The invisibility of objects, ribosomes and antibiotics of objects, ribosomes and antibiotics, and passion for science

2010/10/03 Lakar Iraizoz, Oihane - Elhuyar Zientzia

• Materialak
• Biokimika
• Fisika
• Kimika

Sir John Pendry is the first man to design metamaterials. That is, it has designed artificial materials with properties that are not found in nature. When creating materials, he said that the chemical elements have a limitation. By applying a specific physical structure to some of these materials, and using different components of this structure, materials of different properties can be generated. The possibilities of generating materials increase without limits.

He noted that some of these special materials are characterized by reflecting and diverting light in a special way. For example, they have designed the metamaterials capable of modifying the deviation of light by passing over an object, making the light have a direct path. In this way, when covering a given object through a layer made with this material, they make it invisible. "We are doing very well with these materials in the field of optics," Pendry concluded his speech.

Ada Yonath presented in his speech the investigations carried out in relation to the ribosomes. Ribosomes are protein vending machines. It showed the results of 30 years of research, that is, the exact structure of these machines and the manufacture of proteins. He also explained that many antibiotics damage the ribosomes of pathogenic bacteria. Therefore, it is very important to know where and how antibiotics act, since it is what can result in the creation of more efficient antibiotics.

The way to reach all these results was difficult. Each step taken considered it as hard as climbing Everest. The crystallization of the ribosomes was fundamental for the study of the structure, and was considered impossible at that time, in the early 1980s. The polar bears then gave him the impetus to advance, as he read that the ribosomes are packaged orderly to hibernate the cells.

Finally, Heinrich Rohrer was passionate about science. In many moments of the talk he spoke to young scientists. And you think you have to have fascination, love and passion for science, but in recent decades you said that spirit has been lost. Economic incentives, the promise of results, competitiveness, ambition, etc., today have more space than enough in science, according to Rohrer.

He told young people that they have to regain the values of science forever. In order to do so, he asked, among other things, to be unbiased, courageous to defend his own convictions, daring to enter unknown areas, having the ability to choose research topics and colleagues.