NYIT Library Blog

The following DVDs are now available at the 2nd floor Circulation Desk of the Manhattan Library. Please note: all library computers have the capability to play DVDs, and headphones are also available.

Of Hearts and Hypertension Blazing Genetic Trails.
Call number: QH431 O34 1999
Scientists are gaining a greater understanding of the genetic and molecular bases of cardiovascular diseases knowledge that can lead to new tests and therapies. In four lectures, Dr. Christian E. Seidman and Dr. Richard P. Lifton discuss their groundbreaking research. Dr. Seidman explains how heart circulation works and discusses her research in identifying the mutant genes that cause hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, the most common cause of sudden cardiac death in young athletes. Dr. Lifton discusses his work on the genetics of hypertension and other diseases affected by the kidney’s ability to regulate salt. The lectures feature an animation on the anatomy of the human heart and questions from the student audience.

The Double Life of RNA
Call number: QP623.5 .C36 D68 2006
RNA can be much more than a passive transmitter of genetic information. It can also act as an enzyme that directly participates in cellular biochemistry. In four lectures, Dr. Thomas R. Cech tells the story of the discovery of RNA catalysis research that led to his receiving the 1989 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He explores why RNA’s ability both to store genetic information and to catalyze biochemical reactions lends plausibility to the theory that RNA had a central role in the origin of life. Dr. Cech also reveals how the ability of RNA catalysts (ribozymes) to cut and splice RNA molecules has sparked efforts to develop them as new therapeutic agents against viruses, cancer, and genetic diseases.

DVD includes detailed chapter search by scientific topic, direct access to animations, English subtitles, interview with the speaker, special features on RNA interference, telomeres, and RNA structures, and a Nova scienceNOW feature on RNA interference.

Evolution: Constant Change and Common Threads
Call number: QH366.2 .E97 2006 Disc 1
Call number: QH366.2 .E97 2006 Disc 2
How has the amazing diversity of plants and animals evolved? What can fossils, butterflies, and stickleback fish tell us about the deep common ancestry of all living forms? In four presentations, Dr. Sean B. Carroll and Dr. David M. Kingsley explore how key developmental genes, natural selection, and time fuel the evolutionary process. They also discuss how Charles Darwin’s ideas about evolution ignited a revolution in biology that continues to this day.

This DVD set includes detailed chapter search by scientific topic; direct access to animations; English subtitles; interviews with the speakers; special features on genetic switches, selection, stickleback fossils, and visualizing gene activity; and a discussion on evolution and religion featuring two theological experts.

Science of Fat
Call number: RC628 .S3 2005 Disc 1
Call number: RC628 .S3 2005 Disc 2
Scientists are unraveling the mechanisms that dictate how the brain and body regulate weight. In four presentations, Dr. Ronald M. Evans and Dr. Jeffrey M. Friedman discuss what the latest advances in genetic and molecular research tell us about why some people are hefty while others are lean. Understanding the biological systems that control body weight and metabolism, as well as these systems environmental interactions, could lead scientists to treatments that curb obesity and treat its negative health consequences.

DVD includes detailed chapter search by scientific topic, direct access to animations, English subtitles, interviews with the speakers, and special features on the molecular structures of fat, fat metabolism, and measuring obesity.

Ethics in Biomedical Research
Call number: QH332 .E84 2005
Biomedical scientists can gain essential insights from patients that help move their research in new directions. In four lectures, Dr. Bert Vogelstein and Dr. Huda Y. Zoghbi discuss how their patients have led them to a deeper understanding of the genetic and molecular bases of cancer and neurological disorders. Dr. Vogelstein explains our current understanding of the biology of cancer and how scientists are using information about cancer genes to treat and prevent the disease. Dr. Zoghbi recounts the research journeys she took to find the genes associated with two devastating neurological disorders: spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 and Rett syndrome.

DVD includes detailed chapter search by scientific topic, direct access to animations, English subtitles, interviews with the speakers, and special features on transgenic mice, understanding pedigrees, and bioethics.
In addition, is the following text:

The genes we share with yeast, flies, worms, and mice : new clues to human health and disease
Call number: QH447 .G46 2001
What do humans have in common with the lowly subjects of this report? Plenty. Scientists use these model organisms to study how genes function and apply what they learn to the study of human disease. A thorough description of new technologies used to analyze and compare the model organism genomes with the human genomes is included. Pull-out poster depicting similarity of the model organism genes mutated in humans that cause disease.