Life in 3D - the movie
Diving into the heart of the molecules of life
Taking atomic snapshots is very important to biologists who want to understand
the architecture of the macromolecules that make up our cells. However, these
nano-objects are far too small to be observed with a microscope. This is why
other methods such as X-ray crystallography are needed to provide accurate
images at an atomic scale. This film, "Diving into the heart of the molecules
of life," follows the different steps of a crystallographic study and describes
the work of researchers at CNRS (ARN laboratory, Institut de Biologie Moléculaire
et Cellulaire, Strasbourg), from the purification of a macromolecule from living
cells, its crystallisation and the analysis of the crystals using synchrotron
radiation, to the assembly of a three-dimensional image. This movie covers several
aspects of scientists' work which are not widely known: the cloning of biomolecules,
the use of large instruments such as synchrotron X-ray sources, and 3D visualisation.
This film is distributed under the Creative Commons licence.
Direction: Dominique Sauter
Script: Claude Sauter
Production: Dominique Sauter & Claude Sauter
Contact: c.sauter[AT]unistra.fr
Download
French teaser (322 Mo)
FR: Plongée au coeur des molécules du vivant (791 Mo)
UK: Diving into the heart of the molecules of life (788 Mo)
