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InsideDiamond
News from the UK synchrotron Winter 2013
Green Energy From Bugs
A Male Contraceptive Pill
Nanotech Innovations
Winter 2013
Inside Diamond | News from the synchrotron
D
iamond Light Source is the
UK’s national synchrotron
science facility. It’s shaped
like a huge ring, and
functions like a giant
microscope. Diamond speeds up
electrons to near light speeds,
producing a light 10 billion times
brighter than the sun. These bright
beams are then directed off into
laboratories known as ‘beamlines’.
Here scientists use the light to study
everything from viruses and vaccines
to fossils and jet engines. Diamond is
one of the most advanced scientific
facilities in the world, and its pioneering
capabilities are helping to keep the UK
at the forefront of scientific research.
Our magazine, Inside Diamond, brings
you research highlights and thoughtprovoking insights, showcasing the
wonders that lie within the walls of the
synchrotron.
2
And So It Begins…
Welcome to the first edition of Inside
Diamond, the magazine that brings
you a selection of spectacular research
from the synchrotron. The inaugural
issue features tales of wood-eating
bugs that could save the world, the next
generation of teeny-weeny gadgets,
and a young scientist studying alien
rocks from Mars. The UK’s synchrotron
supports a vast range of fundamental
and applied research, and a part of
all work mentioned was carried out at
Diamond.
The UK synchrotron is a world class
facility at the forefront of scientific
progress.
Approximately
7,500
researchers and members of the public
visit Diamond every year, and the facility
has led to almost 3000 research papers
being published. Inside Diamond was
set up to bring the awe-inspiring work
that takes place at Diamond to the
public; in doing so it looks to engage
and inspire the scientist that lives inside
us all.
Front cover image: A glass sculpture of EV71
which causes hand, foot and mouth disease. The
structure was solved at Diamond in 2012, opening
up new possibilities for treatment.
8
10
contents
4-5
Gribble and Green Energy
6-7
Martian Meteorites
8-9
Oral Contraception: A Guy Thing?
10-11 Young People and Science
12-14 Nanotech Innovations
15
18
Investigating Bones
16-17 Foot-and-Mouth Disease Vaccine
17
Scientist in the Spotlight
18-19 How it Works: Diffraction
20-21 Light Reading Stories
22
Diamond Dialogue
23
Infographic Synchrotron
3
Winter 2013
Inside Diamond | News from the synchrotron
Little Gribble
Saves the Day
T
he search for sustainable energy is one of
the most pressing scientific needs of our
time. The burning of fossil fuels currently
releases approximately 21 billion tonnes
of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide into the
atmosphere each year; this is far more than can
be safely absorbed. Increased levels of CO2
cause the average temperature of the Earth to
rise, creating global warming.
Wood-eating water bug
may help scientists to
develop green energy
4
But the gribble contains a powerful, newly discovered
enzyme able to transform waste into sugars more
efficiently. And, like the gribble, this particular enzyme
is able to survive in salty environments. In the past,
scientists have tried using enzymes from fungi, but
there is a need for enzymes that are better able to
withstand the aggressive chemical environments
used in industrial processes. The highly acidic gribble
enzymes may be just what scientists are looking for.
The research team leader Professor McQueen-Mason
explains, “The robust nature of the enzymes makes
it compatible for use in conjunction with sea water,
which would lower the costs of processing. Lowering
the cost of enzymes is seen as critical for making
biofuels from woody materials cost effective.”
Rather than trying to use the poor gribble itself, the
team from University of York, University of Portsmouth,
and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory have
transferred the genetic blueprint of this particular
enzyme to an industrial microbe, capable of producing
it in large quantities.
The majority of climate scientists agree that something
needs to be done to reduce our fossil fuel consumption
and, for a number of years, scientists have been
engaged in a race to develop cleaner forms of energy.
But now, using Diamond’s synchrotron light, a team
of researchers have located a possible source of
sustainable and environmentally-friendly fuel, and it
comes in the form of the wood-eating gribble.
The gribble is a tiny crustacean. They live in the sea,
and nest in shipwrecks and driftwood. Their favourite
snack is wood, and they’re notorious for munching
away on boats and destroying seaside piers.
However, the gribble may be able to provide a new
way of powering our cars, offices and homes.
Inside the gribble, there is a special enzyme that helps
the creatures digest their woody meals. Enzymes are
a type of protein inside living things that serve as a
catalyst, transforming one substance into another.
For some time, scientists have been looking into
ways of using enzymes to convert biomass such as
wood, paper and straw into liquid fuel. We currently
use enzymes in a range of products and processes,
such as making paper or washing our clothes with
detergent. However, the process of developing
enough enzymes to break down the scrap waste
into sugars for fuel has thus far proved prohibitively
expensive.
Using biochemical analysis and X-ray imaging on
Diamond’s life science beamlines, the team were
able to pinpoint the enzyme, determine its structure,
and watch it in action as it digested wood. Dr. John
McGeehan, a structural biologist from the team,
recalls the process of researching the valuable
gribble enzyme: “Once we succeeded in the tricky
task of making crystals of the enzyme, we transported
them to Diamond Light Source, the UK’s national
synchrotron science facility…
“The Diamond synchrotron
produced such good data
that we could visualise the
position of every single atom
in the enzyme”
The BBSRC-funded research into the powerful gribble
enzyme could well be the first step in developing an
entirely new source of sustainable, environmentallyfriendly fuels. With this technique, it could be possible
to recycle unused paper, wood and straw from the
agricultural and timber industries, and harness the
hidden energy. So the little gribble should be proud;
this humble water bug could help to transform our
world and herald a new cleaner, greener dawn.
Images courtesy of Prof Simon McQueen-Mason and Dr Simon Cragg
5
Winter 2013
Inside Diamond | News from the synchrotron
The Young Scientist and her
Rocks from Mars
I
t’s pretty cool to be considered one of the
leading experts on Martian meteorites at the
tender age of 26, and Natasha Stephen can
certainly lay claim to the title.
Having studied geology at Royal Holloway University of
London, Natasha researched Icelandic volcanoes for
her masters degree and then planetary sciences for her
PhD. For Natasha, it’s not little green men that get her
excited, but rocks from space.
