Life and Nanoscience

About as long as there has been intelligent human life (or maybe even longer when one considers the possibilities of various other intelligent life forms), a set of fundamental questions have been posed lacking full answers regarding our existence. As described in my last post, the continuation from the principles of physics to chemistry to biology has offered these questions regarding how this process has come about in such an elegant manner: how could the Universe have possibly gone from the excess of matter particles to atoms to molecules to life forms? While we have not solved these puzzles yet, many steps have been made in the direction of answers.

My current research in Germany has opened my eyes to many interesting aspects in answering such questions. I’m not here to propose a concrete answer, but rather to facilitate a similar curiosity in how such seemingly complex systems could arise from the simple building blocks. This concept is central to the work done in nanotechnology, which is the field I am currently exploring here in Munich—a field that offers various interesting applications within my academic realm of biomedical engineering. I will begin with a bit about the fundamentals of my research for those of you back home that would like to know what I’ve been spending time doing here, and to set the stage for the concepts that relate back to the most crucial questions of the Universe.

I am currently involved in research with Dr. Lackinger in a Nanotechnology Lab concerned primarily with the characteristics of 2-dimensional surface-supported self-assembly of supramolecular aggregates at the solid-liquid interface, often resulting in nanoporous, monolayer crystalline networks depending on various environmental conditions (yes, I strung all that together just for fun). What does this mean in non-scientific terms? We look at how molecules can form certain patterned networks on top of a surface. And how do we see these molecules? I, specifically, use an instrument called an STM (Scanning Tunneling Microscope).

STM-imaging is based on a principle of quantum physics called quantum tunneling, where a particle—in this case, namely an electron—tunnels through a potential barrier in a way that classical physics would not allow. I will use a typical example for sake of convenience; in classical mechanics, a ball would not be able to reach the top of a hill and get to the other side without the necessary amount of energy, but the quantum tunneling effect describes the phenomenon in which a particle at an energy below that of the barrier tunnels through to the other side. In the case of the imaging system, we get our image because of electrons that tunnel between the atoms of a conducting or semi-conducting surface and atoms at the tip of a sharp metal probe about 1 nanometer from the surface—an electronic circuit made possible by electron tunneling. We get a tunneling current by applying a bias voltage to the tip, and since the probability of quantum tunneling decreases exponentially with distance, we use piezocrystals to constantly reposition the tip such that a constant current is maintained; therefore, the tip maps the electronic structure as it is scanned across the surface.

We use this STM then to visualize how molecules may assemble themselves on a surface (I use graphite surfaces). The interesting point I want to share with you, and the point that brings us back to the original discussion, is that this process of network assembly happens spontaneously. The blueprint for this structure is held in the characteristics of the building blocks themselves. The rules of the interactions decide how the structure will come together. In my research, these interactions are largely governed by hydrogen bonding of the molecules’ functional groups and Van der Waals interactions with the surface, all subject to the minimization of Gibbs free energy. So, when the rules allow it, a more complex entity can result from the building blocks.

What then distinguishes formation of life from this process, or from the process of particles forming atoms in the early Universe? One of the unique characteristic of life is the process of reproduction, and some form of information-carrying needs to exist to facilitate that reproduction. The world today holds many complex biological beings that have DNA to carry information, but was this always the case for life forms?  At the moment, there are a multitude of viable theories set to explain how the transition may have happened: some say genes first, some say metabolism first, some even land somewhere in the middle. It is evident though that information had to be held through aperiodicity, such as in the order of DNA bases, to allow reproduction. The idea that this information came about through simple interactions of building blocks is just simply astonishing to me.

I won’t go on to explain any of the theories of life’s origin, but I will leave you with something to let stew in your mind: if complex beings like humans developed after billions of years through interactions governed by the building blocks, what kind of other life forms do you think exist? Did they develop just like us? Are they based in DNA? Has any of our biological information escaped and become a template for life somewhere else, or could that have been exactly how we came about?

Pictured above is my cartoon rendering of graphene, a single layer of graphite. I really only included this because I made it, I'm pretty proud of how it turned out, and it'd make a good thumbnail when I post the link.

Science, Religion, and Understanding the Universe

At one point yesterday I had decided I wanted to share a personal scientific thought, inspired by both my current research and past literature I have been reviewing on related studies, through this blog. Contemplation though has guided me towards a much grander endeavor (the nature of a study abroad semester is typically very conducive to reflection and self-understanding); I took a step back from this small mission and was astonished to see that it was really only a few pixels of a much more valuable picture. In an effort to continue my learning and curiosity, and also to encourage others to do the same, I want to open as many of these thoughts as I can manage up to criticism.

I think, in doing this, one can allow a very important step in the development of a theory or idea, which works quite well in the world of physics—seen as the interplay between theoretical and experimental physicists. I would like to similarly open my ideas up to “testing,” so that I can return to the drawing board and continue fine-tuning my view of the Universe. To me one of the greatest tragedies in today’s human society is the loss of curiosity. It seems that this can often happen because as people leave their childhood years, they start becoming more sensitive to how the world views them. In a psychological sense, we see children as particularly self-centered (egocentric), and I think for adults this merely develops into more a face-centralized thought; they become more concerned with themselves in the context of society. I will not propose a mechanism for this change, but I think losing the urge to question our perception of the Universe is absolutely detrimental to one’s intellectual progress.

