Evolution is the change in a population that is inherited over generations. In this video, we will explain what evolution is and discuss the factors that drive micro-evolution.
This video was first released as part of the Explorer’s Guide to Biology. If you enjoyed watching this, visit Explorer’s Guide to Biology to see more Youreka Science videos and educational content!
Evolution is the change in a population that is inherited over generations. In this video, we will explain what evolution is and discuss the factors that drive micro-evolution.
This video was first released as part of the Explorer’s Guide to Biology. If you enjoyed watching this, visit Explorer’s Guide to Biology to see more Youreka Science videos and educational content!Translation: From Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) to ProteinYourekaScience2023-11-29 | The central dogma outlines how the cell's information is transferred from the instruction manual of DNA, to the intermediary messenger RNA, to the final product of protein. Learn how the cell acts like a conductor and elegantly orchestrates this complex process that is the foundation for every cellular function.
To learn more about how the cell processes its messenger RNA before translation, watch our previous video on RNA splicing, a clever mechanism where gibberish portions of RNA are cut out to create a coherent message as well as produce protein variants from a limited set of genes. youtu.be/CCGX05JKtSU
This video was first released as part of the Explorer’s Guide to Biology. If you enjoyed watching this, visit Explorer’s Guide to Biology to see more Youreka Science videos and educational content! explorebiology.orgExperimental Design: Pushing Scientific BarriersYourekaScience2023-10-19 | Have you ever wondered how scientists discover all the amazing findings that lead to fundamental knowledge in biology and life-changing medicinal therapies? From deciphering the structure of DNA to creating medicine like penicillin, scientists have been using the scientific method for centuries to unveil groundbreaking biological processes. Learn how scientists approach their experimental designs to ensure that findings are disseminated accurately and new therapies are administered safely.
This video was first released as part of the Explorer’s Guide to Biology. If you enjoyed watching this, visit Explorer’s Guide to Biology to see more Youreka Science videos and educational content!Molecules of the Cell: Lifes Building BlocksYourekaScience2023-09-01 | The molecules of the cell are the building blocks to our bodies, like bricks and columns come together to make a building, macromolecules come together to form the cells that make up living things. Zoom into the microscopic world and learn what we are made of and where we get the energy to perform our daily functions.
If you enjoyed learning about the macromolecules and want to keep learning about cell biology, check out our previous video "Explore the Organelles of the Cell" where we zoom out just a little bit and give you a tour of the intricate structures that make up our cells!
This video was first released as part of the Explorer’s Guide to Biology. If you enjoyed watching this, visit Explorer’s Guide to Biology to see more Youreka Science videos and educational content!Myelin - Natures Electrical InsulatorsYourekaScience2023-07-19 | Neurons are like the highways transporting information to allow us to walk, talk, jump, etc. Learn what enables rapid delivery of messages along our neurons and what can go wrong when this mechanism is disrupted in diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS).
If you enjoyed learning about myelin's importance in the nervous system, check out our previous video on Metachromatic Leukodystrophy (MLD), a devastating genetic disease that comes in multiple forms and affects the myelin around neurons in the brain and spinal cord.
This video was first released as part of the Explorer’s Guide to Biology. If you enjoyed watching this, visit Explorer’s Guide to Biology to see more Youreka Science videos and educational content!What is a knockout mouse?YourekaScience2022-12-12 | www.yourekascience.org/videos/what-is-a-knockout-mouse Learn how scientists use mouse models to understand how our genes contribute to biology and disease.
Understanding the exact role a gene plays in biology or disease is challenging because multicellular organisms, like humans, are complex. Just over thirty years ago a group of scientists made a pivotal discovery that led to the development of an important tool that changed the way scientists could study the role of a single gene and its impact on an entire biological system: the knockout mouse.
This video was first released as part of the Explorer’s Guide to Biology. If you enjoyed watching this, visit Explorer’s Guide to Biology to see more Youreka Science videos and educational content!Coiled - What is Chromatin?YourekaScience2022-09-12 | Discover the clever tricks our cells use to package all of our genetic information into a cell’s nucleus.
Our DNA sequence encodes information to make proteins. However, this video reveals that the protein coding information in genes (exons) can be interrupted by non-coding information (introns) that needs to be removed by the process of RNA splicing. Find out what this means for our biology!
This video was first released as part of the Explorer’s Guide to Biology. If you enjoyed watching this, visit Explorer’s Guide to Biology to see more Youreka Science videos and educational content! explorebiology.org/videosHomeostasis: Balance in the BodyYourekaScience2022-05-19 | www.yourekascience.org/videos/homeostasis Learn about homeostasis, or how our bodies maintain optimal conditions for our numerous biological processes to run smoothly.
