Shining a laser through a light bulb can reveal the structure of DNA

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Photo 51 is the famous image created by Rosalind Franklin and analysed by James Watson and Francis Crick. They used it to figure out the structure of DNA. It's an x-ray diffraction image. Meaning it's the diffraction pattern produced when you shine x-rays through DNA crystals. You can get almost the same pattern by shining laser light through the filament of an incandescent light bulb which shows the link between photo 51 and the helical structure of DNA.
The growing DNA crystal time lapses were created by Linden Gledhill. Find out more about his amazing work here:
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Пікірлер: 630

@SteveMould 4 жыл бұрын

I made the animations myself on this one, so they're... simple. Hope you like them! The sponsor is Skillshare. Get 2 months of Skillshare Premium for free at: skl.sh/stevemould5

@SteveMould 4 жыл бұрын

The double slit animation with the two wave fronts!

@wierdalien1 4 жыл бұрын

This. This is the bomb. This whole idea. Its execution. To steal a phrase from Matt, it's so good!

@grandmasternyx1514 4 жыл бұрын

Did you also do the helix DNA animation aswell? Not bad if so. . . Thank you for another thought provoking video for that matter.

@exazebra 4 жыл бұрын

You'll have to try harder to make something I won't like Steve.

@user-jp7tw3sd3x 4 жыл бұрын

BTW, the lightbulb wire is also double helix, however it is helix inside helix, one small and one big.

@theoriginaledi 4 жыл бұрын

Oh. My. Gosh. I taught both biology and physics for nearly 20 years and I'm ashamed to say that I've never quite been able to wrap my mind fully around how Watson and Crick got from that image to "Oh, it's a double helix, OBVIOUSLY!" :-) I understood most of the general ideas but somehow never could see the whole big picture. Anyway... I click here and less than 10 minutes later, eureka! Your literal light bulb turned on the metaphorical one in my brain. Thank you so much for this very clear explanation and excellent demonstration. You're the coolest!

@olmostgudinaf8100 4 жыл бұрын

Same here. Only without the teaching part.

@kian8382 4 жыл бұрын

I wished all my teachers were as enthusiastic as you are, and as brilliant as Steve can explain things and inspire people but not all the teachers share that passion, to some it's just a job, and I understand being a teacher is so much more than just teaching itself, we all have our own set of skills and shortcomings.

@GijsvanDam 4 жыл бұрын

Same here. (Without the teaching part) I knew the picture of the crystallography, but never in my life understood how it was understood to represent a helical structure)

@YossiSirote 4 жыл бұрын

Me toooooo!!!

@thewolfin 4 жыл бұрын

LSD helped.

@Chiaros 4 жыл бұрын

If all teachers were like Steve, we'd be living in a utopia. You're a real inspiration, thank you.

@jude9192 4 жыл бұрын

Marky what teachers do you know?

@JimC 4 жыл бұрын

@Marky People who have a passion (or at least the willingness to do the necessary work) for *acquiring* knowledge can get something from almost any teacher. Those are the people who get A's.

@PME 4 жыл бұрын

Keep in mind that it takes Steve a lot of time to find all this information and to film it. It is somewhat harder for teachers because they have to transfer this knowledge multiple times and help students who have problems understanding the subject. It takes more time than you might think.

@HatiKeseorangan 4 жыл бұрын

Same here.... I wish I will learn with u and Elon musk...

@genelomas332 4 жыл бұрын

Agreed.. if he and Tech Ingredients got together.. whoa!!

@jackgreene491 4 жыл бұрын

I've been shown this image at least 3 times in various college classes, and no teachers ever bothered to explain why the cross was indicative of the helix. I always assumed that the light was passed down the center of the double helix, rather than across it. Thank you for the great video Steve!

@larsalfredhenrikstahlin8012 4 жыл бұрын

same!!!!!!!!

@guyincognito. 4 жыл бұрын

The teachers probably didn't understand it.

@donoimdono4868 4 жыл бұрын

GuyIncognito - that is likely much more accurate than most would believe. if refraction principle weren't fully explained to them in college, they wouldn't be able to explain it to the next generations either. have fun explaining fresnel lenses to people when the need arises

@official-obama Жыл бұрын

@@donoimdono4868 humanity has devolved to the point where we need the refraction principle to understand how fresnel lenses work

@lewismassie 4 жыл бұрын

As someone who has been taught X-ray crystallography in university, this was way easier to understand

@joeyknight8272 4 жыл бұрын

Noce

@konradkodzinski3027 4 жыл бұрын

Cool, any fun facts about crystallography?