6
However, despite the pioneering technology behind
the missions to Mars, the alien rocks remain something
of a mystery to Earthling scientists. Researchers have
samples of Martian rocks to scrutinise – there are
currently 69 Martian meteorites in storage – however
the data they gather is tricky to analyse because there’s
little to compare it to. But Natasha wants to change that.
Her life’s work is more than just meteorites; Natasha’s
ambition is to chronicle every type of rock and mineral
found on Mars.
Natasha has specialised in Martian meteorites for
the past 4 years, and these days she’s the lady you
call when you’ve got a rock from the red planet. But
Natasha is not just a Mars aficionado; she’s a charterer
of worlds. The young doctor is using B22-MIRIAM,
Diamond’s infrared microspectroscopy beamline, to
chronicle Mars’ many hard rocks and their minerals; in
doing so, she is discovering parts of the red planet that
no-one has ever explored before.
Currently, planetary scientists compare their alien
samples to the library of Earth rocks but, as Natasha
points out, the similarities are limited: “A Hawaiian lava
is not the same as an Icelandic lava, so why would
either of them be the same as a Martian lava?”, she
asks. “And Martian meteorites are essentially just
igneous rocks from Mars, similar to the lavas here on
Earth.”
Our planet is made up of hundreds of different
kinds of rocks and minerals, and we have a pretty
comprehensive idea of what those rocks are because
we have many complete libraries and databases of
all of Earth’s strata. If curious scientists want to learn
more about an intriguing igneous rock or a suspicious
sedimentary specimen, they can refer to the library and
track it down. But no such reference for Martian rocks
exists, yet.
Instead, Natasha wants to build up a new library of the
materials that make up Mars. She hopes that the library
will help further our understanding of the alien planet.
“The largest canyon and largest volcano in the solar
system are both on Mars, but at the moment we don’t
quite know how they formed.” She continues, “There
are still a lot of unanswered questions about Mars and
it isn’t all about the search for life on another planet, but
it is important that we keep challenging ourselves and
what we understand about the world(s) around us.”
We now know more about the red planet than ever
before. Satellites, spacecrafts and rovers have all set
off for our planetary neighbour in search of data on its
physical nature; soon the ESA EXOMars Rover will be
launched onto Mars’ surface, where it will drill down
into the planet in an effort to uncover what the fourth
planet from the sun is really made of.
Natasha’s curiosity is helping to formulate what will
undoubtedly be a vital reference source for scientists of
the future. Her Martian library is emblematic of how far
planetary science has come and how far it has yet to
go. But for Natasha, it’s all in a day’s work. She may not
get to clock out by 5pm or even by midnight, but each
day (and night) at the synchrotron brings her closer to
uncovering the secrets of our solar system.
“The largest canyon and largest volcano
in the solar system are both on Mars,
but at the moment we don’t quite know
how they formed”
7
Winter 2013
Inside Diamond | News from the synchrotron
A leap forwards in the search for a male contraceptive pill
T
his is a story all about the racy
subject of contraception. The female
contraceptive pill has a history that
dates back over half a century. The
first pill approved by the US Food and
Drug Administration came to market in 1957; and
around sixty years later, about 100 million women
worldwide now take the contraceptive pill.
Generations of women have been empowered to
take control of their fertility.
8
Oral Contraception: A Guy Thing?
However, the search for a male alternative has thus far
proved fruitless. The reason that the science behind
the pill doesn’t work for men is that a male pill would
need to target many millions of sperm rather than just
one egg. Scientists have also had problems because
a lot of drugs may contain the right elements, but they
aren’t able to transfer from the blood to the testes, and
so they fail to have a contraceptive effect. Currently,
the only drugs in clinical trials are contraceptives
that counteract testosterone hormones, and it’s not
always a good idea to mess around with hormones if
you can help it.
But now, an international collaboration of scientists
have used one of Diamond’s life science beamlines,
I03, to develop a potential male contraceptive pill that
works by targeting the specific protein responsible
for sperm-cell production. The pill inhibits the aptlynamed sperm-generating protein, bromodomain,
whilst leaving the testosterone hormones untouched.
This could be a really important step forward for male
contraceptive science. If it makes it to market, the male
pill could reduce the rate of unplanned pregnancies,
and thus have significant socio-economic effects on
a global scale.
The pill uses a small-molecule inhibitor with the catchy
name of JQ1. Once ingested, JQ1 effectively moves
from the blood to the testes and inhibits bromodomain
proteins. Mice treated with JQ1 were found to have a
reduced sperm count, and their existing sperm were
found to be less mobile and of lower quality. Despite
this effect, their hormone levels remained normal.
The effects of JQ1 were also found to be completely
reversible. When the mice stopped being treated, their
sperm count and quality returned to normal. Mating
behaviours weren’t affected, suggesting that libido
isn’t reduced by the male pill. And there didn’t appear
to be any obvious effects in offspring produced during
treatment or afterwards.
So, what does this mean? Well, if these studies are
anything to go by, we may eventually have a male
contraceptive pill akin to the female version, which
can cross from the blood into the testes, impair sperm
generation, and produce a completely reversible
contraceptive effect.
There are always things to consider when scientists
are on the cusp of a discovery such as this. More
research needs to be done into the long-term effects
and the impact of JQ1 on different species. JQ1 is
not selective at this stage, meaning that it needs
to be refined so that the right proteins are affected.
The research is still quite early on, but it’s certainly a
significant step forward in the quest to develop the
elusive male contraceptive pill. If nothing else, we
certainly now know what proteins to target to control
fertility. So look out bromodomain, science is on to
you.
9
Winter 2013
Inside Diamond | News from the synchrotron
Inspiring the next
generation of scientists
10
11
T
here’s no question about it: science hasn’t
always been perceived as all that glamorous,
particularly amongst young people. But
science, technology, engineering and maths
(STEM) subjects now appear to be experiencing a
renaissance, as charities, government initiatives
and facilities like Diamond work to bring STEM
back into the spotlight.
whom being nerdy is kind of cool. You can see it in pop
culture – science is just more friendly and visible now.”
Joe posits that the emergence of a more technologydriven culture has augmented interest in science: “Think
about the amount of things people are exposed to on
a daily basis, from gadgets to medications, people are
beginning to see all these things that are born out of
science.”