This video was first released as part of the Explorer’s Guide to Biology. If you enjoyed watching this, visit Explorer’s Guide to Biology to see more Youreka Science videos and educational content! explorebiology.org/videosFrom Food to Fuel: Your Metabolism at WorkYourekaScience2022-04-20 | www.yourekascience.org/videos/from-food-to-fuel-your-metabolism-at-work How do we have enough energy to do a high jump or run a mile? Learn how our bodies turn food into fuel, what happens in some metabolic diseases, and how we study metabolism!
This video was first released as part of the Explorer’s Guide to Biology. If you enjoyed watching this, visit Explorer’s Guide to Biology to see more Youreka Science videos and educational content! explorebiology.org/videosRNAi: What is RNA Interference?YourekaScience2022-03-23 | Learn about this fascinating genetic process that not only helps control our own genes, but is also a useful research tool that has found its way into medicine.The Journey to a New MedicineYourekaScience2021-12-06 | http://yourekascience.org/?post_type=portfolio&p=986&preview=true Journey through the many steps involved in the drug development process, including 1) high through put screening to find compounds that might be drug candidates, 2) animal trials to examine safety and efficacy, 3) an Investigational New Drug (IND) application, and 4) phase I, II and III clinical trials in humans. If a medicine makes it through all steps, it can be approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat a disease.
This video was first released as part of the Explorer’s Guide to Biology. If you enjoyed watching this, visit Explorer’s Guide to Biology to see more Youreka Science videos and educational content! explorebiology.org/videosBuzzing in Your Body: A Primer to the Nervous SystemYourekaScience2021-11-09 | Take a quick tour around the nervous system, the “electrical” system of our bodies that controls everything from our vision to our ability to run a mile. We’ll explore the parts of key cells that make up the nervous system as well as how these cells pass signals between each other.
What is bioinformatics? Learn how bioinformatics can help us better understand our genes! From sequencing to bioinformatic analysis, we cover all of the basics! Bioinformatics is a field that uses computers, software tools, and statistics to analyze large data sets of DNA sequence information, leading to a revolution in genomics and personalized medicine. This video describes how bioinformatic tools can be used to compare genes between species, analyze mutations in the cancer genome of a specific patient, and has been used to uncover interesting new biology such as the CRISPR system.
This video was first released as part of the Explorer’s Guide to Biology. If you enjoyed watching this, visit Explorer’s Guide to Biology to see more Youreka Science videos and educational content! explorebiology.orgExplore the Organelles of the CellYourekaScience2021-06-29 | Did you know there are highways in our cells that transport nutrients and materials for the cell to properly function? We also have IT, manufacturing, and shipping departments in our cells.
Take a tour to explore the different parts of the cell that allow our bodies to function so seamlessly! Learn about the functions of eukaryotic organelles, including the nucleus, nucleolus, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, endosomes, lysosome, mitochondria as well as the role of the cytoskeleton (actin and microtubules) in organizing these organelles.
This video was first released as part of the Explorer’s Guide to Biology. If you enjoyed watching this, visit Explorer’s Guide to Biology to see more Youreka Science videos and educational content!How the 3D organization of DNA controls cell identityYourekaScience2021-05-06 | How is our DNA organized? In researching a human disease, researchers at UPenn have discovered that the 3D organization of the genome may control cell identity. Discover the experiments that led to this intriguing hypothesis.
This video is based on a recent publication by Shah et al. in Cell Stem Cell, May 2021 titled Pathogenic LMNA variants disrupt cardiac lamina-chromatin interactions and de-repress alternative fate genes. cell.com/cell-stem-cell/fulltext/S1934-5909(20)30600-7
We use maps almost every day. Researchers have also created maps of our genome to help us navigate and find genes of interest!
Join us and explore the discovery of gene linkage which has led to the development of the ultimate high resolution map of the human genome, and important implications for human health! Thanks to these findings, we have been able to isolate genes of interest, identify genes that cause disease, and sequence the entire human genome!
This video was first released as part of the Explorer’s Guide to Biology. If you enjoyed watching this, visit Explorer’s Guide to Biology explorebiology.org/videos to see more Youreka Science videos and educational content!Keeping Track of Your DNAYourekaScience2021-01-04 | The field of genetics has lots of complex terms that might be overwhelming. Take a tour of your DNA with us to understand what these terms mean and how they fit together!
