Non-Enzymatic Transcription of Nucleic Acids (famelab)

[unassumption]

PNA? never imagined it, awesome now i have!

[unassumption]

I was debating a creationist for a few months who insisted you couldn't transcribe nucleic acids without enzymes. thanks for providing evidence against that!

[pepilindo]

whenever you are finished please, oh please, post a link to it!

[DianaAyana]

i don't understand anything but i'm amazed with how much passion u speak about this things :O

[ubiquitinJF]

Can you put up some links to papers your lab has published on this subject? Pretty please?

[mrdaym]

Hahah yeah.. Moon fortress, that's a bit silly ain't it? So, when does the construction on your Mars acropolis begin?

[mrdaym]

MYLES POWER! His name sounds good in your ear, but when you say it, you mustn't fear, 'cause his name can be said by anyone.

[mastrama13]

Fascinating! This is one of my favorite vids ever! Congrats for achieving the doctorate!

[Aydosh1991]

Excellent. Always found Biology fascinating but hard to understand. Glad there are people like you who do understand it.

Did you consider contacting "The Big Bang Theory" to ask them to write you into and episode?

[tabbataylor]

RNA? DNA? Look can u bring bak the dinosaurs yes or no

[tabbataylor]

ermmm............no, didnt understand a word but very nice location

[gbrlgrct]

Science!

[ericv00]

Awesome, sir. Awesome.



[Nicosh1471]

Wow! This is fascinating stuff!

[retnemmoc101]

Dr.Power is an awesome title. I am jealous.

[minecraftbobx4]

can you do a video to help me with electronics plz

[minecraftbobx4]

where can i get liquid nitrageon from plz help

[BrutalBaconz]

Sup Dr Power.

[HealingBlight]

The only thing I can think of after listening to that is:

God damnit I want a sandwich.

[jesokingcryst]

In before zombie apocalypse.

[Corneilius5188]

I'm not sure if I've understood you properly, my background is Physics so I've done my best to follow along. However, could this technique potentially be used to treat something like amyloidosis?

[afbillin]

Sexy nerd with an accent explaining science to me... doesn't get much better. That was incredibly interesting... just sloooow down next time!

[fatcat2939]

Is ribosome died?

[BackwardsCup]

Very interesting video. I'm jealous.

[nabashes]

I sir - am impressed... a lot... alotalot

[nodvick]

You know.. I had that concept in science class in 8th grade and was talking to my professor about it... unfortunately I didn't go into science as a profession, but It makes me really happy to hear about these processes taking form

[Vehementi]

OK, pausing before the explanation, I'ma take a guess:

You're researching how to transfer RNA to DNA or vice versa without the need for nuclease?

[Vehementi]

@Vehementi Ok, yeah, I was wrong. But fuck, this is interestin' stuff.

[mbnels1]

Amazing. Good work, sir.

[alora12]

You actually make me understand this and i'm a typical drama-major....

[NisseHult101]

Didn't quite get all of those intricate multi-syllable words but enough of them to understand that its pretty interesting and promising stuff you are researching there! Good luck on your PhD!

[sarcleaeolist]

Has this been suggested to be used on other forms of human genetic malfunction? Like returning a functional version of p53 to cells that have disabled it? Or introduction of other oncogenes that are necessary but only dangerous when they malfunction?

By the way, you make it perfectly clear (at least to me) why you'd want to sign on for that part of the project alone. I hope the other part is at least half as cool as it sounds, that'd make it one awesome bit of work.

Need any minions? I relocate.

[cjeffers101]

least one ever think that a PhD is not worthy to be called Dr.

WOW

and who the heck "disliked" this?????? and why?

[rwburdett]

@powerm1985 Haven't enjoyed a video I only half understand that much in ages.

[anubis2814]

Damn, makes me with I had the drive to get a masters or PhD in genetics now.  Microbiology here but branching into more genetics now that the jobs are picking up.

[subach]

Fascinating!

[Rarae192]

Yeah, your thesis sounds like one of the most interesting I've heard PhD students speak about. Another one was this guy who was giving drugs to bees to make their brains bigger, and he found they were reaching maturity faster.

[ProfaneCommand]

You, sir, make it very intimidating to consider a PhD for myself. :o

[powerm1985]

@ProfaneCommand you have to remember I have been doing this for 4 years now so I know it inside and out.

[stressgranule]

@powerm1985 that is awesome I love your vids, starting my PhD in December on the ageing process. Looking at mitochondrial DNA mutations, epigenetic changes, and hopefully RNA binding proteins.

[kleptoplast]

Considering how hydrophilic and BIG such a strand of your synthetic self-replicating ribonucleic drug is compared to conventional small-molecule drugs – how will it get into the cell?