In 2006, young people’s interest in science appeared to
be at a low point. Entries for A level physics had halved
since the 1980s, and chemistry and maths were also
failing to attract the same numbers of young people. But
the figures now seem to be improving. Since that low
in 2006, the numbers of students doing A level science
and maths have risen steadily, and STEM subjects now
account for nearly 30% of all A level entries. So is geek
becoming more chic amongst young people? And if so,
what can organisations like Diamond do to support the
next generation of budding scientists?
Charities, government and industry have all worked
hard to strengthen young people’s affinity towards the
sciences; and policy initiatives, education programmes
and publicity campaigns have all helped further uptake.
So where does Diamond come in? With 3000 researchers
working on everything from health and medicine to
technology and engineering, the synchrotron is perfectly
placed to demonstrate the breadth of scientific career
pathways, and to showcase what can be achieved
through research.
Joseph Lyons is winner of Diamond’s 2013 Young
Investigator of the Year Award – the annual prize for young
researchers who have made an outstanding contribution
to science. Joe contends that science is in the midst
of a cultural revival: “We’re getting to a generation for
It remains challenging to convey the relevance of science
to pupils. According to a recent report by the Wellcome
Trust, 40% of students still have problems making direct
links between the science they learn at school and how
this applies to everyday life. Students also struggle to
identify the potential careers that a science education
could lead to. In its engagement activities with young
people, Diamond seeks to end this disconnect between
students being exposed to and enjoying science and
their considering it a viable and important career option.
Diamond’s programme of AS and A level visits invites
physics, biology and chemistry students inside the
synchrotron. When they visit, students have the chance
to explore the particle accelerator, to meet people who
work at the forefront of cutting edge research, and to see
firsthand the work that goes on in the STEM industry and
how that work changes the world we live in.
Another of Diamond’s initiatives invites undergraduate
students to spend a summer working at the synchrotron
on real scientific research projects. Daniel Greenwood
was one of these students; he worked with a team from
I02, one of Diamond’s life sciences beamlines, over
the summer. For Daniel, it’s the practical experience
of working at a scientific facility that’s so important: “It
just makes such a difference. When you’re looking at
an exam question on how you characterise a protein,
you don’t want to have to remember flashcards and
strange words. It’s much better to be able to look back
to when you did that experiment, the room you were in,
the machines you used. It just makes it so much clearer
and more vivid.”
Laura Holland, Public Engagement Manager at
Diamond, agrees that hands-on experience is key
to inspiring the next generation: “There’s a team of
researchers and technicians behind every new discovery
at the synchrotron, and we want to show young people
that scientific progress depends on these people. It’s
important to demonstrate how an interest in science
can translate into a career, and we need to highlight
the practical consequences of research. Vaccines,
nanotechnology, jet planes - that’s what Diamond can
offer: it’s science in action.”
Ultimately, science is only as good as the scientists
behind it. That’s why it’s so important to invest in the
next generation of STEM professionals. From antibiotics
to iPods, we owe most of the benefits of modern life to
science. If we want progress to continue, we need to
foster scientific curiosity in young minds. At Diamond,
we aim to reach out to bright young people and help
them realise that they are scientists.
To find out more about our outreach and education
activities please contact
[email protected]
or visit our website on www.diamond.ac.uk/education
Winter 2013
Inside Diamond | News from the synchrotron
Diamond in Action:
Nanotech Innovations
T
here’s no doubt about it, Diamond Light Source is as high-tech as it comes. The facility is
over five times the footprint of St. Paul’s Cathedral; it fires electrons at near light speeds, and
produces one of the brightest lights in the solar system.
Diamond’s cutting-edge machinery is helping scientists to investigate nanomaterials and
develop pioneering new technologies. By allowing scientists to study novel materials atom-by-atom,
Diamond is paving the way towards the development of new and advanced nanotechnologies.
Energy-Efficient Tech
First identified thousands of years ago, electricity is now fundamental to our everyday lives. The entire
world runs on an electric current. But using all this juice has an impact, both on our pockets and the
environment.
12
So scientists are using Diamond to try to drastically reduce the amount of electricity we use to power our
technology. What if you only had to charge your phone once a month, or if every PC in every office around the
world could work without being plugged into the mains?
Every time you click on a website, watch a movie on your laptop or listen to a song on your phone, the gadget
is reading a binary code. Technology uses magnets to track the series of 1s and 0s and translate them into an
action, such as opening up Facebook or firing off a tweet. But this little magnet needs a lot of power to function;
that’s why you have to charge your tech and top up the battery.
Scientists believe that there may be ways to reduce the amount of electricity those little tracking magnets use.
Diamond’s nanoscience beamline, I06, produces a very precise, narrow beam; this allows scientists to focus the
light into a space only a few microns wide. Using a technique called nano-spectroscopy, scientists can look into
important materials and examine the different layers that make up a substance on an atomic level.
With nano-spectroscopy, scientists are looking to uncover more
about magnetic materials and what makes the magnets in
our gadgets work. By studying the properties of these tiny
magnets, the teams at Diamond hope to develop more
efficient materials that require less electrical power to
read and write the binary code.
Discovering the hidden properties of different
materials is the key to developing technology that is
more energy efficient. We may not be able to wave
goodbye to power-hungry technology any time soon
but, by uncovering new ways to power our phones
and computers, synchrotron light could be the spark
that sets off the next generation of energy-efficient
gadgets.
An image showing the magnetic profile of a nanotech sample
produced using the PhotoEmission Electron Microscope
(PEEM) on beamline I06. The colour box and arrows indicate
the direction of the magnetisation.
Teeny-Weeny
Devices
You only have to look at a photo of someone using a mobile phone
from the 80’s to know that consumer electronics have become a
lot smaller over the years.
We can’t get enough of little gadgets but, at the same time, we expect
our tech to be capable of storing more than ever before. Moore’s Law
suggests that technology will halve in size every 2 years. The challenge
for scientists is to figure out how to make technology that is capable of
storing more with less space.