In the 1970's, two scientists questioned the central dogma and made one of the most important discoveries in biology: that RNA could be turned back into DNA using an enzyme called reverse transcriptase! Now the reverse transcriptase enzyme is widely used in scientific research and as a therapeutic target for diseases like HIV. But it wasn't always so obvious that RNA could be transcribed back into DNA... Take a trip back in time to make this fundamental discovery alongside the scientists!
This video was first released as part of the Explorer’s Guide to Biology. If you enjoyed watching this, visit Explorer’s Guide to Biology to see more Youreka Science videos and educational content! explorebiology.orgHerd Immunity: Understanding COVID-19YourekaScience2020-10-10 | What does herd immunity mean? We collaborated with the journal Immunity to explain basic concepts of herd immunity and discuss its implications for COVID-19. This video is based on an article published in Immunity - check it out here: cell.com/immunity/fulltext/S1074-7613(20)30170-9
You may have heard of cancer immunotherapies. But what are they and how do they work? Learn how a T cell is able to recognize the difference between our own healthy tissues and foreign things that need to be destroyed, like cells infected by bacteria or viruses. Immunotherapies are designed to help T cells find and eliminate cancer cells to fight off cancer. They have provided benefits to many cancer patients.
This video was first released as part of the Explorer’s Guide to Biology. If you enjoyed watching this, visit Explorer's Guide to Biology to see more Youreka Science videos and educational content!Small but mighty: harnessing the tiny exosome for better drug delivery and disease diagnosisYourekaScience2020-06-02 | This video describes exciting research carried out at the University of Pennsylvania investigating ways to use the tiny cellular storage vehicles, called exosomes, to help patients. It was made in collaboration with the Center for Engineering Mechanobiology and a member of their teacher summer research program.How 3 Scientists Found that DNA is the Molecule of Heredity - Avery, MacLeod, and McCartyYourekaScience2020-03-29 | It's hard to imagine a time when we didn't know about DNA, what it is made of, and how important it is in biology. Avery, MacLeod and McCarty conducted this seminal experiment to discover the molecule of heredity: DNA! This fundamental discovery formed the basis for biology as we know it, and all that has come from it: DNA double helix structure, process for DNA replication, understanding our development, diseases, genetic engineering, developing medicines, and the list goes on.
This video was first released as part of the Explorer’s Guide to Biology. If you enjoyed watching this, visit Explorer's Guide to Biology to see more Youreka Science videos and educational content!The Hershey and Chase Experiment | Discovery of DNA as the genetic materialYourekaScience2019-10-30 | The Hershey-Chase experiment provided proof that DNA is the material inherited from one generation to the next. Check out the video to watch the elegant, yet simple experiment Dr. Hershey and Dr. Chase used back in 1952 to lay the foundation for modern day genetics.
This video was first released as part of the Explorer’s Guide to Biology. If you enjoyed watching this, go to explorebiology.org/videos to see more Youreka Science videos and educational content!Explaining Telomere Biology DisordersYourekaScience2019-07-02 | Did you know that every chromosome in our body has a protective cap like the cap of a pen called telomere? Learn what telomeres are, what they are for and what can happen to our body when they're abnormally short.
This video was produced in collaboration with Team Telomere teamtelomere.orgBugs as DrugsYourekaScience2019-03-20 | Scientists are reinventing ways that bacteria can be beneficial for human health. Watch our latest video to learn more about how bacteria may be a next generation medicine using an example of people with phenylketonuria, a metabolic disorder that makes it difficult for people to digest a particular amino acid.
References: Synlogic Therapeutics: synlogictx.com Isabella et al. Nature Biotechnology volume 36, pages 857–864 (2018) Ozdemir et al. Cell Systems volume 7, issue 1, pages 5-16 (2018) NY Times. Scientists are retooling bacteria to cure disease. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/04/health/synthetic-biology-pku.html. Accessed March 19, 2019. Mayo Clinic. Phenylketonnuria (PKU). mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/phenylketonuria/symptoms-causes/syc-20376302. Accessed March 19, 2019. Ongoing clinical trial information: clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03516487?cond=phenylketonuria&draw=4&rank=38What is PIGA-CDG?YourekaScience2019-01-03 | PIGA-CDG is a rare and potentially devastating metabolic disorder that affects development across many systems of the body. Learn more about the function of PIGA in the human body, the symptoms of the disorder and potential areas of research for treatment. For additional information, visit www.piga-cdg.com.Draw Your Science! Bay Area Science Festival 2018YourekaScience2018-11-30 | We set up our whiteboard at the 2018 Bay Area Science Festival at AT&T Park in San Francisco to capture the enthusiasm of the next generation of scientists. Here is what we created!Sexual vs. asexual reproduction: How and why they evolved?YourekaScience2018-07-18 | http://yourekascience.org/portfolio/mini-course-sexual-and-asexual-reproduction
Why do certain species reproduce sexual and others reproduce asexually?
