Ancient Thoughts and Processes

The sense of sight was a rather common topic of interest for early Greek thinkers, preserved in both philosophical and medical writings from the 5th century BCE onwards. In my research, I examine textual accounts from early philosophers and physicians that focus on the problem of visual perception. In my talk, we will explore together how they described the structure of the eye, its mechanisms, and the overall process of seeing.

DNA replication is the complex process that allows every living cell to duplicate their genome faithfully before cell division. This process must ensure that the whole DNA content is copied precisely and in time. When disturbed, genomic instability can arise, which has implications for ageing and diseases like cancer. I will dive into the molecular principles of genome replication and focus on a protein complex, which unwinds the double-stranded DNA like a molecular zipper and feeds it to our "DNA copy machines", the DNA polymerases; happening millions of times in every body each day.