But there may be a new player in the mini-gadgetry game. Some materials
respond to magnetism, some respond to electricity; multiferroics are a
type of material which respond to both. This means that they can be
used to develop devices which exploit both magnetism and electric
charge, so that they run faster and on less power. Spintronic thin films are
a branch of multiferroic materials. The phrase ‘spintronic’ is shorthand for
‘spin transport electronics’. They work like this: when an electron passes
through an electronic device, the movement of charges generates heat
and uses a lot of power. What spintronic technology does is to exploit
both the electronic charge and the magnetic spin of the electron. So by
exploiting the electric and magnetic charge of electrons, devices fitted
with spintronic thin films can potentially harness more power from less
charge. The futuristic films require much less space to operate than
existing nanotechnology, and so could make it possible to develop
gadgets that are much smaller, more energy efficient, and faster.
At Diamond, scientists are using the I16 beamline, which specialises in
materials and magnetism, to investigate the forces between atoms in
multiferroic materials and how these forces lead to subtle patterns of
magnetism and electronic charge. By altering the material qualities of the
spintronic thin films and other multiferroics, researchers hope to develop
the devices to be as high-performing and miniaturised as possible. The
progress being made in this field means that we can potentially expect our
consumer electronics to continue getting tinier and tinier, and Diamond
is at the forefront of this cutting-edge research; now that’s no small feat.
13
Diamond in Action:
Winter 2013
Inside Diamond | News from the synchrotron
Really Rechargeable Batteries
14
I
t’s surprising how much we rely on battery power.
Everything from our phones to our cameras
depends on little power sources called lithium-ion
batteries (LIBs). Released in the early 1990’s, LIBs
are now ubiquitous, and are used to power consumer
electronics, hand tools and electric vehicles. They
also have important roles in medicine, defence and
even space exploration.
Because of the variety of ways in which LIBs are currently
used, improvements to the batteries could have substantial
and far-reaching effects. Scientists at Diamond are using
synchrotron light to investigate ways of developing the
materials inside the batteries so that they are more durable,
cheaper, safer and able to store more energy.
With the capabilities on I07, Diamond’s high-resolution
X-ray diffraction beamline, scientists can investigate the
structure of materials in different conditions, including high
heat. They’re able to look inside the material to see how it
is affected by a changing environment and how it could be
developed to be more effective.
Scientists working on LIBs are using I07 to investigate the
deterioration of batteries over time as a result of charging.
The nanotech experts also want to analyse the structural
stability of the batteries under changing temperatures.
Ever seen that label warning you not to let your laptop get
too hot? Or have you bought tech that stopped holding a
charge after a year or two? Well those things may one day
be a thing of the past.
By adding ions to the material inside LIBs, scientists hope
to make them more stable, more efficient, and able to
charge faster. This could have a significant impact both on
the everyday convenience of having really rechargeable
consumer electronics, but also in the wider field of
renewable energy. Electric cars that charge quickly and
stay running for longer could make environmentally friendly
transport a much more popular option for commuters. It
goes to show how far-reaching research carried out at
Diamond can be. Who knows, perhaps one day we’ll even
have the synchrotron running on battery power!
Dem Bones, Dem Bones
A new method of measuring bone
quality has important implications
for medical treatments.
L
ike many things in life, bones aren’t
perfect. Sometimes, if you’re clumsy,
prone to a scuffle, or a keen BASE jumper,
bones break. We know this much, but it’s
important to advance our understanding of how
and when bones break. This knowledge can help
us to develop treatments for damaged bones and
counteract the effects of bone-related diseases
with targeted therapies.
The toughness of bone and its resistance to fractures
is a key indicator of the bone’s quality. Bones which
are damaged or depleted in some way as a result of
poor nutrition or disease will break more easily than
good quality bones. However, bone plays by its own
rules. Because of its complex structure, it fractures at
different points and in different ways to other, similar
materials. It’s particularly difficult to gauge the fracture
resistance, and thus bone quality, of smaller bones.
These very small bone samples could give an insight
into the toughness of bone in individual patients. But
it’s really hard to measure such small samples, so
our knowledge of the fracture resistance of bones
is limited to what can be studied in the laboratory.
This has important implications because generally
we use small animals, rats and mice mostly, to study
the effects of various things – injuries, diseases,
treatments or genetic abnormalities – on bone quality.
But as mice and rat bones are so small, the impact
can be difficult to measure.
With this problem in mind, a team of scientists with
a bone to pick have used the imaging capabilities of
Diamond’s I13 beamline to develop a new method of
observing and measuring the cracking process that
occurs when a small bone breaks. The team from the
University of Southampton looked at the way in which
the bone whitens around the epicentre of a crack. If
you’ve ever bent a ruler in half really hard, you will have
noticed a whitening effect around the centre of the
ruler just before it cracked. This whiteness is thought
to be caused by light reflecting on microcracks
in the material. These microcracks occur around
the damage zone as the strain increases; they’re a
toughening mechanism designed to relieve some of
the pressure on the main crack.
The team pinned down the relationship between
whitening and cracking, proving that, in smaller
samples, whitening of the bone is not just the result of
a toughening mechanism, but also a sign of deeper
damage below the surface. The team also showed
that whitening can be used to track and measure
this damage, meaning that it can provide a tool to
measure bone toughness. Once they had all of this,
they developed a frightfully clever computer-aided
methodology to measure the toughness of small
bones based on the whitening effect.
SRµCT imaging of the whitening (damage) areas of a partially failed
bone specimen (Image courtesy of Orestis Katsamenis and Philipp
Thurner, adapted from their paper in PLOS One: A Novel Videography
Method for Generating Crack-Extension Resistance Curves in Small
Bone Samples)
Theoretically, this methodology could even be used
to measure the quality of other, similar materials.
In a world where everything is getting smaller, this
means that, in the future, the findings could have
important industrial applications, providing engineers
with a tool to accurately assess toughness on even
smaller scales. But in the meantime, we now have a
new method of measuring the quality of small bone
samples; and that’s something that is really important
to biomedical research into the effects and treatment
of diseases such as osteoporosis. It’s also pretty
handy if you just happen to be a bit clumsy and
familiar with broken bones.
So if you ever do find yourself in a cast after a nasty
fall, take comfort in the knowledge that science is
looking out for you, and always looking for ways to
get you back on your feet.
15
Winter 2013
Inside Diamond | News from the synchrotron
Scientist in the
Spotlight
Curiosity Killed the Virus:
The Story Behind the New Vaccine
for Foot-And-Mouth Disease
Claire Murray,
Support Scientist
on I11
By Professor Dave Stuart
1. How did you first become interested in
science?