@DG-xg8vg 3 жыл бұрын

Same

@excitableboy7031 3 жыл бұрын

Ha! Nerd! I know it cos i took two semesters of physics in college

@ChaosAT 3 жыл бұрын

University is a tool to make people dumber used since Austrian kingdom to determine the best slaves in all of her lands, to fight for chicks and their bones.

@edeneden97 4 жыл бұрын

Love the shot at 4:35 and change of focus!

@SteveMould 4 жыл бұрын

I must say, I was pretty pleased with that myself!

@thaitichi 4 жыл бұрын

@@SteveMould You just keep raising the bar. More work for you, but better videos for us. Keep up the great work! It's much appreciated.

@BlameItOnGreg 4 жыл бұрын

I saw the initial shot and as the explanation was going I was like, “no, he isn’t...” and then you did, and I was like “top notch, top notch. 👏🏻”

@vyomnahakvihangbodh6800 4 жыл бұрын

@@SteveMould can you share the camera details please? 😁

@SteveMould 4 жыл бұрын

@@vyomnahakvihangbodh6800 Panasonic GH5 with a Panasonic Lumix G Macro 30mm Lens!

@AverytheCubanAmerican 4 жыл бұрын

Don't smash the light bulb, I need it when I come up with ideas

@erlendse 4 жыл бұрын

And they are kinda rare at some places (banned, to make more efficient stuff take over)!

@paulclark7658 4 жыл бұрын

It's alright, it was my light bulb and my ideas have converted to LED's

@thebloxxer22 4 жыл бұрын

"Don't shake the lightbulb!" - Sergeant Johnson

@tarunkrishnaswamy8207 4 жыл бұрын

The more I see your videos, the more I see science around me

@garybarbourii8274 4 жыл бұрын

This might be the highest quality video I've ever seen on KZfaq. It's not often that my curiosity is genuinely satisfied by a video. It was brief, yet informative. Direct, yet it managed to inspire. The imagery was fresh and wonderful. I left without the slightest hint of disappointment. Great job man.

@idontwantahandlethough 2 жыл бұрын

Right?! All these amazing teachers on KZfaq make me a little hopeful for the future, despite everything else. I think there's going to be a lot more kids that are go into science/math careers because of people like Steve and Matt Parker and all the others.

@cyrilio 4 жыл бұрын

Wow. I never understood how the original image proved the helix structure. Thanks for blowing my mind.

@JesusJuenger 4 жыл бұрын

7:57 Oh, it's a montage of Windows Media Player 9 visualisations.

@SigSelect 4 жыл бұрын

Its easy to spot a KZfaq video that does all the things you don't want, but when one comes along that does everything right, it sails over so smoothly you forget to notice how good it is. When I got halfway through and didn't notice my usual complaints floating up I realized I should let you know that this is a fantastic video.

@mikewilliams6025 4 жыл бұрын

Amazing hair growth after the 8:00 mark.

@AntiMatter324 4 жыл бұрын

Nice catch. He is wearing the same clothes so I bet most of us didn't notice.

@q23main 4 жыл бұрын

This video took _ages_ to film😉

@karashibass 4 жыл бұрын

Lights off, lights on.

@JimC 4 жыл бұрын

Good catch! Some stuff on the chair has been cleared off, too.

@SteveMould 4 жыл бұрын

@@karashibass I'm so annoyed that I forgot to turn the lights back on for those takes!

@ExcludedLayman 4 жыл бұрын

6:04 If you look closely at the filament, you can see it's a smaller radius helix twisted into a larger one.

@UCreations 4 жыл бұрын

exactly. And probably that smaller helix is more in the same ballpark as the wavelength of the red laser to create the diffraction pattern.

@IDoNotLikeHandlesOnYT 4 жыл бұрын

@@UCreations But it probably doesn't stretch significantly when he changes the pattern by pulling on it

@zwz.zdenek 4 жыл бұрын

Of course. And some industrial light bulbs had an order 3 helix. But the tiny ones produce such large diffraction angles that even the order 1 maximum gets off the chart. That's why you only see interference from the large helix.