I mean, it's not like we are some kind of C. elegans :D

[skinnyjohnsen]

Really cool science! If your project works, I smell a Nobel prize for you in the future ;-)

[maxhardcase]

Really, really interesting, Myles. I'm mostly interested in your work from the standpoint of chemical evolution, but I can see that this stuff has some very interesting medical applications.  And anything that improves on Sanger sequencing is a plus. :-)

[kelarael]

I'm actually really fascinated by this! I want to read it!

[luccaskunk]

You should join the military or something so you can be Captain Power!

[skaruts]

Bah moon fortresses, that's so yesterday. You should see my cozy beach shack in the black hole near Orion. ;)

[Ciweman]

I'm really happy for your Ph D. I've just change the career I was studing, Ambiental Engineering, and now I'm happy on a pre grade on Chemistry. I'm glad to have passed my biochemistry class so I understanded almost everything you said, hahaha.

PD: Sorry for my english, it is not my native language.

[Rarae192]

@Ciweman Don't apologise for such good English :)

[Ciweman]

@Rarae192 thanks!

[DeepThoughts42]

@powerm1985 best video so far. So what was the other 1/2 of your project?

[powerm1985]

@DeepThoughts42 " Control of Gene Expression using Mutant Riboswitches by Synthetic Guanosine Analogues" think I am going to make a vid about that when every thing is published

[SkepticalTraveler]

I won't pretend that I understood your research. (Maybe pictures would have helped.) But I was overjoyed to see good lighting and hear good sound. You should do more vids outside of your kitchen.

[boggisthecat]

I understand virtually none of that, except for the medical applications.

Presumably you could adapt this to interfere with viral replication, too?

[SezSays]

You've just graduated from "i want to see him in porn" to "i want to have his babies".

[YesIamJames]

Wow sounds like it could revolutionise the pharmaceutical industry! Keep up the good work.

What's your view on biopunk? From what I've heard it sounds like something I'd love to get in to.

[ForYeensSake]

I'm in my first year for engineer in biochemistry and I only understood most of it. Ok it is late but shit I feel dumb, really really dumb.

[FHomeBrew]

Bottom-of-the-ocean fortress? No one dares to look there!

[monkeytail2002]

@FHomeBrew Bioshock :p

[83N170]

Is your middle name "Danger?"

[MicroRedhawk]

Very interesting stuff! Good job with being close to getting your Ph.D! I am currently applying to Ph.D schools, so I hope I'll be where you are in several years. (fingers crossed)

[TomatoBreadOrgasm]

I am also a biochemist, and I WISH I was doing something that cool. All I'm doing is faffing about with herpes polymerase.

Though I have to say, we have plenty of better sequencing methods than Sanger sequencing as it is. What would this technique offer that we don't already have?

[snakester345]

Congrats on ur phd

[covac45]

Dr Power is not a stupid name. Dr Power is an awesome name.

[Vilavek]

Hmmmmm. Ow. I obviously need to understand more of these concepts. Maybe if I enable Transcribe Audio under the closed caption option..

*head explodes*

[Baldmother]

I think someone has already asked a similar question but I'm really interested to know can the engineered DNA become problematic to it's host? And can you stop it from self replicating if needed? Surely it must be using the host cells resources up? I think a Q and A video is needed ;)

[MeOnStuff]

That's pretty fucking cool.

[Got2MakeSense]

I wanna be a minion, too! What is the upper age limit on that?

[teaskav]

I have watched this 3 times and only just starting to understand what you have explained (that's not saying anything against your explanation but more about my mind's ability to understand anything scientific.)

Doctor Power is a fantastic name, I'm somewhat jealous.

[shanedk]

Cool!

Couldn't a sequence be introduced into the nucleus via an engineered retrovirus?

[powerm1985]

@shanedk A problem I can see with using a engineered retrovirus it that they still need proteins to enter their genetic information into the nucleus. My "fake DNA" is so structurally different that I really dont think any amount of engineering would make them except my morpholion based oligonucleotide.

[Snagabott]

So, question is: will you be dancing your PhD?

[DrShamoon]

DR POWER. Best name ever.

[piprod01]

Just got set a small task to write about something interesting in my course path - Molecular Biology - for a Biochemistry module.

Now I have an idea!

[tomdschneider]

Well,that's interesting ... but as a molecular biologist I could not understand what you mean by 'replicate' - does the molecule use resources of the cell? How did you create it? I suppose you don't really want to say, but please post how to get a copy of the thesis or paper when it's public. Same with the method of DNA sequencing. Finally, check out my Medusa(TM) sequencing project. Maybe your device could be used for that?

