Alzheimer's: Is the Cure in the Genes?

An estimated 15 million Americans will suffer from Alzheimer’s by 2050. QUEST visits with researchers at San Francisco’s Gladstone Institutes who have found that a gene may hold the key to a cure for this debilitating affliction.

Blood Vessels Help Tumors Grow

In this video segment, adapted from NOVA, Dr. Judah Folkman uses the scientific method to discover how cancer cells induce the formation of new blood vessels, which in turn nourish those cancer cells.

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Can We Slow Aging?

In this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, scientists discuss a family of genes called FOXO that can significantly extend life span in worms—and in humans.

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The Common Genetic Code

Paul Nurse describes his research that showed that humans share some genes with organisms as different from us as simple brewer's yeast. Footage from Secret of Life: "Immortal Thread."

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The Costs and Benefits of Treating Gene Defects

In this video excerpt from NOVA, find out how whole genome sequencing saved the life of Alexis, a fraternal twin who was originally diagnosed with cerebral palsy but, in fact, had an even rarer genetic condition.

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Crime Scene Investigation

This video segment from IdahoPTV's D4K explores the tools and forensic science that crime scene investigators use to collect evidence to help solve crimes, and study animals, archaeology and paleontology.

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The Discovery of Penicillin

This video segment adapted from A Science Odyssey tells the story of researcher Sir Alexander Fleming, whose luck and scientific reasoning led to the groundbreaking discovery of penicillin.

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DNA Detective

In this video from QUEST, learn about the issues of ethics and responsibility that are associated with genetic testing.

DNA Separation Lab in the Classroom and in Real-World Research

This video produced by WGBH features students in the Amgen-Bruce Wallace Biotechnology Lab Program preparing a recombinant DNA molecule, and examines how this work relates to the way real-life scientists approach similar work.

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Electrophoresis and Gel Analysis

In this animation produced by WGBH and Digizyme, Inc., see how molecules of DNA are separated using gel electrophoresis, and how this process enables scientists to compare the molecular variations of two or more DNA samples.

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Eluting Red Fluorescent Protein From the Column

This video produced by WGBH demonstrates how to properly elute a red fluorescent protein after it has been bound in a chromatography column.

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Epigenetics

In this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, learn how what you eat, drink, or smoke may affect the instructions your epigenomes send to your genes, and as a result, change how your DNA is expressed.

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Ethanol Biofuel

In this video segment adapted from NOVA, learn about one scientist's idea for using biotechnology to make ethanol a more efficient alternative to gasoline.

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The Ethics of Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis

In this video excerpt from NOVA, learn about the advantages, disadvantages, and ethical implications of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, or PGD, a technique used to screen embryos created through in vitro fertilization for diseases.

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Extracting Mummy DNA

This video segment adapted from NOVA explains how a DNA sample is taken from a 5,000-year-old mummy and what we can learn from it.

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Finding Cures Is Hard

This video segment from NOVA: "Cracking the Code of Life" explains the difficulty of curing genetic diseases such as cystic fibrosis.

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From the Cystic Fibrosis Gene to a Drug

In this video excerpt from NOVA, find out how the discovery of a gene defect has led to the development of a new drug to treat patients with cystic fibrosis.

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Genetically Engineering the Avian Flu

In this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, learn about a radical biotechnology experiment aimed at figuring out how to stop the avian flu virus.

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Genetic Engineering and Working with DNA

In this animation produced by WGBH and Digizyme, Inc., see how bacterial plasmids are engineered to clone or express genes that code for proteins such as human insulin.

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Genetic Therapy and Breast Tumors

This video segment from the Secret of Life School Video: "On the Brink: Portraits of Modern Science" explores the genetics of breast cancer.

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Growing Bacterial Cultures

This animation produced by WGBH and Digizyme, Inc. demonstrates the techniques researchers use to isolate transformed bacteria and expand their population in order to obtain large quantities of a protein of interest.

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Killer Microbe

Learn how biotechnology is used to analyze the evolution of a formerly harmless bacterium into a highly drug-resistant and lethal pathogen in this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW.

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Loading a Gel

This video produced by WGBH provides step-by-step instructions for loading samples into an agarose gel.

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Loading a Micropipette

This video produced by WGBH demonstrates how to load correctly a micropipette and dispense a solution.