@lukel.5815 4 жыл бұрын

Yep. It’s called coiled coil

@anarbatzoriganar 4 жыл бұрын

@@lukel.5815 no, it is called SUPERCOIL >:(

@savannahspeir2762 3 жыл бұрын

I majored in cell biology and molecular genetics and still didn't understand x-ray crystallography nearly as much as I now do after this video. Thank you so much for the simple explanation with a scaled up example. This is so much clearer now

@macronencer 4 жыл бұрын

I've always wondered how that image was made, and how it could have been interpreted, but it was one of those things I hadn't got round to researching yet. You explained this perfectly, and answered all the questions I had as well. A perfect video. Thank you so much!

@gigglysamentz2021 4 жыл бұрын

2:05 I do X-ray crystallography and this image still helped me understand it better XD

@TheHookUp 4 жыл бұрын

Steve - As a full time biology teacher and a part time KZfaqr I find your videos to be absolutely incredible and inspiring. Thanks for the wonderful content!

@koosnaamloos4291 4 жыл бұрын

Funny how I had an exam on this the day before it was uploaded. It also amazes me that you managed to explain this without saying Fourier even once.

@nrdesign1991 4 жыл бұрын

I remember those old keychain laser pointers from the early 2000's, they came with all kinds of tips that produced images, including stars, patterns, cubes, and even naked ladies (although, just an outline sketch)

@josueliriano 4 жыл бұрын

I've taken about 10 courses that discussed this topic and just now am I understanding the physics behind the X-ray crystallography experiment. Please keep sharing these wonderful videos!

@motttta 4 жыл бұрын

My favorite videos from you so far. This was really awesome.

@SangheiliSpecOp 4 жыл бұрын

4:00 "but DNA doesn't have that structure so whats going on? This is where it gets interesting" *"SO I SMASHED THIS LIGHTBULB... "*

@techtalk257 4 жыл бұрын

I think I understood this topic first time ever in my life... In such an easy way.. hats off to you

@ianmburke 4 жыл бұрын

Such a beautifully brilliant explanation of something so highly complicated! Amazing work

@jeremystanger1711 4 жыл бұрын

So much is great about this channel. Your ideas are unique, you do fascinating experiments, you actually know what you're talking about (rather than just regurgitating an article from new scientist), and to top it all off, you've got a great sense of humour! Keep up the good work!

@gibbeldon 4 жыл бұрын

That shot on the filament with this smooth focus transition was on spot. Really well done!

@jhyland87 4 жыл бұрын

When I first saw the famous _Photo 51,_ I had to research x-ray crystallography a bit, and while I felt like I understood the typical examples and patterns, I never could wrap my head around how the dotted X pattern in photo 51 was a result of the double helical structure of DNA. This video definitely cleared that up. Great video!

@Leonardokite 4 жыл бұрын

Nice job of explaining x-ray crystallography. You made the concept seem simple. The best type of teaching!

@SudaNIm103 4 жыл бұрын

Excellent video, I've not seen this analogy before! Your explanation answered some key questions about the famous Franklin crystallograph I've wondered about and never fully understood.

@SudaNIm103 4 жыл бұрын

Pyrophury Historical PopSci is a clustered mythos; Perhaps you can recommend an accessible resource with a definitive account of the subject? I've come across differing account most are either quite technical and make broad attributions or generally skip the details entirely.

@yesthatsam 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much for this episode : i have always wondered how that image could led to the double helix structure confirmation and always found quite obscure answers. You shed a brilliant light over that question. A coherent one that is ;) thank you so much !

@nobodynemoq 4 жыл бұрын

Steve, you are really amazing! So many complex things become quite easy once you explain it. And with your sense of humour your videos become so much entertaining that I simply love it when you release anything new 👍

@Nilguiri 4 жыл бұрын

I've always been fascinated by that image and wondered how they sussed out the double helix from it. You explained it really well... Fantastic! Thanks.

@joshsampey2460 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you for giving proper credit to this image! Franklin is so often overlooked and ignored in this important discovery.

@KG808 4 жыл бұрын

I loved this phenomena and how you explained the whole thing. You really encourage science and curiosity. Thank you

@jonhattanrai 4 жыл бұрын

Your videos are real quality stuff. Thanks for making them and for making them this good.

@63M1N1 4 жыл бұрын

we're happy for you and your channel, too, steve

@Akkbar21 4 жыл бұрын

Oh nice. Love your work, very enjoyable and I’ve even learned a few things. Cheers!