Learn how and why sexual and asexual reproduction have evolved and how they have contributed to the genetic diversity we see today!
Genetics mini-course: What is the Hardy Weinberg Equilibrium? Learn all about the concept of combining Darwinian evolution and Mendelian genetics to study populations using fun practical examples!
Find out how scientists are using stem cells to attempt to repair the neuronal highways that are damaged in multiple sclerosis (MS).
This video was produced as part of the Americans for Cures Foundation's Report Back to the Public program. For more information about Multiple Sclerosis disease, check out the Americans for Cures website, and follow us on Facebook or Twitter for live updates.Clinical Trials 101YourekaScience2017-12-15 | http://yourekascience.org/portfolio/clinical-trials-101
Have you ever wondered where medicines come from? Or how medicines are tested for efficacy and safety before becoming commercially available?
Find out what clinical trials are and the purpose of this rigorous testing process.
This video was produced as part of the Americans for Cures Foundation's Report Back to the Public. For more information about clinical trials, check out the Americans for Cures website, Facebook or Twitter for live updates.Draw Your Science! Bay Area Science Festival 2017YourekaScience2017-12-02 | We set up our whiteboard at the 2017 Bay Area Science Festival to capture the enthusiasm of the next generation of scientists. Here is what we created!3-D Packaging of the DNA Regulates Cell IdentityYourekaScience2017-10-12 | Link to publication: http://www.cell.com/cell/abstract/S0092-8674(17)31067-X
The fundamental mechanisms governing how cells form an identity such as becoming a muscle cell or a nerve cell are not fully understood. Multiple diseases, such as cancer, have been linked to cells going down the wrong developmental path during maturation. This new study suggests that the ability of a stem cell to turn into a heart muscle cell depends on the 3D organization of the DNA in the nucleus which controls what portions of the DNA are available for activationBubble Boy Disease - Progress and Promise of Stem Cell ResearchYourekaScience2017-10-05 | Find out how scientists are attempting to use stem cells to repair the immune system of children born with severe combined immuno-deficiency (SCID) or bubble boy disease!
This video was produced in collaboration with Americans For Cures and explains how stem cell research, funded by California's Proposition 71: the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative, is leading to groundbreaking advances in SCID.
This video was produced as part of the Americans for Cures Foundation’s Report Back to the Public program. For more information about stem cells, check out the new Americans for Cures website, Facebook, YouTube, or Twitter accounts.How Costly Is it to Make a Pill?YourekaScience2017-09-06 | Find out what it takes to get a medicine to patients and how the process ensures that medicines are safe and effective for the patients taking them.
Lamberti Mary Jo. 2015 Profiles of New Approaches to Improving the Efficiency and Performance of Pharmaceutical Drug Development. Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development. http://csdd.tufts.edu/files/uploads/CSSD_PhRMAWhitePaperNEWEST2.pdf
ALS is caused by the destruction of motor neurons. Find out how scientists are attempting to use stem cells as trojan horses to repair the injured motor neurons and produce new healthy motor neurons!
This video was produced as part of the Americans for Cures Foundation's Report Back to the Public program. For more information about Lou Gehrig's disease, check out the Americans for Cures website, and follow us on Facebook or Twitter for live updates.”Unraveling the Evolution of MulticellularityYourekaScience2017-06-03 | A fun description of the article published by Sebe-Pedros et al. 2016. Dev Cell
The Dynamic Regulatory Genome of Capsaspora and the Origin of Animal Multicellularity
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4877666Designing a potential treatment for PMM2-CDGYourekaScience2017-05-17 | PMM2-CDG is a rare but devastating disease that affects almost every part of the body. That's because it is caused by a mutation in a fundamental gene (PMM2) involved in the addition of sugars to proteins.
To attempt to treat the disease, researchers are trying to bypass the effect of the damaged PMM2 by cleverly disguising sugars to enter the cell and hopefully repair the dysfunctional proteins.
