Exterior view of chemical laboratories that are a part of the Atomic Energy Commission. Two adult Caucasian men, wearing protective yellow suits, standing at the Graphite Reactor Loading Face. Circular glowing blue container. Man, wearing protective yellow suit and glasses, looking through a thick window, utilizes mechanical arms to replicate moves inside the window. Dr. Gairdner B. Moment talks about the breakdown of the carbohydrates in the human digestive system; diagram of amino acids being broken down in the liver. Dr. Moment discuss the breakdown of amino acids from intestines to the liver. Dr. Moment walks to chalkboard and uses atomic symbols to create a representation of the simplest amino acid: glycine.
Dr. Gairdner B. Moment, standing at a chalkboard, uses atomic symbols to create a representation of amino acid, Alanine. He repeats the process to show the amino acid, Phenyl-Alanine, and notes that a slight change to the chemical make-up of Phenyl-Alanine creates Tyrosine, which can go on to produce Melanin, which is commonly skin as different colored pigments in hair, skin, and eyes of mammals, or feathers in birds. Tyrosine can also produce Adrenalin.
Dr. Gairdner B. Moment, standing at a chalkboard, continues showing the hormones created from tyrosine: thyroxine. Dr. Moment explains what happens if, due to genetic defect, enzymes are blocked from metabolizing tyrosine to melanin (albino), or blocked from metabolizing phenyl-alanine to tyrosine, creating individuals who are "hopeless idiots".
Dr. Gairdner B. Moment, standing at a chalkboard, describes the purpose amino acids serve as building blocks for proteins. Dr. Moment shows what a peptide linkage looks like; water is the waste product. The linkages can create long chains of amino acids, and thus, proteins.
Dr. Gairdner B. Moment, standing at a chalkboard, discussing the critical role enzymes play in facilitating the body's necessary chemical reactions. Specific enzymes act as biological catalysts for specific substrates, breaking them apart or bonding them. Dr. Moment notes that "phony" or "fake" substrates can act as a sort of poison for enzymes, rendering them useless. This is the case when it comes to some anti-biotics. Fake substrates attach themselves to enzymes meant to help foster bacterial growth, thus prohibiting such growth.
Dr. Gairdner B. Moment, standing at a chalkboard, discussing anti-biotic substrates that can act as a sort of poison for enzymes, rendering them useless. The "trick" is finding the right substrates that would inhibit bacterial enzymes, but not attack the body's natural enzymes. Dr. Moment transition to talking about how cells take in energy from foodstuffs; walks away from chalkboard.
Dr. Gairdner B. Moment, standing in front of three charts that show what happens to glucose in the cells of animals, and many plants. Dr. Moment goes through the process of glucose in the absence of oxygen, creating pyruvic acid, then lactic acid (fermentation). Dr. Moment goes through the process of glucose with oxygen present, creating acetic acid and going into the citric acid cycle. The hydrogen given off goes through different chemical processes that create cytochrome (cell color). The end result is glucose turned into water and carbon dioxide.
Dr. Gairdner B. Moment, standing in front of a chart that illustrates the process glucose plays in creating cytochrome and water, notes that the enzyme that works to create cytochrome is very sensitive to cyanide as well. Dr. Moment introduces Dr. Ingrid Dayrup (sp?) to provide further education on the chemical processes that occur within the body.
Dr. Ingrid Dayrup (sp?), standing in front of a table with a tray, Geiger counter, and chart, explains how using radioactive carbon can be used to trace the metabolic process of amino acids, Glycine and Lysine, through the body. She explains the difference between stable and radioactive carbon atoms.
Dr. Ingrid Dayrup (sp?) turns on the Geiger counter and shows two small metal dishes of Glycine powder, radioactive and normal; laboratory mouse on top of the Geiger counter. The Geiger counter audibly distinguishes the difference between the two samples. She spills out a vial of normal Glycine powder onto a circular black surface. Dr. Dayrup (sp?) puts on plastic gloves before handling needle that will be used to inject mouse with radioactive Glycine, noting the safety measure that she takes before perform any experiment that contains radioactive material.
Dr. Ingrid Dayrup (sp?) explains how she might inject a laboratory mouse with radioactive Glycine in order track its process through the body; laboratory mouse. Dr. Dayrup (sp?) present a slide with liver sample on it, and she proceeds to homogenous the sample using a large cotton swab to push into a clear tube filled with a clear liquid. Dr. Dayrup (sp?) injects an acid into another a clear tube with clear solution to explain how a protein may be isolated for analysis. Those sample may then be put on a slide and measured for radioactivity by a Geiger counter.
Dr. Ingrid Dayrup (sp?) reveals results from a previous experiment conducted by Dr. David Greenberg and his collaborators. Dr. Dayrup (sp?) goes over the radioactive tracing results of Glycine going through various organs and muscle tissue in the body of a mouse after thirty minutes and six hours. Dr. Dayrup (sp?) notes that proteins are replaced faster in certain organs, like the liver, than in muscles. Glycine can also be converted into different carbohydrates and fats within the body. White laboratory mouse.
Dr. Ingrid Dayrup (sp?) discuss the difference between tracing Glycine and Lysine. Lysine isn't converted into much of anything, stays an amino acid, and is excreted from the body.