I studied chemistry at school, and that’s where
I first discovered atoms and molecules. The
whole world is made up of tiny particles, and I
was amazed that the lead in my pencil and the
diamond stone in my mother’s ring were the same
atom ordered in different ways – carbon!
16
V
irtually every great scientific discovery,
from the theory of gravity to the invention
of antibiotics, has emerged out of one
simple principle: curiosity.
Together with a collaboration of scientists from various
UK institutions, we have developed a new methodology
for producing a vaccine which is safer, and potentially
more economical and more effective. We still have a
long way to go before the vaccine reaches the market,
but the signs from early clinical trials are very promising.
The vaccine is targeted at foot-andmouth disease (FMDV); a plague
of livestock that is endemic
throughout much of the
world, costs $5 billion a
year, and causes much
suffering in poor countries.
However, the methodology
may well transfer to other,
similar viruses that affect
humans, such as polio,
meaning that it could
provide a potent new tool in
global disease control.
This discovery is the culmination of
decades of research. I began looking
at FMDV in 1985, at a time when research into
the structure of viruses was seen by many as neither
plausible nor useful. I was put in touch with a collection
of virologists at the Wellcome Foundation. One man in
particular, Professor Fred Brown, became formative to
my approach to virus research. He maintained, despite
widespread scepticism from the science community,
that identifying virus structures was fundamental to
combating their effects. Brown worked according to a
simple scientific principle: with understanding comes
power.
developed the pioneering vaccine methodology
at Pirbright, Oxford University, Reading University,
and the UK’s synchrotron, Diamond Light Source.
Spurred by this support, we continued with the work
until, in 1989, we solved the structure of FMDV. There is
a unique feeling that accompanies being the first person
to ever lay eyes on something like that. But the joy of
discovery was tinged with disappointment. Research
into FMDV vaccine was cut back.
It wasn’t always a certainty that we would be
successful. Scientists sometimes spend their
entire lives researching one particular area; only
to find that nothing practical emerges from it. But
without that thirst for understanding that drives all
science, we would be without many of the world’s
great discoveries.
We had so many ideas to explore, but we didn’t
have the resources or the
technology
to
pursue
them. So our FMDV
research was essentially
put on hold. Meanwhile,
I began looking into
the structures of other
viruses, including the
proteins of HIV, EV71 and
bluetongue virus.
This pause in progress came to a swift
end following the 2001 outbreak, when
FMDV encroached again upon the
shores of Great Britain. The vaccine we
have today is a UK-led discovery; the result
of an initiative that was borne out of the 2001
crisis. Funding from Defra, the Wellcome Trust, BBSRC,
MRC and the STFC allowed us to bring together some
of the best in UK virus research to help combat the
disease.
A collaborative group of scientists and agencies,
assembled by Dr. Bryan Charleston, Head of Livestock
Viral Disease Programme at the Pirbright institute,
It is deeply satisfying when we are able to use
scientific knowledge to better people’s lives, and it
is my sincere hope that the vaccine will eventually
help improve things on a global scale. I would be
overjoyed to see something we contributed to
making a difference in the world.
However, there is still plenty of work to be done.
There are myriad elements of nature that we are
yet to understand. For instance, we know that
antibodies protect against viruses, but we’re still
not quite sure how they do it. If we look closely at
that process, if we can figure it out, then perhaps
we can develop ways to improve the immune
response or disable the virus.
Fred Brown was right back in the 1980s;
understanding is the key to power. This vaccine is
not the end for me or for any of us involved in the
research. We’re still scientists, and so we’re still
curious. I don’t think that will ever change.
Originally published in Huffington Post UK,
27th March 2013.
2. Your research area is physical science.
Why do you find this so fascinating?
I use X-rays to look at atoms and molecules in a
powder, and to study how their structure changes
when we heat, cool or squeeze the powdered
sample. This is fascinating because it allows us to
recreate conditions in the earth’s crust or replicate
the formation of space dust and to understand
how these processes happen.
3. Who is your scientific hero and why?
Ernest Rutherford: he won the Nobel Prize in
1908 for his chemistry on radioactive substances.
He was the first to theorise that an atom’s charge
is concentrated in a very small nucleus. This was
a fundamental discovery at the time, and it made
everyone think differently about the structure
of atoms.
4. What advice would you give to young people
who are interested in a career in science?
Be curious! Science only happens because we
ask questions. There is an incredible amount of
information online and in libraries about science,
and you can do lots of interesting reading there. I
would also recommend visiting places like science
museums, natural history museums and coming
to see us at Diamond. We love science and want
to share that with you!
5. If you hadn’t been a scientist what else would
you want to be?
I think I would probably be a baker.
17
How it
Works
Inside Diamond | News from the synchrotron
S
cientists at Diamond use lots of different
techniques to carry out their research.
Diffraction is a natural phenomenon and
an important tool that helps scientists
unravel the atomic structure of our world.
What is it?
Diffraction
18
You encounter diffraction every day. In fact, you’re
probably experiencing its effects right now. The
murmur of background noise, the levels of heat or
light in a room – all of these are related to diffraction.
Think of waves on the ocean; they behave in the same
way as light and sound. When water waves hit an
object like a rock or a boat, their trajectory is changed
and they disperse in a different pattern.
The same is true of light and sound waves. You can
have a covert natter at work or school because the
sound from your conversation bounces off walls and is
spread out as it hits surrounding objects. This causes
the waves to become distorted so that they reach
others as a murmur of blurred sound. And it’s not just
sound; light and heat are also affected by diffraction.
We don’t tend to install radiators or lamps behind TVs
or fridges because the objects will interfere with the
waves, leaving your room rather cold and dark.
The History
Once you understand the process of diffraction, it
seems quite clear. But it took a while for scientists to
work out what was going on. Wave diffraction was
first observed in the 17th century, but it wasn’t until
1803, when Thomas Young performed an experiment
to observe waves diffracting through two slits, that
the phenomenon began to be more fully understood.
The Technique
If you shine a bright light at an object, it produces
a diffraction pattern as it leaves the sample. This is
because the light bounces off each atom inside the
object, creating a unique arrangement of light and
dark spots. This pattern can then be used to identify
the atomic structure of the object itself.
