WMS Science Teachers

Just as you make sure your socks are on before your shoes, cells make sure that their chromosomes are properly aligned before they divide. However, every time a cell divides, it runs the risk of generating cells with too few or too many chromosomes. These mistakes can cause Down Syndrome and play a role in the growth of cancers. In his Science Center Lecture Series presentation, professor Andrew Murray looks at a mysterious cellular process that may provide clues to understanding chromosomal abnormalities such as the higher incidence of children with Down Syndrome born to older women.

Tahei Tahara and colleagues from the RIKEN Advanced Science Institute in Wako, in collaboration with researchers in Japan and Europe, have uncovered the presence of strongly bonded water pairs at the air–water interface, rather than previously hypothesized ‘ice-like’ surface structures.

BTW: Mazur also noted in our conversation that his years of experience on the Physics AP design committee made him less than enthusiastic about AP’s. He has data showing that student who got 5s on the Physics AP do worse than other Harvard Physics students who did not take the AP’s – a sobering thought.