Can a museum object be more like a dog? New post at PLOS Sci-Ed

Dog owners out there may sympathize whit this: say you are outside walking your dog and are approached by friendly strangers who ask to pet him. Your dog just mediated a conversation with a stranger that would have not happen otherwise.

Like a dog, a museum object offers an excuse for strangers to have a conversation.

Giant drill at the Perot Museum of Science and Nature. Photo by Lara Solt at Dallas News.

This giant drill illustrates hydro frakking at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science’s energy hall.  If this seems controversial it’s because it is: is the museum celebrating such technique, or opening up for debate among visitors?

For more examples and ideas, read the entire post at PLOS Sci-Ed.

“I got into the clinical trial… I was lucky”. A story about luck, drugs, and cancer treatments.

I had tears in my eyes searching through my emails from three years ago. One of my close friends (and brother of my cartoonist bff) had emailed my sister asking for medical advice. What my friend Junior was after, was a second opinion for his father. He said “our family is in panic since we heard the diagnosis… At home, we are all terribly anguished”, to which my sister replied, “call anytime and we’ll try to help – after all, you are part of the family.”

Junior’s father had been diagnosed with follicular lymphoma, the most common form of non-Hodgkin lymphomas, and they were after a treatment. This was Brazil, where not all drugs are readily available. That’s where my sister comes in: she is a doctor and searched around for hematologist colleagues and experimental treatments. My friend however, is the one who did all the legwork. After several doctors and opinions, he got his father Beco the treatment he needed.

Fast-forward to three years later, where Beco and I reminisce and he tells me more about the ordeal. He describes the initial warning signs of  the disease: “fever, night sweats, and rashes… I discovered my diagnostics by chance, during a tomography exam to find kidney stones.”

The recommended chemotherapy treatment for non-Hogdkin lymphoma (a form of cancer where B-cells are overactive) is a drug cocktail called CHOP. Each letter in the acronym represents a different drug, which are combined with the goal to attack cancer from multiple fronts (e.g., one drugs blocks DNA while another prevents B-cells from multiplying).

Rituximab is a new drug (an antibody that binds B-cell membrane proteins), which can be coupled with the CHOP regimen. Beco tells me on an email that “the difference of coupling rituximab with CHOP is that it gives the patient three extra years in remission.”

The drug targets CD20 proteins on the membrane of B-cells. We don’t know for sure what function those CD20 protein is performing, but it is believed that it acts as a gate for the passage of calcium ions into B-cells. Researchers have looked into that binding mechanism, in which rituximab binds to its target specifically on amino acids 170-173 and 182-185. To get a snapshot of the drug in action, Du et al. obtained an X-ray image of the crystallized rituximab bound with a piece of CD20. The researchers grabbed a small chunk of the CD20 protein corresponding to amino acids 163 to 187 (represented as the tiny string on the image below).

A panel: Rituximab is represented in yellow and green ribbons. The blue string represents the peptide extracted from CD20. /15073.long B panel shows electron representations, and C panel, a close-up. Image credit: Du et al,

Beco got access to rituximab combined with CHOP, or R-CHOP. He was even able to get a newer generation of drugs, bendamustine. But that’s because my Junior and his family found and signed him in to a clinical trial managed by an American laboratory. “I got into the clinical trial to use rituximab combined with bendamustine, which is a more efficient chemotherapy drug with lighter side effects. The latter is not even available in Brazil – I was lucky!”

Because of his treatment, Beco tells “Since my son found the clinical trial I participated in, the lymphoma is under control. I’m still being treated with rituximab every two months for another year.” And a similar outcome is what we would like to see for other Brazilian patients.

Rituximab is available in Brazil, but not listed under the universal healthcare system. That means that lymphoma patients are treated with CHOP, but not R-CHOP, which increases their lifespan. “It is not a matter of cost, because those patients and the system will spend more money in extra chemotherapy drugs, and will die earlier.”

A Brazilian non-profit organization, Abrale, used a petition to collect signatures of rituximab supporters. The Brazilian ministry of health asked for at least 50.000 signatures to consider adding the drug to the universal health care system. As of the past few weeks, the petition gathered 61.000 signatures.

Beco is now in remission for the past three years. “We hope it stays quiet for a little longer”. And now, it may as well stay quiet for many more Brazilian patients.

Book Review – One Well and Tree of Life

“The water you drank today may have rained down the Amazon rain forest five years ago… A hundred thousand years ago, it may have been frozen solid in a glacier. And a hundred million years ago, it may have quenched the thirst of a dinosaur.”

