Lectures on Tap- "The Strange Biology of Shape-Shifting Proteins"

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🧠 Lecture: "The Strange Biology of Shape-Shifting Proteins"

🎤 Speaker: Hannah Blume

Step inside the microscopic world where biology behaves more like a shaken salad dressing than a well-organized machine. Inside every cell, tiny liquid-like compartments called “biomolecular condensates” form and dissolve as molecules attract and repel one another—much like oil and vinegar. First seen in the 1800s, these mysterious structures were largely ignored until new tools and a deeper understanding of chemistry revealed their importance less than 20 years ago.

At the heart of this story are “intrinsically disordered proteins” — flexible, shape-shifting molecules that break many of biology’s supposed rules. These proteins help build condensates, influence how cells function, and, when mutated, can contribute to devastating diseases like ALS. Today, they’re at the center of a lively scientific debate about how cells organize themselves and what happens when that organization goes wrong.

Join Hannah Blume, a 6th year PhD student in Harvard’s Program in Neuroscience, as she unpacks the chemistry, controversy, and medical implications of these strange proteins—and why more people should be in on the drama.

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