[powerm1985]

@tomdschneider To replicate you would need a excess of the synthetic activated monomer units. This could only be done in the lab and could not be done in vivo.

[tomdschneider]

@powerm1985 Well, that makes sense. It leaves open what you actually did or are trying to do. I look forward to seeing your results!

[thenofxer]

I can't wait to see your name in some of my favorite science magazines. I will be able to say that I saw your vids before you were a dr.

[drunkenroundtable]

I have a question (and I'm sorry if I'm going to sound like an idiot) but if this stuff your making to stop certain proteins from being made in bacteria are self replicating, is there any chance that this stuff to evolve, and then become a problem for us?

It all sounds really cool though.

[powerm1985]

@drunkenroundtable There's a chance that errors could be made in the replication but this most likely would make it not work rather than cause a problem. There is no selective pressure and it can only be synthesized in in the lab so it cant evolve. Also it would not be reconciled by the hosts proteins and therefore would not be translated.

[TemperedAlchemist]

You're my inspiration for living ;_;

[mordinvan]

I am totally for this kind of research, keep up the good work.

[memonk11]

If the franken-DNA attaches to bacterial DNA in a human body, thereby killing the bacteria, wouldn't the had to breakdown residual franken-DNA now cause problems? Anyway, COLOSSAL, GREAT WORK!!!

[InPursuitOfALife]

Im so fuckin jealous of you

[bendrui]

I'm just a layperson who tries my best to follow science, so I might be misinterpreting. Correct me if I'm wrong. One important application I can see for your work is developing new medicines to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria. I'm recovering from pneumonia, so the problems with antibiotics have been on my mind lately. :) Drugs targeted directly on the problem infection, leaving the 'healthy' flora to function as they should, would be a wonderful advance in medicine.

[embyrr922]

A moon fortress is pretty useless. You need a volcano fortress.

[powerm1985]

@embyrr922 Volcano fortress are so Cliché its all about the moon fortress

[dangyent]

@powerm1985 Might I suggest a fortress on a comet or asteroids (>_^)

[boonw]

god damnit, why cant I have a friend like you. People where I live want to kill me when I mention anything about genetics: they fear it like witchcraft.

[thenofxer]

@boonw Try soldotna alaska. Your not alone!

[Azrhei]

I think you should do Closed Caption for this video...If I don't know the words you are saying, I can't look them up....

[klangeddon]

Totally awesome video :) It makes me feel like less of a geek haha

[werdnativ]

I hears something similar about recent developments in nanotechnology, using these "fake DNA" processes to build nanoparticles into structures. Is your work in any way related? Also, if you can use this to kill microorganisms, and it can self-replicate, how controllable is it: what is the real danger? Is this the next dystopian sci-fi movie theme?

[unamaxify]

i stopped your video at about 1:17 because

i have to look up what the difference between RNA & DNA is exactly

I have a feeling that following you in your video is going to need allot of

reading.

Oh well i have a few idle days coming up.

So thank you for giving me motivation to learn new stuff.

[TheAtheistPaladin]

iRNA interferon treatment is very promising form of research that could heal all sorts of diseases, infections, and even be anti-viral. Good stuff.

[KayleLang]

Who said that the theory of evolution doesn't help humanity. Oh wait...

[Truthiness231]

Fantastic work, anything that can improve on biological science is quite noble IMO ^.^

[viicISrotcib]

... aaaand there are still people believing in creationism...

Thank you for being a spark in a sea of dark madness.

[BlizBob]

So.

Need any sharks with friggin lazers attached to their heads?

[daiitokumyouou899]

Hey powerm! When you publish your thesis could you pm it to me? I would really love to read it! Or at least the references you used.

P.S. I am a third year bio-chem major, what you talked about is very interesting!

Thanks a lot man, your videos are great. I look forward to seeing what research you will do once you have your PhD.

[D4N1CU5]

Is your thesis going to be published online somewhere? I would be very curious to read it.

[powerm1985]

@D4N1CU5 When I have my viva and if it all goes well it will be up on the University of Manchester website and I will give you guys a link :)

[D4N1CU5]

@powerm1985 Excellent, my honours involved a bunch of manual peptide synthesis (resin beads, noxious chemicals and an awful lot of time in a fume hood) followed by mass spec and too much tissue culture. Your project sounds way more interesting...

[TheSpazzofMuffins]

I like when you giggle when you explain things. It's so adorable. You should get inside me.

Sooner would be better.

[spursdude92]

I am actually so intrigued by this... can't wait for you to publish a paper about it as Doctor Power... I'd sooo read that.

