Friday, November 5, 2004

by Alex Glick
Sports Editor

On Thursday afternoon Dr. Thomas Cech, who received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1989, visited Swarthmore to talk about his discovery and characterization of ribozymes. Cech, current president of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, addressed a large crowd in the science center and discussed the process and end-product of his work.

Professor Amy Vollmer, Biology Department chair, introduced Cech and described him as “a man of great intellect, great compassion…as well as grace and humor.” Cech discussed ribozymes, which are molecules of RNA that are able to catalyze biochemical reactions. Most well-studied molecules that speed up reactions are protein enzymes, and Cech talked about his important discovery of a new class of biomolecules and emphasized the significance of the “pathway” used to come up with the discovering, something that he noted can not often be found in a text book.

Cech gave a brief overview of the Central Dogma of Biology, which states that RNA comes from DNA and that proteins come from RNA; he noted that his view of the central dogma was biased to RNA since it shares with DNA the ability to carry information and with proteins the ability to speed up reactions by lowering their energy of facilitation. Cech then commented on the differences and similarities of DNA and RNA in order to determine why RNA was able to have catalytic ability and noted that since RNA is a single chain, it can fold in many different ways that double-stranded DNA can not. He argued that RNA can fold in a way to have a similar structure to proteins.

Cech then began to talk about his work with Tetrahymena thermophila, a pond organism, and some of his initial discoveries. When looking to find enzymes that help remove introns, or sequences not coding for information in the genetic material, he found that the compound responsible could not be a protein since the reaction was able to proceed without any proteins present. Cech and his colleagues did a great deal of characterization of these newly discovered compounds and found that they closely resembled proteins in terms of kinetics and transition state.

One problem that Cech’s group of researchers encountered was attempting to discover how these RNA molecules folded into very specific shapes like proteins do, especially since proteins have “a lot of chemical diversity” that RNA does not, due to the large variety in amino acids that make up proteins as opposed to the somewhat similar bases that compose RNA. Cech discussed his determining secondary structure and then his use of x-ray crystallography to determine the three dimensional structure.

His initial findings were exciting in that RNA folding ability was determined to be caused by a positive magnesium ion’s neutralizing the RNA’s negative charge; he later found that the ribozyme had a “concave active site” that resembled the binding site on protein enzymes. Cech then discussed a variety of methods used to further characterize these ribozymes, including information from a scientific paper that is coming out today.

Cech ended his talk with a discussion of the “primordial soup,” where the first forms of life developed. At this time, he described, it would make sense that compounds would be needed to carry and replicate information and that RNA could have fit both of these requirements at the same time; Cech argued that there was a good chance that ribozymes were possibly the first molecules available for both information storage and catalysis, which made them so versatile.

*****

by Micaela Baranello
Gazette Film Critic

Mike Leigh’s new film “Vera Drake” vividly evokes the working class world of 1950’s England, where abortion was only available legally for the wealthy. Similar to last year’s Mystic River, it ambles along with an attention to detail and character that slowly draws you into its world, making the denouement devastating. “Vera Drake” is, however, a much more understated piece of work. The title character (Imelda Staunton) is a cleaning woman who “helps people.” At first, we see her bringing sick neighbors tea and caring for her aging mother. But this is not all. Vera has a secret: she performs illegal abortions for poor women (for which she accepts no money).

Vera lives with her mechanic husband, Stan (Phil Davis), and her grown children, and her attempts to find a husband for her awkward daughter is a subplot that provides some of the film’s few light moments. Vera is such a saintly character that only the intense realism of the film’s setting and the strength of Staunton’s performance keep her believable. The film slowly shifts from a social sketch of Vera’s world to a full-fledged tragedy.

“She’s a little busybody,” one character remarks of Vera. “She’s going to get trouble one of these days.” And indeed she does, when one of her patients becomes seriously ill and the hospital begins to ask questions. Leigh treats the abortions Vera performs as acts of compassion for women with no other choice, most of whom are scared, poor, and too young or too old. The real target of Leigh’s wrath is the hypocritical British medical establishment, emphasized when the wealthy daughter of Vera’s employer procures a legal, but expensive, abortion after being raped. Vera is not given a free pass; her procedures are primitive and dangerous. Politically, the film is pro-choice, but is not a blunt polemic. Leigh also avoids several current issues surrounding abortion by setting his film in 1950.
“Vera Drake” is sometimes a grim and uncompromising film, but its sadness is relieved by the scenes of Vera’s genuinely happy family and her unending generosity. It is a touching and compassionate film that will certainly be remembered during the awards season.

