity

Topics: Life, Different Views,

Tags: biology, group-longevity, research

Using the Tools at Our Disposal

2012-01-09T16:04+00:00

Leonard Guarente, a molecular biologist, has a slightly different approach to the science of aging. He sees mechanisms for longevity all around him in sea anemones that don’t age or our own female eggs cells, which somehow start new life with an age clock reset to zero, despite existing in a woman’s body for her entire life. He suggests that researchers should leverage these existing mechanisms as they have already been shown to work.
More from this series: Longevity

Topics: Life, Insights,

Tags: biology, group-longevity