On a side note, now that we know how smart you are, please say more easily as opposed to more easier as the latter is grammatically incorrect... pet peeve of mine.

Now, go discover how to synthesise self-replicating fake DNA/RNA my hard-learning amigo!!!!

[phizzyphizzy]

Someone accept this man's genetic material right now. Our species needs more of him.

[PBnFlash]

I wonder if copyright laws apply to self replicating genetic material...

[BFSmash]

i don't think you phd should count if you didn't do it all in your kitchen...

[wyvernlord23]

is there any way of stopping the replication?

[SEThatered]

I like nerds!

They are like Hyperbrains that feed on information!

Nerds are valuable assets of humanity!

[Leonis1989]

I've been self teaching myself biology since my first science lesson in senior school....

...and I had no idea what the hell he was talking about!

[1234doawee]

u r awesome

[shaedies]

So, no moon fortress?

[powerm1985]

@shaedies ............................so­on

[smarthandsomeguy]

Wow! You are actually going for the holy grail of medicine. I could hardly be more impressed by a guy who makes funny skeptical clips on YT.

[AndTheBeatStaysOn]

When you become Doctor Power you'll need a theme tune..

[Golon13]

Doctor power sounds like a stripper .... Not sure if I like that or not...

[mrdaym]

Even when you dumbed it down to floor level I still don't really get it. I still like that you'll be called DOCTOR DOOM though, being called just DOOM would be silly.

[dookiecheez]

Stop the expression of proteins is one thing. Is there any way for this kind of research to yield a way to increase the expression? Seems a bit far fetched but hey, what in science wasn't at one time?

[ZergAteu]

Miles, what got you into biology in the first place?

[XodusFTW]

become a professor, then call yourself Pro-Power!

[ChocoboKillerKanyo]

Doctor Power sounds legit as hell.

[Blackmark52]

the fraction of that rapid fire explanation that I caught, and could kinda understand, sounds very interesting

[aldunamesaretaken]

Gimme more information >:) i'm intrigued

[tommylehman]

Dr. Power would be the most awesome name ever.

[ryoshi100]

... my horse is bigger than yours >.>

[ingsve]

Would these selfreplicating drugs be subject to mutations?

[qdragon1337]

very cool project, it relates to an idea i've been thinking about...

[ulodetero]

O.o Er.... Something to do with DNA........

Seriously, I watched it twice, and all I could understand was that there's a way to replicate DNA/RNA without using proteins, while optionally changing the structure/coding, leading to possible treatments involving manipulation of the production of proteins. I think...

If that was actually what you said, I'll be quite surprised.

Btw, have you heard of that J Craig Venter guy who's put synthetic DNA in a cell? Is that at all related to your work?

[boenrobot]

I didn't catch 80% of the stuff you said... yet somehow I stuck listening and find everything you said fascinating. Why is that happening :-P ?

[StubbornProgrammer]

Sounds cool. And also like a lot of work.

[Xalloran]

It is so fucking cool living in this century. That antisense antibiotic concept is stupendously brilliant, to say nothing of the metabolic disease treatment applications. Thanks for sharing. I'm curious if you've seen or been working on anything regarding getting cells to uptake the engineered nucleic acids? I know in the lab setting bacteria need to be coaxed into competency to uptake DNA with a chemical, so I wonder how that would work in a clinical setting.

[SyncopatedProgress]

I get the feeling you have been dumbing down your science. For that, I'm grateful.

[TheIdealGasLaw]

@SyncopatedProgress

I disagree, he should explain it more in depth.

[rEdRoLiCa]

Thank goodness their are people like you. Thank goodness there were people just like you in the past and lets all hope that there will be more like you in the future. Best of luck with ALL of it. You've found a fantastic reason for being on this planet. I hope you enjoy it. cheers. :)

[IVscythia]

Facinating, singing up for minion duty

[InnocuousRemark]

Anyone who doesn't buy you a drink when you tell them that should have their iphone and meds taken away

[DashGriffin]

This is the sort of thing that almost made me consider a future in biology, but I simply found the rest of the field uninteresting compared to computing. Great to know the work's being done! =)

[dbenzhuser]

3:33 ... Got ya! Frankenstein ...

Oh, and I can't stop thinking how awesome this is :D

[Gazgule2]

Holy crap...

[bantam700]

if you need a minion when you get your moon fortress, sign me up!

[markholdgate]

We're all nerds now.

[eran5005]

@markholdgate If it weren't for us nerds, the cool guys would have still lived in caves XD

[alirezasepehrara]

@powerm1985 Hey! Is it possible you tell us about your undergraduate and graduate majors and minors( if you had any) please?

[joetheshoebro]

I'm fabulously entertained