Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences, Kyoto University (iCeMS)
iCeMS Learning Lounge
The "Learning Lounge" features young scientists who, in 20 minutes deliver a presentation that will persuade any curious listener, even those without a scientific background, why their research area -- not just the personal research of the speaker -- is important to the world.
iCeMS Learning Lounge #3 - October 21, 2015
Talk 1
Dr Aya Sato-Carlton (iCeMS Peter Carlton Lab)
How Is Your DNA Passed Onto Your Children?
When we generate sperm or eggs, we package only half of our DNA strands into each sperm or egg cell. How are DNA molecules controlled in such a precise manner? I will show how DNA molecules are handled during this cell division, passing your genetic information onto your children.
Human eyes work well in bright sunlight, and they enable us to quickly see tiny dust specks as well as huge mountains in full color. However, under the darkness of night, they hardly help at all. Nonetheless, there exist animals, e.g., snakes, whose "eyes" are sensitive to infrared radiation emitted from their prey, enabling them to hunt in the dark. Here, I will show how humankind has made invisible worlds visible by developing laser radiation devices that go far beyond what sunlight can reveal.
Dr Ganesh Pandian Namasivayam (iCeMS Hiroshi Sugiyama Lab)
Nature-inspired Cure for the Incurable--Coming Soon?
We often see on the daily news that a recent scientific discovery has brought us one step
closer to the cure for diseases considered incurable. But how c lose are we? Join us to
have a closer look at the need to de velop nature-inspired therapeutic strategies for
speeding up the journey toward sustainable cures for complex diseases.
Do you know!? Though heart diseases are one of the most common causes of death
worldwide, most people do not know what heart diseases are, or how they are treated.
Here I will present what happens to your heart during a heart attack, and how AEDs and
implantable cardiac pacemakers help you to stay alive.
Away from the lengthy, costly, and failure-prone animal models, novel ways are needed to study the physiology, the causes of diseases, and the responses to drugs and chemicals of whole living systems. Here I will introduce a potentially disruptive solution for recreating these fundamental phenomena in a single micro-device: the 'Body on a Chip'.
What Did You Eat Yesterday? -- How to Manage Your Cholesterol
What did you eat yesterday? Steak, hamburger, fried chicken, ice cream...
Often you are reminded, from the TV or your mother, how bad you are for eating such cholesterol-rich foods. Yet, cholesterol is an indispensable component of your body, whose concentration is elaborately regulated. Here, I will present how 'good' cholesterol (HDL) is invaluable in preventing heart disease and extending your good health.