Some samples can be tricky to study using diffraction.
That’s why scientists use a technique called
crystallography to freeze their samples into ice-like
crystals. If it’s crystallised first, then almost anything
– from virus structures to ancient fossils – can be
studied using diffraction. Knowing the structure of
diseases is the first step in creating better treatments.
Identifying the structural composition of water
samples can provide insights into pollution levels and
climate change. Understanding the atomic nature of
samples is vital to all areas of modern research, and
that’s why diffraction is such an important scientific
technique.
Diffraction at Diamond
Diamond Light Source is a valuable tool for scientists
who want to determine the atomic structure of
crystallised samples. The bright beams of synchrotron
light can pass through objects such as DNA, viruses,
industrial materials, and chemical solutions, and
produce a diffraction pattern that provides a clear
indication of the sample’s structure.
Our scientists use diffraction to develop stronger
materials for cars and aeroplanes, to identify the
impact of climate change, and to develop new and
more effective drugs for disease. Diffraction is an
essential technique in modern science, and its
discovery has led to some of the most significant
scientific advances in history. The simple practice of
shining a light on samples to determine their structure
has helped scientists to illuminate some of the most
complex and beautiful aspects of our world.
Image courtesy
of King’s
College
London
Young’s nifty diagram of wave diffraction was to
have vital significance; in 1952, Rosalind Franklin
and Raymond Gosling used diffraction to produce
the image of DNA that Watson and Crick would later
use to solve the structure. Since the 20th century,
diffraction has been a cornerstone of modern science,
permeating virtually every aspect of research.
19
Winter 2013
Inside Diamond | News from the synchrotron
Winning story of the junior category by
Lexi Tyack (Year 7 - Our Lady’s Abingdon)
At Diamond, we produce a light brighter than the sun that allows scientists to make
amazing discoveries. We invited people to come up with a fictional science story
inspired by Diamond. These are the winning stories from younger authors in the Key
Stage 3 and 4 categories.
Winning story by Christy Flora Au
(Year 10 - Headington School)
I
‘Lambelasma,
That is My Name’
am very old, 462 million years old, in fact. Many would say I am dead, a
fossil, and to the naked eye, I might seem to be. Being that old and dried
and pressurised under so many layers of rock and sand, sometimes I really
doubted about my existence. How can I be if nobody knew I ever was? My
world was so small and isolated from the rest of the world; I didn’t even have a
name! In human terms, I was depressed. That was, until the day I was found.
20
It was quite a normal day to begin with. The sun was blazing away and I was, as
always, shifting around slightly, trying to get more comfortable with all this rock
pressed up against me. Yet there was something off, some sense of anticipation
was humming in the air; the sand particles nearest to me were talking with tones
an octave above their usual gravelly rasping voices, and so excited were they, their
words were blending into one another. They usually moaned about how passersby
would stomp down hard on their little delicate ‘frames’, which is quite entertaining
at first but gets irritating after the first hour. The occasional squawk from a bird
above, the soft giggling from the breeze, and the distant squeaking of the sand was
enough to slowly lull me to sleep. That is, until it happened.
“Boys!”
I woke with a start, hearing the incoming stampede of feet. All right then, time to
brace up. Holding myself as steady as possible, I waited for the downward force that
would surely have scraped off some more of my already depleted outer shell, but it
never came. Instead I felt a tickling sensation on my rear end that made me burst
out laughing. The sand particles nearer to the surface were laughing as well, “They
are brushing off your bottom!” Very soon I felt a few tentative rays of sunlight lick at
my exposed shell, more giggling and guffawing could be heard around me from the
broken rock pieces and sand particles as my backside was revealed to the world to
see. From above, a collective gasp went around with more than one “it’s beautiful.”
What was so beautiful about my derrière?
“I have a feeling that it’s a rugose coral.”
“Can’t slice it though, too small, too rare.”
“X-ray tomography?”
“Diamond Light Source?”
“What do you think?”
“Yes, brilliant. Let me clear it with above.”
Now, mind you, this made no sense to me at all. I was a tiny little existence packed
in a rock, who was called Ordovician by the way, and sand particles that groveled in
gravelly voices everyday! I didn’t know about any of this stuff! All I knew was that
I was removed from the ground, my bottom still on show, with only Ordovician for
company, cries of “bon voyage” and sand-made confetti following us along the way.
Things went hazy after that, for we were put into a place with no light at all. It was
scary. I remember being taken out again and snapping sounds were aimed at my
butt, the tickler thingy was used on me as well. Then it was back into the darkness
and strange noises that echoed in my surroundings.
Emerging once again into the dim light, my nerves calmed as the cacophony of
sounds vibrated through Ordovician and then through me. I didn’t know what that
place was, I don’t even know now, but the many sounds just calmed me and made
me smile and sigh, well, until some sand particles left behind started squealing
because of my sudden movement. There wasn’t the scorching heat of the sun,
nor were there the grumblings and mumblings of the environment I was used to.
Instead, I heard the controlled, continuous blips that echoed through the air from
time to time. I felt two warm objects, not like the scorching heat of the sun or of
clumped sand, but of lukewarm rain, carry me up and up and across wherever I was.
Entering another world of sound, the blips were soon accompanied by the occasional
note of rushing air, reminding me of the balmy breeze on a summer’s day. Whooshes
and whizzes and other sounds I couldn’t describe enchanted me, along with the low
baritone voices, high soprano melodies and their coexisting thud-thud-thuds that
emitted from the species that once stood upon my fragile shell, but now were caring
for me so tenderly.
“All ready!”
“Let’s find this baby’s name now, shall we?”
This was the point where things started to sink in. I couldn’t help but get excited
by the future they had planned for me, they were giving me a name! I wriggled
around in happiness, my joy ringing in my ears, blocking out sudden squeals from
the sand particles and from Ordovician, who grumbled at my movement. The
warm objects that cuddled me carefully set me down on a cold surface, making
Ordovician grumble even more. I can’t lie, I was a little scared then for the melodies
and the baritones slowly faded away, muffled and quiet. What did they want to do
with me? Am I going to get my name? Then, a humming sound slowly increased in
volume, clattering my shell and clattering Ordovician. It grew and grew and grew,
the humming separating into their own strains of tune, each playing their own little
game, prodding and poking at me in a whimsical and half-hearted way. I felt like
laughing, I’d never felt anything like this before. My thoughts were jumbled as the
intensity of the sound washed over me, the shrieking of the sand particles unheard
over the din, when suddenly, suddenly I was blinded by such a powerful force of
light. It pierced through the dense Ordovician and the annoying little grains that lay
on the surface. It ripped through the cavernous space filled with the hypnotizing
humming, before finally, finally it reached me. It saw me. It saw me. From far away,
I heard a shout of baritones and soprano melodies accompanied with their thudthud-thuds. “It’s a Lambelasma! Look at the beautiful coral patterns!” they cried.