@omaralessa8598 3 жыл бұрын

this has become my favorite edu channel and I've seen a lot but Steve has the perfect balance of advanced concepts with simple explanations. Fantastic speaking too, I could show this to my father whose english isn't great and he can still follow along.

@AlexDainisPhD 4 жыл бұрын

I've never seen such a clear and amazing explanation of this. Awesome!

@Jmjholden 4 жыл бұрын

Steve I love this video so much. Makes it so intuitive and I wish I had this video years ago

@OzAndyify 4 жыл бұрын

Beautiful explanation! I'd always wondered how the X showed a double helix. (The focus change was brilliant.)

@clownshoesmma6249 4 жыл бұрын

Can’t wait to see this channel with millions of subs! This channel is amazing

@timobatana6705 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you Steve! You are a good man. Keep teaching about these concepts its awesome

@ChrisWalshZX 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks Steve, I always wondered how they deducted the structure of DNA from that iconic picture. Excellent demo with red laser light and bulb filament!

@YossiSirote 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you for this video!! I had always wondered exactly what you explained!!

@alessi4249 4 жыл бұрын

I really like the animations! Did make my eyes go a bit funny but they were a good visualisation. Great vid

@raymondmucklow3793 4 жыл бұрын

I dig you cover things I'd never think of, not in a million years. That's why I like your channel. Cheers?

@locktite401 4 жыл бұрын

Fantastic explanation of the X-ray diffraction. I didn't understand before this.

@bennynielsen1412 4 жыл бұрын

I have been trying to recreate the laser and mirror making sound patterens. Your enthusiasm continue to amaze and inspire me. Thank you. Benny, a big fan in Denmark.

@carpo719 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks Steve. Enjoying your channel, appreciate your efforts

@alokmtu 4 жыл бұрын

Brilliant Steve! Learned so much from this. Thank you!

@andyjohnson4907 4 жыл бұрын

I've wondered about this for a while. Thanks!

@federicon.5085 4 жыл бұрын

oh my god, you made the concept of x-ray christalography soooooo simlpe to understand! I never got to see DNA from Photo 51, I didn't get it before... thank you soooo much!!!

@ComplexVariables 3 жыл бұрын

Awesome explanation,; I knew some of the history and have seen the pictures, but never had all the holes filed and explanation of how the pictures imply double helix. Great work!

@bobcunningham6953 4 жыл бұрын

I know the math behind deciphering X-Ray crystallography images, and can use the tools. But no way could I ever provide as cogent an explanation of what is actually going on as you did in 10 brief minutes. Very well done, and congratulations!

@CarJul666 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the explanation. I've been wondering about these DNA x-rays. They confused me.

@Micetticat 4 жыл бұрын

Wow! Amazing graphics and camera work for this video!

@oseqq 4 жыл бұрын

Great topic. And so well explained step by step.

@NthMetalValorium 4 жыл бұрын

I saw that closeup of the filament like 5 mins in and I was thinking "is he gonna do it? is he gonna focus the further part of the filament?" and he did. Wonderful.

@simonbrowning5423 4 жыл бұрын

I’m telling all my friends. Always wondered,, and assumed there were too many levels of understanding for me to get it. Thank you.

@leonidas1417 4 жыл бұрын

Awesome video! I was curious about this! Also, I had to do some searching about diffraction on camera lenses while using small f number a couple of months ago. This video summarized it great also!

@MilesEques 4 жыл бұрын

I think Steve's secret ingredient might be his in-depth exploration of the interesting ways in which his analogies break down -- something I don't think I've seen any other educator do but that goes a long way to illuminating the subject matter.

@insightfool 4 жыл бұрын

Very good job, Steve!

@molipix 4 жыл бұрын

I sat through a few X ray crystallography lectures at university and found it to be the driest topic ever. You've done an amazing job of bringing it to life.

@maxxsmaxx1901 4 жыл бұрын

Excellent lecture and demo ! Thank you !

@ploxagote 4 жыл бұрын

you explain things very well so props for that 😊😊

@marcokalach 4 жыл бұрын

thanks for the knowledge! big fan of the channel! keep it up.

@sonalmundhra248 3 жыл бұрын

What an amazing explanation. Finally, I understood.

@MonkDoc 4 жыл бұрын

that was nice explanation and cool expierments that can be done in a class room thanks keep the good work up

@whodecidedthat9540 4 жыл бұрын

It's awesome to see so many people as impressed with Steve's teaching ability as me. He breaks down difficult science into easy to digest bits. Hes like Startrek but real.