The inevitable cycle of water in our planet was described above by Rochelle Strauss, in her book One Well: the Story of Water on Earth.

Rochelle is a museum designer and science aficionado. One of her main interests is bringing a message of conservation to children. She recently sent me her two books, One Well and Tree of Life: the Incredible Biodiversity of Life on Earth. The books are beautifully illustrated (by Rosemary Woods and Margot Thompson, respectively), and their clear and concise language reflect their target audience. Rochelle writes for kids of 8-14 years old, but her books can resonate with any of us.

Both books have an underlying theme: how everything is interconnected. In Tree of Life, the author emphasizes how all organisms (plants, lichens, plankton, mammals, and insects) are part of the same web. In One Well, she explains how water cycles through our planet, and highlights our fresh water consumption.

Tree of life offers a great notion of diversity of life. The pages show increasing number of species, leading toward complexity. At the same time, the author never loses track  of the species relationship in the tree (almost like the “you are here” type maps). I can see Rochelle capturing a child’s attention by telling us of biggest or smallest species inside a tree “branch”. She tells us that “the largest butterfly to flutter by is the Queen Alexandra’s birdwing butterfly. Found in New Guinea, …it is bigger than a dinner plate.”

In my work I write a lot of content for young audiences, specifically to high schoolers. It can be tricky to communicate science to such a young crowd. One of our solutions is to use concrete, vivid examples that describe science research. Rochelle Strauss does just that over her pages. She uses examples that reach young minds and impress older ones too. Rochelle tells us that a birch tree “drinks” 300 liters, or two bathtubs, of water. Or that there’s more water in earth’s soil and atmosphere than in all rivers combined. In an email, she wrote me that “as for the water usage facts – I know they are quite incredible aren’t they? I actually had so much fun researching and then finding equivalencies to help kids grasp the magnitude of some of the numbers.” I had a lot of fun reading them too.

The books also carry a powerful message of conservation. That dinner plate butterfly above is endangered due to habitat destruction. We use a lot of potable water for mundane activities (e.g., “it took 130 liters of water to make your bike”) in comparison to other countries without as much water for their disposal. One of the most alarming facts depicted in the story is that North Americans use 55 buckets of water per day, while Indian use seven, and Ethiopians, one.

Rochelle offers solutions (there is a “notes to parents, guardians, and teachers” section on how to help), but above all, she offers a stimulating account of our natural world.

In my favorite excerpt, we learn that “the average white cloud weigh about twice as much as a blue whale”. A blue whale is a good indicator of scale. That kind of analogy not only makes the topic more approachable, but memorable. “The water you brushed your teeth today may have been the spray of a beluga whale 10 years ago.” I believe these vivid images, more than facts, are what sparks a child’s interest in science.

Find Rochelle Strauss on twitter (@rochellestrauss), on her website, or on Amazon.

New post on PLOS Sci-Ed: Space Education

I have a new post for PLOS’ Science Education blog:

“Life Support Team! We only have 3 minutes of oxygen remaining on the Space Station!”, shouts Commander Libby. Wearing a blue flight suit with middle schoolers clinging to her arm, Libby Norcross is a space enthusiast and teacher at the Challenger Center. She takes groups through the space simulators at the center, while (why not) coming up with some emergencies like the one above.

Libby Norcross, educator at the Challenger Center. Photo by nasafans tumblr.

Learning from immersive scenarios

The Challenger Center is a learning institution geared towards STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and offers immersive experiences to children. According to the center, they are an “…educational space simulator and STEM resource center that positively impacts students, businesses, and our community by fostering real-world skills—teamwork, communication, problem solving—in a totally immersive learning environment.”

Continue reading after the jump…

De-extinction: the wooly mammoth is the biophysicist’s cancer

On my first day teaching bioinformatics, I brought Michael Crichton’s book Jurassic Park to class. I showed the students a DNA sequence from the book  – a long string of A, T, C, and G that was supposed to form part of one dinosaur gene. As a class exercise, I asked students to convert that string into a protein sequence (it seems more bioinformatics teachers had the same idea).

The students were instantly intrigued. I attribute that class’ success to Jurassic Park. Both book and movie are embedded in our collective imagination. Who isn’t enthralled by the possibility of engineering dinosaur DNA and bringing the lumbering giants back to life?

Can we bring back the Tasmanian tiger? Mike Archer at TEDx. Photo by the author.