This video was produced with support from the Amour Fund.Progress and Promise of Stem Cell Research: Sickle Cell DiseaseYourekaScience2017-05-01 | Sickle cell disease is caused by misshaped red blood cells that are produced from stem cells. Scientists are now attempting to engineer the patient's own stem cells to produce normal disc shaped red blood cells by fixing the underlying defect in the stem cell's DNA.
This video was produced in collaboration with Americans For Cures and explains how stem cell research, funded by California's Proposition 71: the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative, is leading to groundbreaking advances in sickle cell disease.
PrEP, short for pre-exposure prophylaxis, is a relatively new HIV prevention strategy in which an HIV-negative person takes a daily pill to reduce the risk for HIV infection.
PrEP has made headlines recently—and the messages haven't always been clear. Watch this video to get the facts about how PrEP works and see three PrEP myths busted.Vaccines 101: Importance of VaccinationsYourekaScience2017-03-15 | This video is part of a 3 video series focused on the origin of vaccines, how they work, and their role in public health. These videos were produced in collaboration with high school students at San Francisco public schools and the University of California San Francisco (UCSF).Vaccines 101: Origin of VaccinesYourekaScience2017-03-13 | This video is part of a 3 video series focused on the origin of vaccines, how they work, and their role in public health. These videos were produced in collaboration with high school students at San Francisco public schools and the University of California San Francisco (UCSF).Vaccines 101: How Vaccines WorkYourekaScience2017-03-13 | This video is part of a 3 video series focused on the origin of vaccines, how they work, and their role in public health. These videos were produced in collaboration with high school students at San Francisco public schools and the University of California San Francisco (UCSF).Progress and Promise of Stem Cell Research: Fixing nerve damage in spinal cord injuryYourekaScience2017-01-25 | Find out about new research to fix nerve damage in spinal cord injury using stem cells (AST-OPC1). This research is being performed by Asterias Biotherapeutics and has shown promising results in clinical trials.
This video was produced in collaboration with Americans For Cures and explains how stem cell research, funded by California’s Proposition 71: the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative, is leading to groundbreaking advances in spinal cord injury.
This video was produced as part of the Americans for Cures Foundation’s Report Back to the Public program. For more information about stem cells, check out the new Americans for Cures website, Facebook, YouTube, or Twitter accounts.Cut and Paste: Treating Spinal Muscular Atrophy with NusinersenYourekaScience2016-12-26 | http://yourekascience.org/portfolio/cut-and-paste-treating-spinal-muscular-atrophy
In order to make protein, the gibberish portions of RNA are removed to create a coherent message. This is called RNA splicing. RNA splicing of a specific gene is defective in Spinal Muscular Atrophy. Find out how a new drug called "nusinersen" is attempting to repair this splicing defect.
This video describes pioneering research performed by the biologist Cynthia Kenyon, who hypothesized that genes could control the rate of aging. To figure out which genes regulate aging, scientists in Dr. Kenyon’s lab made mutations in the DNA of a tiny worm called C. elegans and looked to see which mutations caused the worms to live longer, healthier lives.
Amazingly, modifying just one gene, called Daf-2, allowed the worms to live twice as long as normal. Daf-2 is a conserved gene found in flies, mice, and humans, so its activity may regulate aging in our species as well.Cut and Paste: Explaining RNA SplicingYourekaScience2016-10-28 | http://yourekascience.org/portfolio/cut-and-paste-explaining-rna-splicing
Proteins are the building blocks of our bodies, including our cells and organs. Do you know how proteins are made? In order to make protein, the gibberish portions of RNA are removed to create a coherent message. This is called RNA splicing and it is responsible for the creation of the wide array of proteins we produce from a limited set of genes.
A new hypothesis for how we as humans evolved from single cell organisms. We all come from unicellular organisms. However, it is still unclear how we evolved into such complex multicellular organisms with the same DNA building blocks. This new research suggests that the key to explaining the evolution of multicellular organisms may come from how our genes are turned on and off.Stem Cells 101: Building the Worlds Most Complex Construction ProjectYourekaScience2016-08-29 | http://yourekascience.org/portfolio/stem-cells-101
Stem cells are the builders and the repairmen of the world's most complex construction project: the creation of a human body!
Find out what stem cells are, where they come from, how they are used in medicine today, and what promise they hold for medicine tomorrow!
This video was produced in collaboration with Americans For Cures and explains how stem cell research, funded by California's Proposition 71: the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative, is leading to groundbreaking advances in stem cells.
This video was produced as part of the Americans for Cures Foundation’s Report Back to the Public program. For more information about stem cells, check out the new Americans for Cures website, Facebook, YouTube, or Twitter accounts.