@jonnyreverb 4 жыл бұрын

This is really good. I taught Holography, and it took months to walk the class through diffraction. It's not easy to describe to someone for the first time.

@iouliosp.1821 4 жыл бұрын

The quality of this video is on another level!

@rajinkhan7611 4 жыл бұрын

I subscribed because his videos are pure since without background noise or music

@frgmntTOB 3 жыл бұрын

Excellent demonstation of this analogue behaviour!

@niccopernicus8966 4 жыл бұрын

Brilliant explanation. Thank you

@KurtCollier 4 жыл бұрын

omg. I have always wanted to understand this. I read some about it, but never "got it" until now. THANK YOU!

@SaquibFaisal 4 жыл бұрын

Steve Moulds and Science Asylum guy has one of the most underrated channels on YT.

@Tahoza 4 жыл бұрын

I've been a big fan and subscriber for a long time. You deserve more subscriptions and views. I wish there were an easier way for educators to grow their channels.

@zyzzbodybuilding 4 жыл бұрын

You got some mad videography and steller editing skills. Keep up mate

@oxiigen 4 жыл бұрын

excellent explanation! thank you!

@mikecauser 3 жыл бұрын

It's impossible not to click your videos Steve with such alluring titles

@shoaib1247 4 жыл бұрын

Great demonstration!

@sideswipebl 4 жыл бұрын

Huge respect for using the wehi cgi videos. Some of the best animations of cell functions out there.

@Kato414 4 жыл бұрын

Brilliant demo

@winproduction7585 3 жыл бұрын

Best explanation found on youtube!

@gnagyusa 4 ай бұрын

Great explanation. Love your videos.

@trawelgrad5471 4 жыл бұрын

Very interesting video as allways and pobably the best quality science-videos not only because you are doing it at 4k. Thanks so much and keep the good stuff coming. :) Greetings TG

@Broken_robot1986 4 жыл бұрын

I didn't know that that x-ray crystallography was the method used to discover that DNA was a double helix. Always heard Francis' and Crick's story and knew that they already knew that the molecules make a double helix, and never once considered HOW they knew that, to know what they were looking for. Learning how the first person(s) learned is endlessly fascinating. On top of this you also convey the way that x-ray crystallography works in a way so that I feel I actually understand it for the first time in my life. Terrific work, Bravo!

@ZoZo-ub5uw Жыл бұрын

Steve I've gotta say I'm incredibly thankful for these videos, you make hard to access scientific topics fun and easy to understand. Even I as a non native english speaker could understand this!

@snabbott 4 жыл бұрын

I went to graduate school for biochemistry (and DNA is my favorite molecule). This is by far the most accessible explanation of x-ray crystallography I have ever heard!

@Eidolon2003 4 жыл бұрын

My god, the rack focus at 4:40 is so good!

@pscheidt 4 жыл бұрын

The best explanation I have ever seen on the subject. and I have a degree in biochemistry and took a class on x-ray crystallography.

@CA-ql4es 3 жыл бұрын

Amazing explanation!

@nyoomba 4 жыл бұрын

Steve pulls a classic Mould blows all our minds again.

@Anitadyvjfd 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks a million 4 this vid

@gigglysamentz2021 4 жыл бұрын

Where the analogy breaks down is also that the position of the spots does not give any information on the molecule, but only on the way the molecules are arranged in the crystal. It's the "size" of the spots that tells you about the electron density of the molecule.

@rotcod2886 3 жыл бұрын

Yeah, I like finding and hanging out at the intersection of the multiple valleys in the wave pool too.

@iainmackenzieUK 4 жыл бұрын

By far, one of your best Steve! Brilliant. It summarises nicely what I learned at Uni and will help put the wave theory I teach to A level Physics students into practice. Well done for giving Franklin her due credit too. Also, your enthusiasm for Skillshare is a the most convincing I have ever seen and I will, for the first time, actually click on that link n check it out. Excellent work for eternity. Well done! One question: About you final discussion regarding how we can still see the double helix when the molecule is 'full of other stuff' (Unlike your clean spring-like filament). You mentioned the response of phosphorous to X-rays being the reason. May I also suggest that a diffraction pattern shows up 'regularities' which the helix has, but the additional atoms are more 'randomly' arranged and therefore, do no contribute strongly to the pattern. Anyone have any thoughts??