I was able to attend the TEDx DeExtinction event in DC, thanks to an awesome boss and crew, who came along. There, molecular biologists and conservationists discussed the possibility of resurrecting extinct animals, while fans vouched for their favorite species (hello, dire wolf). The lecturers presented the technology, while ethicists and ecologists watched in horror.

The passenger pigeon is another candidate for de-extinction. Ben Novak at TEDx. Photo by the author.

There was talk of bringing back the wooly mammoth, passenger pigeon, bucardo, Tasmanian tiger and others. But like speaker and “molecular paleontologist” Beth Shapiro points out, we are still very far from step one. No surprise here. I went to this event not expecting to see a herd of mammoths any time soon. I went there to marvel at technology  and its applications. Or, like my colleague described it, “the moon race for biologists”.

Beth Shapiro is cautiously optimistic. Photo by the author.

Conservation efforts can benefit from de-extinction technologies. Lack of genetic diversity among captive breed populations is a serious problem. Breeding programs and SSPs (species survival plan) keep a studbook: a record of the genetic make up of all individuals of that species. Pairings are carefully calculated in order to increase genetic diversity. TEDx host Stewart Brand (check out his Reddit AMA) believes de-extinction can help with that: “de-extinction technology… can be applied immediately to help diagnose and treat genetic issues with endangered populations of living species. Viable cryopreserved DNA … can be used to reintroduce genetic variability in ‘genetic bottleneck’ situations for animals now rare and facing inbreeding problems.” And that’s not all. Cloning or iPCS (induced pluripotent stem cells) are technologies with immense potential, with applications that range from tissue engineering to livestock breeding, and perhaps even to support reproduction.

Stewart Brand at TEDx. Photo by the author.

Funding dictates what research projects will go on and which ones will die.  And that is why I’m ok if a woolly mammoth or Jurassic Park-based creature functions as research ambassadors. Scientists depend heavily on policymakers and public support to guarantee funds for their work. It is increasingly difficult to obtain funds for basic research or anything that doesn’t have the word “cancer” or “heart disease” attached to it. Throughout my PhD I happened to work with both most of the time (design of protein inhibitors for breast cancer, and angiogenesis molecules for cardiovascular disease). I mean most of the time: when an application is not so direct or obvious (e.g., of studying the folding of a protein) we always highlight its future, potential, exciting, indirect and perhaps one day possible outcome (e.g., better understand Alzheimer’s). The woolly mammoth is the biophysicist’s cancer, and the passenger pigeon is his heart disease. I believe de-extinctioners were trying this PR approach.

George Church explains the biotechnology behind de-extinction. Photo by the author.

But did it backfire? I saw many ecologists and ethicists disapproving of the entire thing. Are they spreading the fear? Is fear of science creeping out and reaching our scientific and (scientific-supporting) community? As Brand pointed out in his AMA, “fear has been institutionalized, not only by government but by (…) environmental groups broadcasting irrational fear of GMOs and radiation (to the detriment of genuine green goals like more wild lands and damping of climate change)”.

Very much alive (i.e. non extinct) blue hyacinth macaw Margaret was present at the event. Photo by the author.

George Mallory was a mountain climber and one of the English pioneers to Mount Everest expeditions on the 20′s. Why take on such endeavor? It was risky, challenging, and with no direct application. So, “why climb the Everest?”, he was asked.

“Because it is there.”

Sometimes it is all the motivation we need.

To infinity and beyond: what I learned in Cape Canaveral during the NASA SpaceX launch

SpaceX launch. Photo by the author.

What surprised me the most was the air shaking. When you watch it from TV, you never really expect the atmosphere changing around you. Not only that, but the crowd gasping, shutters clicking, and the PA announcer’s countdown giving you chills. Those experiences are never possible unless you are standing there, witnessing the rocket launch then disappear into the clouds.

I flew to Cape Canaveral last Wednesday as a guest of NASAsocial and sponsored by Owen Software. The rocket launch (SpaceX commercial rocket Falcon9, carrying a Dragon capsule) would take place on Friday. Until then, I’d join in private tours and press conferences.   I was feeling out of place among all the mechanical and aerospace engineers, until I met this guy:

Simon Gilmore. Photo by the author.

Sorry, I meant THIS guy:

Aradbidopsis thaliana. Photo by the author.

The press conference on the research experiments onboard Dragon emphasized biology projects – that’s when they started speaking my language. One of the passengers inside Dragon was Arabidopsis thaliana, engineered to be more sensitive to oxygen conditions. Turns out that gene expression in plants is completely different once exposed to microgravity. Which genes are turned off and on? Gilmore’s lab may find out once the A. thaliana comes back from space.