And I cried, and laughed and sighed as well. For I was Lambelasma, that was my
name.
A Paranormal Experience
I
It’s been three days. Three long drawn-out days. Mum hasn’t told me anything.
Well, nothing that I didn’t already know. You see, I was there, at the Diamond Light
Source, the day Dad disappeared.
just disappeared. You see I knew that, somehow, he had been transported into the 4th
dimension. I also knew that his top secret mission had been to find a way to enter the 4th
dimension.
Dad’s a scientist working at the Diamond Light Source in Oxfordshire. I know he’s
been working on a top secret matter. Nobody I know has ever heard of Diamond Light
Source so Dad always has to explain what it’s about. He says “Diamond generates brilliant
beams of light which are used for academic and industry research and development.” At
that point I can see people’s eye glaze over as he is about to launch a really boring lecture
on the 2000 researchers who are using the beam over a range of scientific disciplines!
What he doesn’t tell them –and what I know – is that they also use the beam to explore
paranormal disciplines. Yes – paranormal – you know – “ghosties and ghoulies and long
leggedy beasties and things that go bump in the night”!
Once it was apparent that he had simply “disappeared” the Government agents were all
over the facility and the building was put into complete “shut down.” Mum’s been holed up
in the study with the agents and Alfie and I have been pretty much ignored.
You have to understand that as long as I can remember Dad has been interested in
“paranormal” activity. Whenever Mum, Dad, my younger brother Alfie and I went on
holiday we would always end up in the dank dungeons of a castle. Dad reckoned he could
always sense “the other side” but Mum said the only thing she could sense was the need
for a cup tea and a cream scone.
So I went to the facility, dressed in black, cycling through the back country lanes, in the
middle of the night. The break in was easier than I expected. The laboratories are alarmed
but I had watched Dad often enough to know the code- 012345. Simple as. Dad might
be a top rate scientist but he wasn’t very creative. I sneaked down the corridor towards
the lab.
There were also some old “strange but true” family stories that were dusted off on a regular
basis. My Grandfather was a great believer in mysterious happenings. He had been an air
traffic controller back in the Second World War. He always maintained that he had once
been in contact with a military aircraft that simply “disappeared” – even as he spoke to the
pilot over the radio. He claimed the pilot started to shout and scream in a terror. The voice
of the pilot became softer and softer even though he was shrieking for help; the dot on the
radar that was tracking the plane became fainter and fainter until it simply disappeared.
The aircraft and crew were never seen again. It was recorded as “Lost at Sea” during
combat but Grandpa said he knew better. He said they had entered the “4th dimension
The mirror was still where Dad had pulled it to. No-one had moved anything. I was the
only person to have worked out what had happened. I felt scared, suddenly the world
seemed enormous and I felt tiny. I was a tiny cog in a giant mechanism that had been
working for eternity. Everyone knew their place on planet earth. If anything went wrong I
could destroy that perfect world that we are all so familiar with. I took a deep breath.
There was also the story of the Vicar walking with the parishioner on a snowy day.
It was Christmas morning and the two were tramping through a snowy field in the
early morning winter darkness. As the Vicar and the parishioner walked together the
parishioners voice began to get softer and softer until it simply faded away. Complete
silence surrounded the vicar – too early even for the morning bird song.
As it was dark the Vicar had only been able to sense his companion next to him as they
tramped through the fields. He reportedly said that they seemed to enter a patch of deep
velvety black shadow and the next thing he know his companion had gone. As the dawn
light crept across the sky the Vicar could see two trails of footprints behind him showing
the path they had followed. As he looked down
beside him he could see his companions’ tracks stop. He looked back and was horrified
to see the footprints almost melt back into the snow. It was as if the parishioner had
never existed. Ahead and all around him the snow lay completely smooth. Nothing had
disturbed the white blanket. Grandpa claimed the companion had also entered the “4th
dimension.”
I told you I was there the day Dad disappeared. It happened to be the day when Diamond
Light Source organises an Open Day. You can meet the scientists and have a tour of the
synchrotron itself. I should explain the synchrotron is this a huge scientific machine
designed to produce very intense beams, called synchrotron light.
I said Dad was working on something “top secret.” Well I had guessed that it was serious
business because very occasionally we had sombre looking, dark suited men, turn up on
the doorstep. Dad always immediately hustled them into his study and you could hear
the low murmur of voices as they discussed something Dad had discovered. I knew they
were Secret Service Government agents. Not because they looked liked James Bond,
which would have been fabulous, but actually because of the complete opposite. They
were “Mr Grey” - completely forgettable. You couldn’t remember them the second they
left the house and that was the key to their success. I had also gleaned from a snippet
of overheard conversation that Dad was working on some sort of experiment to do with
national security.
That Open Day visit was one where Dad was supposed to be demonstrating the
synchrotron. I should add that my Dad is easily recognisable as he’s very tall with bright red
hair which is long and crazy. His hair needs quite a bit of grooming and as he knew many
of the visitors would want to talk to him he nipped into his laboratory to put more hair
wax in. I followed him sneakily as his lab is normally out of bounds because of the secrecy
of his work. The room was small and cramped. Equipment was piled on the tables. I loved
wandering around looking at all the names - diffractometers, long trace profilometers and
spectrometers. It really was another world.
