Chemical Education Today
Reports from Other Journals Nature by Sabine Heinhorst and Gordon Cannon The fact that two of the original articles by this even when the protein is made in various other organyear's Nobel laureates were published in Nature bears isms via recombinant DNA technology. By linking the witness to the pivotal role of this journal in documentgene for GFP to ing pioneering discoveries in all areas of science. The the DNA encodprize for Physiology or Medicine was awarded to immuing a protein of Biomimicry has been raised to a nologists Peter C. Doherty (University of Tennessee) and interest, GFP remarkable level with the Rolf M. Zinkernagel (University of Zurich, Switzerland), has found widehonoring work that, in the 1970s, laid the foundation for spread applica- report…of an artificial nose. our current understanding of the way in which our imtion as a "natumune system differentiates between healthy cells and ral" fluorescent marker that allows researchers to track virus-infected ones that are targeted for destruction (p the expression of these protein chimeras and probe their 465 in the October 10 issue of vol. 383). Three researchinteractions with other proteins by fluorescent microsers share the Chemistry award for their discovery of C60 copy. Other potential uses of GFP include studies of probuckminsterfullerenes. The work by Robert Curl, Richtein folding kinetics and modification of the protein's ard Smalley (both at Rice University), and Harry Kroto spectroscopic properties by selective changes in its amino (University of Sussex, UK) has led to a burst of new apacid sequence through site-directed mutagenesis. proaches to materials development and in carbon chemBiomimicry has been raised to a remarkable level istry (p 561 of the October 17 issue of vol. 383). This with the report in the August 22 issue (vol. 382, pp 697– year's Nobel prize in physics went to three U.S. research700) of an artificial nose. Walt and coworkers were able ers, Douglas Osheroff (Stanford University) and David to coat the ends of optical fibers with dyes and one of M. Lee and Robert C. several polymers that reRichardson (Cornell Univerversibly react with vaporsity), who were honored for phase organic compounds their work on superfluidity, a that act as scents. As the frictionless liquid state, of sutips of the fibers are expercooled 3He (p 562 of the Ocposed to scent-containing tober 17 issue of vol. 383). vapors, the dye/polymer In the context of Nobel mixtures fluoresce to difprize awards, another comferent intensities at given mentary might be of interest wavelengths, which can be and particularly useful to captured as a video signal those of us who teach courses at the opposite end of the for non-science majors. The light path. Since the conarticle in the August 1 issue, centration of the scent entitled “A Nobel Tale of Warrises, peaks, and then detime Injustice” by E. Crawford creases as the vapor is et al. (vol. 382, pp 393–395) moved past the multisummarizes evidence from reanalyte sensor end of the cently released documents of Schematic diagram of artificial nose. (Picture courtesy of Walt and light fiber, a complex spathe Royal Swedish Academy of Davidson.) tiotemporal signature is Sciences that sheds light on created for each "odor" the question why Otto Hahn alone was given the prize and passed to a neural network (Stuttgart Neural Netin chemistry for his discovery of nuclear fission, while work Simulator, version 3.2). Having been trained with contributions by his scientific collaborators Lise Meitner, the input signal from several different scent-containing Fritz Strassmann, and Otto Frisch were so obviously igvapors, the neural network is able to correctly identify nored. individual scents at different concentrations with astonOn the biochemistry/biophysics front, "Another ishing accuracy. Continuing work will certainly increase Green Revolution" by S. G. Boxer (October 10 issue, vol. the range of compounds that can be sensed and, as 383, p 484) summarizes recent advances in elucidating pointed out by the authors, such artificial noses potenthe relationship between protein structure and function tially have wide applications as environmental and mediin green-fluorescent protein (GFP), a bioluminescent procal monitors. Perhaps just as importantly, the device may tein from a jellyfish that, as its name suggests, emits shed light on the molecular mechanisms of the sense of green light. Interestingly, GFP does not feature a nonsmell. protein chromophore, and its light-absorbing entity is The seemingly never ending battle between hi-tech generated by autocatalytic oxidation of a short segment counterfeiters and legitimate owners of important docuof its polypeptide sequence, a process that takes place ments took an interesting turn with the report in the
Vol. 74 No. 1 January 1997 • Journal of Chemical Education
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Chemical Education Today
September 5 issue (vol. 383, pp 58–60) that chemists at the University of Arizona and the University of Connecticut had developed an information encoding system based on a polymer with photorefractive properties. Such materials are The seemingly never able to undergo lightending battle between hiinduced changes in refractive index and tech counterfeiters and therefore provide a legitimate owners of nonlinear medium in important documents took which information can be stored as a function an interesting turn… of light phase—not light intensity, as in normal print media. Nearly invisible and therefore difficult to copy, phase masks are included in the protected document to ensure authenticity of the documents. The masks can be detected and decoded by key devices utilizing commercially available low-power laser diodes. The system should be readily applicable to such purposes as credit card verification. Sabine Heinhorst and Gordon Cannon are in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS 39406-5043; heinhrst@ whale.st.usm.edu and
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Journal of Chemical Education • Vol. 74 No. 1 January 1997