Michael Johnson. Photo by the author.

We also talked about protein crystals: a brick-shaped rack with 150 proteins (in 10k different crystallization conditions) was being transported on Dragon. Fingers crossed that the astronauts will be able to crystallize those proteins. Back in my day, some people hat to resort to adding cat hair to get a proteins to crystallize (true story). Will adding microgravity do it? Cats may be cheaper than space crystals, but that still won’t crystallize membrane proteins – which may be onboard future capsules.

Where’s Waldo at Press conference. Photo by NASA.

Along with the other NASAsocial guests, I was taken on a tour of the Vehicle Assembly Building. Please include gasps of excitement:

In front of the Vehicle Assembly Building

Vehicle Assembly Building – Interior. Photo by the author.

Which is where I met one of my favorites: the crawler. The largest land vehicle on the planet, responsible for transporting the shuttles from the building to the launch pad. (While leaving a path of destruction behind. Kind of. Its weight completely compresses the road every time it passes by.) Please see chair for scale.

Crawler at Vehicle Assembly Building. Photo by the author.

All of which culminated in Falcon9 launch on March 1st. It was a visceral experience. I never thought I’d be antsy and nervous listening to a countdown. The 40 minutes I stood there flew by. Next thing I know is: TEN-NINE-EIGHT and dozens of eyes focus on their viewfinders, fingers pressed to the camera triggers. SEVEN-SIX-FIVE and the photographing starts: it is a moment you can’t miss. FOUR-THREE-TWO and the puffs of smoke and engine grumbles tell you it will be soon. ONE — and liftoff.  I take a dozen photographs and stop to watch the show. A show that cannot be reproduced on TV or even in writing.

Anatomically-correct giant heart

Giant heart at Franklin institute. Photo by Silvana Russo.

I heard the The Franklin Institute in Philly had a giant heart on exhibit.

As a fan of giant hearts, I had to see it.

If I had a giant cabinet in which to store giant hearts specimens, my collection would with a Volkswagen bug-sized blue whale’s heart.

Blue whale’s heart model at the Field Museum.

For context, I would also collect and display the museum ad for the whale’s heart:

A whale’s heart goes for a ride. Photo by Vancouver Science World and Rethink Communications.

And then I’d renovate the cabinet to make room for the Franklin’s giant heart.

Giant heart at Franklin institute. Dr. Silvana Russo analyzes while young museum visitors dash past her. Photo by the author.

I have to confess I was expecting a modest, whale-sized heart. The models of blue whale’s hearts are in high demand and touring the world. They are hollow, so kids can climb in and out through the ventricles and arteries. However, the Franklin’s giant heart was an ambitious model that would belong to a 220-ft giant, someone the size of the statue of liberty.

Statue of liberty’s heart is large enough for adults to climb inside. The mini-tour inside the heart includes micro staircases, claustrophobic spaces, and “you are here”-type maps. The maps convey the analogous heart location you are stepping into (e.g., ventricles, valves, arteries).

I visited the museum with my sister, an MD and blog contributor on the case of debunking House episodes. “We are approaching the lungs!”, she would shout, apparently narrating the tour. I got a little lost in the abstraction – it was hard to tell which valve was doing what and what kind of blood I was (oxygenated?). A whale’s heart might be large enough to make all structures visible and memorable, but not too large as to make you loose the big picture idea.

Dr. Russo (the other Dr. in the family) disagreed. She though it helps giving children an idea of what blood circulation is. I could have interviewed the young participants and ask, but unfortunately they were too scared to get in.

Animal heart display at the Franklin institute. Photo by the author.

Near the giant heart were some averaged-sized ones, in a scale of comparison with other animals.

Average-sized hearts of different animal species. Franklin Institute. Photo by the author.

Most hearts were mammal’s (mouse, cow, polar bear, elephant, and at the top, beaked whale), along with two bird hearts (ostrich and finch).

Dr. Russo tests the circulation exhibit at the Franklin Institute. Photo by the author.

Dr. Silvana Russo also tested the Franklin’s interactive exhibit on circulation.

Dr. Russo tests the circulation exhibit at the Franklin Institute. Photo by the author.

She is the expert and knows how blood drops flow.

Meanwhile, I continue to work on my imaginary collection of anatomically-correct hearts. Valentine’s day seems perfect for that.