Our Universe Revealed, Part 4: The Color of North

Episode Topic: The Color of North 

Taking us beyond the confines of our own experiences, in their book, The Color of North, Shahir Rizk Ph.D., and Maggie Fink '24 Ph.D., traverse the kingdom of life to uncover the myriad ways that proteins shape us and all organisms on the planet. Inside every cell, a tight-knit community of millions of proteins skillfully contorts into unique shapes to give fireflies their ghostly glow, to enable the octopus to see predators with its skin, and to make humans fall in love. Collectively, proteins orchestrate the intricate relationships within ecosystems and forge the trajectory of life. And yet, nature has exploited just a fraction of their immense potential

Featured Speakers:

• Shahir Rizk Ph.D., Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Indiana University South Bend
• Maggie Fink '24 Ph.D., Adjunct Professor, Indiana University South Bend

Read this episode's recap over on the University of Notre Dame's open online learning community platform, ThinkND: https://go.nd.edu/e6af14.

This podcast is a part of the ThinkND Series titled Our Universe Revealed.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction and Welcome
• 8:13 Proteins in Everyday Life
• 19:36 Immune System and Memory
• 29:11 Genetic Diseases and Mutations
• 39:25 Prions and Infectious Proteins
• 48:36 Understanding Enzymes and Their Importance
• 1:04:44 The Creative Side of Science
• 1:15:40 Concluding Remarks and Future Events