Dad’s lab is right next to the beam room (as I call it). When I last saw Dad that day he was
looking in the mirror. He had pulled it around to the window that overlooked the room
where the synchrotron machine was housed was so that he could see his reflection more
clearly. I noticed that a beam line seemed to be reflected in the mirror. Dad peered intently
into the mirror and I heard him murmuring to himself about a mirrored box he could see
in the mirror’s reflection, seemingly lying in the room behind him. I went to the toilet
then and when I returned he had gone - disappeared - and still gone. I knew he hadn’t
After he had been away 3 days I realised that I had to help him return. The only way to find
out how to help him was to go back to the lab. I crept out of bed and as I slipped down the
stairs I heard the troubled breathing of Mum and Alfie. I felt bad. What if they woke in the
morning to find me gone too? For a minute I considered going back. I pushed that thought
away. I had to find out what had happened to Dad.
I looked into the mirror and I could see a mirrored box within the reflection. My reflection
stared at me with unnerving eyes. I looked up and, to my horror I noticed that the
reflection of me hadn’t done so – it remained motionless in the mirror. I screamed. A hole
in the mirror opened. I reached in and picked up the mirrored box within the reflection
- the room closed in on me and the beam line swirled around me. The mirror grew and
I shrank. With another deep breath I stepped completely through and found myself not
in the lab but at my kitchen table! Dad was opposite me. Had it had all been a dream?
But then I spoilt it by looking to my right. Sitting there was none other than me - staring
at me. “What?” I said,”How is this possible?”“It’s not” the other me replied “You’re not”
“Lauren!” cried a voice. “DAD!” I screamed. It had to be him. Just had to be.
He told me everything. It turns out that the 4th dimension is actually what you see in a
mirror so in everyday life you see it, the 4th dimension. When Dad and I came through it
was because the beams were so intense that they actually managed to split the particles.
The opening had appeared as the mirrored box. The splitting of the particles had opened a
door through the dimensions.
The Government had known there was a 4th dimension and wanted Dad to find a way in.
What nobody realised is that the 4th dimension is an exact replica of our dimension. So
not only was there another Me, there is also another Dad, and Mum and Alfie. It was all
very mixed up. Because Mum is in the 3rd dimension there isn’t two of her. But I’m in the
4th dimension meaning there won’t be a me in the 3rd. Dad now had the answers to his
questions. We could now return. But although we could make sense of the 4th dimension
we couldn’t work out how to get back.
Despite the bizarre familiarity of this world we needed – and wanted - to get back to
our dimension. Our replica family had also had to keep us hidden. As equally as the 3rd
dimension was interested in the “4th” dimension those in charge of the “4” dimension
would be very interested in us.
We all thought long and hard until replica Dad burst out
“Wait! We could send you back the way you got here”. “Huh? Oh yeah! I forgot. How could
I do that?”Dad laughed.
Getting in the Diamond Light Source without causing attention wasn’t easy. We had to
run down corridors when there was no-one there or look down as people walked by so
they couldn’t see that we were all the same. But finally we reached the lab. The mirror was
standing in the lab. A feeling of fear crept over me.
“Dad, I’m scared” I squeaked. “You did it once. I know you can do it again” he reassured me.
I was ready, ready for anything. I had Dad now. That was all that mattered. Holding hands
we braced ourselves for the horrible feeling of isolation and suffocation as we travelled
through parallel worlds.
We were back home. Mum and Alfie cried with relief. Dad met again with the Government
agents. I grabbed Dad to be alone with him for a moment as I wanted to talk to him.
“I don’t think we should tell anyone about it” I said. “Don’t worry” said Dad,” we know
enough and we also know that we should respect the people of the “4th” dimension.”
Dad said that they ceased using the Diamond Light Source for paranormal research. There
was enough to discover and research in our own world.
It was as if it had never happened, as if the 4th dimension had never existed.
21
Diamond Dialogue
Winter 2013
22
Inside Diamond | News from the synchrotron
Explore the
Synchrotron:
Have you ever wondered what the
big silver doughnut looks like on
the inside? Or wanted to know how
scientists conduct their most hightech research? The Inside Diamond
open days are an opportunity to take
a rare glimpse inside the synchrotron and
find out more about the fascinating UK science facility that
attracts researchers from all over the world.
Facts and Figures
“Great” Billy, 10.
“Enlightening” Simon, 51.
“Wonderful tour. Makes us proud
the UK still has and does world
class science.”
Diamond is like a very
powerful mircoscope.
It harnesses the power
of electrons to produce
bright light that scientists
use to carry out
experiments
Diamond’s
light is…
We have an open day lined up for Saturday 11th January.
The open days are an exciting event, featuring a short
introduction to Diamond and a tour of the machine. Please
visit www.diamond.ac.uk to register.
and 100 billion
times brighter
than a hospital
X-ray machine
10 billion
times
brighter
than the
sun
Diamond Captured
Over 3000
researchers
use Diamond’s
facilities
Health and
Medicine
Diamond is one of the UK’s most impressive structures, but here’s a side of the synchrotron you wouldn’t
normally see:
ering the
onsible for ste ring
magnet, resp
rage
sto
d
on
A sextupole
am
Di
around the
electron beam
An im
a
diseas ge of h
an
e
synchro virus (EV71 d-foot-and-m
) prod
outh
tron be
uced
am
by the
What is
diamond?
k
The synchrotron at dus
The number of times
Diamond’s electrons
could travel around
Earth in a second
Diamond is
jointly funded
by the UK
Government and
the Wellcome
Trust
Competition
Would you like to win a VIP tour of the synchrotron for you
and four friends at our next open day in January?
We’re looking for feedback on our inaugural issue of Inside Diamond. Send us your thoughts,
good or bad, brief or comprehensive, for the chance to be entered into a prize draw. The
deadline for entries is the 20th December 2013, and the winner will be contacted shortly after.
Please send feedback to [email protected]
£
Historical
Objects
Industrial
Materials
7.5
Engineering
23
Diamond
supports
research
into…
The
Environment
New
technology
and more…
Diamond’s
circumference
is twice as
long as The
Shard
The footprint of
St.Paul’s Cathedral
could fit inside
Diamond
5 times
Contact information
Diamond Light Source Ltd
Diamond House, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus,
Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0DE, UK
www.diamond.ac.uk
Funded by:
Head of Communications:
Isabelle Boscaro-Clarke
Tel: +44 (0) 1235 778130
E-mail: [email protected]
Press and PR Officer:
Mary Cruse
Tel: +44 (0) 1235 778548
E-mail: [email protected]
please
insert
FSC logo
here
Printed using vegetable oil based
inks and chemical free processing
Please recycle