• Question: Is there any cool things about your field of work?

    Asked by yabba to Charlie, Eoin, Jemma, Julian, Steve on 15 Mar 2011.
    • Photo: Jemma Ransom

      Jemma Ransom answered on 14 Mar 2011:

      Absolutely loads! Firstly, I think the brain itself is really cool. It’s the worlds most powerful computer, capable of emotion, memory, touch, sight, sound, and everything that makes you human, and yet it is the size of two clenched fists together.

      More specifically, I work on how vitamin A is used by your brain. It was first discovered that vitamin A was needed by the brain during a polar expedition by a man called Douglas Mawson and his companions Mertz and Ninnis. A few days into their explorations a catastrophe happened and all of their food supplies were lost down a crevasse. In desperation (and several weeks trek away from safety) the group had to eat the huskies pulling their sleds to survive the journey back to base camp. However shortly after they started to experience odd hallucinogenic symptoms and mania. This was put down to something called vitamin A toxicity. Mammals such as huskies and polar bears high up in the food chain concentrate large quantities of vitamin A in their livers, enough to be toxic to humans, from these observations we now know that vitamin A has effects on the brain.

      Now that, is most certainly cool!

    • Photo: Eoin Lettice

      Eoin Lettice answered on 14 Mar 2011:

      Hi again Yabba,
      I think all scientists think their work is really cool, no matter what it is! 🙂

      I work with nematodes which are amazingly cool creatures. You’ll find them in every environment on earth – in the deepest oceans, top of the highest mountains, in jungles, deserts and in the digestive systems of animals AND humans!!

      I think they’re pretty cool!!
      Thanks for the question.
      Eoin.

    • Photo: Stephen Moss

      Stephen Moss answered on 14 Mar 2011:

      I like to think so. One cool thing is getting to meet loads of interesting people from all over the world. Over the years I’ve had people from every continent in my lab, and when they eventually return home it means I’ve got friends everywhere. Which is kind of related to another other cool thing, which is that as a scientists I get to do lots of travelling. In the next few months I’ll be in Austria, the USA, France, Spain and Canada, just to get together with other scientists and talk about our work. One reason why science is fun.

    • Photo: Charlie Ryan

      Charlie Ryan answered on 14 Mar 2011:

      What!! Is this a serious question?? I’m studying rocket science!! I’m building rockets, testing rockets that will hopefully fly in space. ok I’m not building the space shuttle but it is still in the same area. That seems pretty cool too me!!

    • Photo: Julian Rayner

      Julian Rayner answered on 15 Mar 2011:

      Hi yabba.

      How long have you got? I think every scientist thinks that their own research is cool – why else would you choose to work on it? I love my field because fundamentally it is about trying to help sick children in the developing world who aren’t a major priority for the pharmaceutical industry because there isn’t much money in making anti-malarial drugs. Can’t think of many cooler things to do than to try to make a difference in this field.

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