• Question: If you could make any experiment in the world, what would it be and why?

    Asked by jordanratcliff to Andrew, Ash, Gem, Paige, SJ on 24 Jun 2012.
    • Photo: Gemma Staite

      Gemma Staite answered on 24 Jun 2012:

      A fantastic question and not being based in research, it’s not something I have given much thought to. I think it would be linked to finding a new approach to the prevention of (or treatment of) infections in those with cystic fibrosis. It is such a fascinating yet horrible illness, but the microbiology side of it is so interesting. What would you do?

    • Photo: Ashley Cadby

      Ashley Cadby answered on 25 Jun 2012:

      If it had to be in my field I would be to build a type of microscope I have been thinking of lately, in which you tickle molecules with a sharp tip to see if you can change their colour. However, I would really like to build a satellite for NASA.

    • Photo: SarahJayne Boulton

      SarahJayne Boulton answered on 25 Jun 2012:

      Any experiment….. hmmmmmmmmm

      I’m very interested in how we get old and why, and think it has something to do with the way that the mitochondria in or cells produce the energy money ‘ATP’. ATP is like the little energy coins that can be spent within the cell where ever they are most needed. In making ATP, the mitochondria generate a huge amount of stress and strain within individual cells. I’d like to design a whopping great experiemnt to investigate every single point in the energy generation procedure to look of points that can be cleaned up. I’d also like to compare the mitochondria of people who live a very long time with people who have live a normal length of time to see if they differ in function, however there are some very very delicate issues in terms of human ethics surrounding comparing people in such ways. It’s very important to make sure that as a scientist what you are doing is ethically justified.

    • Photo: Andrew Thomas

      Andrew Thomas answered on 25 Jun 2012:

      I’d like to design an experiment which would answer the question of why the molecules which make up proteins which make up all life on earth all have a special property which makes them rotate light in one direction. They have partner molecules which rotate light the other way but these don’t exist in any living organism (known to man).

    • Photo: Paige Brown

      Paige Brown answered on 28 Jun 2012:

      I would make and experiment that could test many drugs at once against a cancer cell, and indicate which drugs worked the best. Then using computer simulation, I would design the experiment to where researchers could design better drugs using the information of how the other drugs worked against the cancer cells! Being able to resolve many drugs at once would make the experiments go faster and perhaps find cures to cancer faster! Of course, this is just a dream.

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