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Longevity Genes

What is the secret to a long life? Hear from scientists using biotechnology to analyze relationships between specific genes and longevity in this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW.

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Lysing

This video produced by WGBH provides step-by-step instructions for performing a lyses reaction to break open transformed cells.

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Mixing Two Solutions

This video produced by WGBH provides step-by-step instructions on how to mix two sample solutions.

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Pellagra

In this video segment adapted from A Science Odyssey, learn about pellagra, a mysterious and deadly disease that affected populations living in the American South in the early 20^th century, and how a scientist experimented to find a cure.

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Personal DNA Testing

In this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, take a behind-the-scenes look at the process of personal DNA testing, and hear more about the innovative Personal Genome Project.

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Picking a Colony From a Plate

This video produced by WGBH illustrates how to prepare an overnight culture of transformed E. coli cells.

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Plating

This video produced by WGBH details the steps to plate transformed bacterial cells on an agar plate.

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Pouring an Agarose Gel

This video produced by WGBH demonstrates the step-by-step process of pouring an agarose gel into a casting tray.

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Preparing a Column

This video produced by WGBH shows a properly prepared column and demonstrates how to apply and run a solution.

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Producing Penicillin

In this video segment adapted from A Science Odyssey, follow two scientists and their Nobel Prize-winning efforts to cure bacterial infections using penicillin.

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Protein Purification

This animation produced by WGBH and Digizyme, Inc. demonstrates how a protein of interest is isolated from other contents in a transformed bacterial cell—a process called purification—using a lab technique called hydrophobic interaction chromatography.

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Protein Purification Lab in the Classroom and in Real-World Research

This video produced by WGBH features students in the Amgen-Bruce Wallace Biotechnology Lab Program purifying a protein, and also examines the motivations people have for choosing a career in science.

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Recombinant DNA Lab in the Classroom and in Real-World Research

This video produced by WGBH features students in the Amgen-Bruce Wallace Biotechnology Lab Program inserting a recombinant DNA molecule into bacterial cells, and illustrates how industry and academic scientists use the exact same techniques.

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Restoration of the American Chestnut

This KET video segment from Kentucky Life describes how scientists control pollination of one of the few remaining American chestnut trees to develop blight resistant trees.

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Reverse Evolution Machine

In this video adapted from KQED's QUEST, learn how scientist David Haussler is using biotechnology to reconstruct ancient genomes in an effort to find out how animals have evolved over time.

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The Reverse Evolution Machine

Dr. David Haussler has created a new method of detecting dinosaur DNA, called ”computational genomics.” In this video from QUEST produced by KQED, learn about this innovative way of discovering dinosaur DNA.

Revisiting Albino Redwoods, Biological Mystery

In this video from KQED's QUEST, find out how albino redwoods survive and unlock some of the mysteries of how redwood trees live.

Revisiting Albino Redwoods, Cracking the Code

Stanford geneticists are exploring the root of the mutation behind albino redwoods. In this video from QUEST produced by KQED, learn how complicated redwood genomes may be used to crack the code.

The Sequencing Race Begins

This video segment from NOVA: "Cracking the Code of Life" looks at one of the key players in the race to decode the human genome.

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Should We Screen for Cancer Genes?

In this video excerpt from NOVA, learn about the advantages, disadvantages, and ethical implications of screening for genes associated with diseases, including those linked to breast and ovarian cancers.

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Stem Cells Breakthrough

In this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, follow the scientific process that led to a revolutionary method for creating stem cells without the use of human embryos.

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Studying Antarctic Seals

Learn firsthand from a young Antarctic researcher about a long-term study on the reproductive history of Weddell seals in this video segment adapted from WomenInAntarctica.com.

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Synthetic Biologist Karmella Haynes

In this video produced for Teachers' Domain, meet researcher Karmella Haynes, a synthetic biologist who is using biotechnology to create living "devices" that help visualize how cancer develops.

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Teaching Evolution Case Studies: Marilyn Havlik

Marilyn Havlik leads students through a simulation of the Hardy-Weinberg Principle to develop their understanding of population genetics.

Transforming Competent Cells

Learn how to perform a bacterial transformation by splitting and mixing competent cells, and then adding a ligated plasmid in this video produced by WGBH.

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Unclogging a Column

This video produced by WGBH demonstrates how to redistribute the resin in a column if there is particulate matter blocking the sieve.

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