*****

by Victoria Swisher
Living and Arts Editor

Most Swatties (due to our largely left-leaning ways) are feeling a general malaise after the results of the 2004 Presidential election. For a pick-me-up, why not go into Philly? Students mourning and celebrating alike can venture into Philadelphia for an alternative to the damped campus atmosphere.

If you’re in the mood for some ballet or cabaret, go to the Kimmel Center this weekend for dinner at Cadence before the performance and high-quality art after satisfying your hunger. The Kimmel Center is a not-for-profit organization that draws talented performers year-round (Joshua Bell and Yo-Yo Ma are performing there in February and April!), and it offers student rush tickets.

If you’re looking for a different kind of theater, go see Arabian Nights, written by Mary Zimmerman (who also wrote Metamorphosis). You can stop by the nearby restaurant Cuba Libre for a taste of Cuba before or after the show.

Regardless of where you end up spending your weekend, have some fun!

*****

* A confident and energized President Bush set out his agenda for a second term during a press conference he held on Thursday. Saying, “[t]he people made it clear what they wanted,” he made clear that one of his biggest priorities would be the overhaul of Social Security. He also called on Congress to set limits on medical malpractice suits against doctors, to push better educational standards for high schools and to further revise the tax code. On the issue of Supreme Court nominations, the President refused to discuss how he would balance pressure from Evangelical Christian groups and the more liberal members of the populace, saying only he would choose someone who “knows the difference between personal opinion and strict interpretation of the law.

* Reports on Thursday indicated that Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat was in worse shape than previously imagined. He is now in the intensive care unit of a French military hospital, and may be fighting for his life. Though both Israel and Luxembourg issued statements earlier in the day that Mr. Arafat had in fact passed away already, France denied this possibility.

* Despite worries that the decision would increase tensions between Sunni and Shiite Muslims, the Iraqi government decided on Thursday that it would allow expatriates to vote in the country’s upcoming elections. Most of these expatriates are Shiite, but the Sunnis are currently in control. American and UN officials had also warned against allowing expatriates to be involved, for fear of corruption and fraud. The Iraqi electoral commission must still decide on voting procedure.

*****

Friday:

Sparkler Night
Sharples Porch, 5:00 p.m.

Ruach Friday night services
Bond Memorial Hall, 5:30 p.m.

Film showing: Control Room
Science Center 101, 7:00 p.m.

Master class with cellist Lloyd Smith
Lang Concert Hall, 7:00 p.m.

Admissions DVD preview screening hosted by Jim Bock
LPAC Cinema, 7:15 p.m.

Movie showing: Stepford Wives
LPAC Cinema, 7:30 & 10:00 p.m.

Garba/Dandiya Dance
Upper Tarble, 8:00 p.m.

Anime showing: Last Exile 18-21
Kohlberg 228, 8:00 p.m.

Movie showing: Eight Men Out
Mary Lyon first floor lounge, 9:15 p.m.

The Russian Party
Paces, 10:00 p.m.

Saturday:

Bagel Brunch by Ruach
Mephistos, 11:00 a.m.

Movie showing: Norma Rae
Science Center 101, 7:00 p.m.

Movie showing: Stepford Wives
LPAC Cinema, 7:30 & 10:00 p.m.

Open session of National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee meeting with Peter Goldberger
Swarthmore Friends Meeting Whittier Room, 7:30 p.m.

Movie showing: The Triplets of Belleville
Science Center 199, 9:00 p.m.

Remix: Deshi Party
Paces, 10:00 p.m.

Sunday:

Eagles Gameday Study Break
Mertz Lounge, 1:00 p.m.

Capoeira
Upper Tarble, 2:00 p.m.

Alumni Panel on Socially Responsible Business
Kohlberg Scheuer Room, 2:00 p.m.

*****

SPORTS UPDATE

Today:
Men’s Soccer Centennial Conference Semifinals vs. McDaniel at Johns Hopkins, 7:30 p.m.

Tomorrow:
Swimming hosts McDaniel, 2:00 p.m.

Sunday:
There are no contests scheduled for Sunday.

*****

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Suppose you were a member of congress, and suppose you were an idiot. But I repeat myself.”
–Mark Twain

*****

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