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Article: Chemical revelations: tattletale molecules make cells glow. (fluorescent reagents)
- Article from:
- Science News
- Article date:
- January 2, 1993
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1993 Science Service, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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As an undergraduate, Roger Y. Tsien disliked his chemistry courses so much that he decided against becoming a chemist. Nevertheless, this biologist has made his mark on science because of his chemical concotions.
With molecules that they build or remodel, Tsien and his colleagues at the University of California, San Diego, carry on intracellular espionage. In fact, they and scientists at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh have pioneered means of tapping into the internal message network that cells use to keep operations running smoothly.
Before these advances, scientists were like detectives at a stakeout: They could watch molecular messengers ...