Tale of Two Cells, A

Synopsis: Follows a link between the cells involved in human colour vision and a rather unusual bacterium from the Dead Sea. Dr Jim Bowmaker, Institute of Ophthalmology, London, describes the techniques for looking at human rod and cone cells. Although the structure of the human visual pigments is not known, some clues have emerged from an unexpected source. Dr Richard Henderson, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, has unravelled the structure of a light-sensitive molecule found in a salt-loving bacterium. This molecule, bacteriorhodopsin, turns out to be related to the human visual pigments. This shows that cells as different as those from a human and a bacterium share similar types of molecules that can be thought of as evolutionary variations on a theme.
Series: Biology: Form and Function, Course S203
Language: English
Country: Great Britain
Medium: Video; Videocassette. Standard formats. col. 24 min.
Year of production: 1991
Availability: Off-air recording licence
Sale; 1998 sale: £145.00 (+VAT +p&p)
Subjects: Biology
Keywords: bacteria; cells; colour blindness; colour vision; molecules; vision

Producer

Rissa de la Paz

Cast

Julie Berry

Name: Open University Worldwide
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Notes: NB. As of May 2016 Open University Worldwide are no longer distributing DVDs. They have posted this message on their website: ‘Unfortunately Open University Worldwide Limited has decided that product sales are no longer viable given the reduced funding to Higher Education institutions and diminishing demand for the products we have traditionally stocked. At present the Open University Students Association (OUSA) will continue to sell the "Good Study Guide", and we are in discussion with other possible distributors to continue to make The Open University’s products available for purchase. As soon as we have any information on other channels of distribution we will update this notice’. Some products are still available via second hand dealers on Amazon.co.uk

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