Oddly enough I have come to the conclusion that God would be a perfect starting point in this journey (as do creationists, but in an entirely different sense). From the theoretical Big Bang until now, a timeframe said to be roughly 13.75 billion years, the Universe has gone from nothing to something—gradual transitions from concepts of physics to chemistry to, more recently, biology. Both of these terms, nothing and something, are extremely vague, largely because much of what they may mean is theoretical, but I’ll take a stab at outlining them for discussion purposes. The importance in understanding the Universe is held in our perception of it, so we can base our use of the words rudimentarily in terms of matter, considering this is what we perceive. Nothing, a lack of matter, or better described by modern theoretical physics as the equilibrium state of matter and anti-matter, at some point became subject to an imbalance leading to left over matter of which we are now composed.

What then would I consider my religious view, you ask? And this first post I have dedicated to telling you why I don’t label myself at all (which, to completely contradict that statement, may best categorize me as agnostic). As humans, we have evolved to think in terms of what we can perceive and measure. As I said before, our understanding of the Universe is governed by our ability to perceive it, so to improve our understanding we must question ideas based on physical evidence. This is science. Because God is not based upon physical evidence, and as of yet, no scientific experiments can be done to make his existence any more plausible, to me God is completely irrelevant to our understanding of the Universe and to science.

Science cannot disprove God and I don’t claim his inexistence. What science does say though is that based on the lack of any evidence whatsoever, his existence is quite an improbable, and actually very convoluted alternative theory of the Universe. For a long period of history, the existence of a creator would have been useful to fill in many of the knowledge gaps describing how a complex system such as biological life came to be. At first glance, these complex interactions seem only possible if designed, but a closer look at the system tells otherwise. This beautiful system has come to be after an amount of time almost completely incomprehensible due to our relatively short lifespan. Our growing evidence for alternative theories of the Universe though is beginning to force religion out of the knowledge gaps. Due to scientific advancements, God’s role in the Universe is becoming far more restricted. Where might there then be room for him? Perhaps he had a role in the theoretical Big Bang, who knows?  But that’s the point; such a theory cannot be scientifically evaluated, because the idea is not based on our perceptual view of the Universe. While religion may have been a sensible explanation for the complex systems around us at one time, it has since then become increasingly based on faith alone. This more modern idea of complete faith in religion, preceded long ago by religious belief that was supported by true questioning of the Universe, is now simply an evasion of the need for evidence while all the surrounding sciences continually build upon their library of evidence.

Again, I don’t deny the importance religion may hold, but it has no place in our understanding of the Universe, unless it can be evaluated in a manner similar to other theories. Scientific curiosity fuels the progression of such understanding, and so when I have children, I’m not going to take away their opportunities in questioning the Universe. I think every parent should make an effort to help their child develop a scientific approach to the world, because without that, many are stuck stagnant. I’m not against religion in itself, but I am against the concept of blind faith; it forces an explanation upon someone without room for questioning and begins a trend of fear to defy the common belief. It seems to me that this fear would be utterly damaging to one’s confidence and curiosity. With a little bit of childlike curiosity, we can all be as capable a scientist as our 4-year-old counterparts.

More to come soon! Please, feel free to criticize what I’ve said, argue back, or just let me know what you think.

Source:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUe0_4rdj0U&list=FLyG1iGX7YrwMqSji_cI0ThQ&index=1&feature=plpp_video

The Final 5

Come Monday I will only have 5 weeks left in the wonderful city of Munich. It's odd to think that most of my other fellow study abroad students will be leaving even sooner than that. The beginning of "exam season" is upon us and so for most, free time is rare. Personally, I'm not used to this much free time (in relative to my workload at home), so I've began working in a nanoscience lab, where I will be imaging surface self-assembly of biomolecules via scanning tunneling microscopy. I've also been pursuing many new interests such as particle physics (mostly motivated by my interest in proton beam therapy after visiting ProCure during Thanksgiving break in 2011) and have recently came up with some unique ideas for potential senior design projects (including a method for sequencing DNA, which I recently have found research articles describing an almost identical idea). I'm anticipating much excitement and success in my design project these coming semesters, especially with all the brilliant students around me in UIUC BIOE.

I don't remember being this excited to return to school since my early education years (not to say that I won't miss life in Germany immensely as well). I will be taking courses that I've been wanting to take since Freshman year, and I will even be moving into an apartment with Kelley; almost every conversation we have had recently includes some sort of hopeful vision for our new apartment-life. Seeing my family and close friends after all this time will be a blessing in itself, especially having the chance to explain my experiences and share with them how I've grown. And soon after I return, my brother will be taking his next big step through life as he pursues his dreams in Art at South Dakota State University. Unfortunately we'll be quite a long way apart again, but I'm just glad I'll be around to wish him the best, and hey, it's closer than we are now.

For now, I should study for two exams scheduled for the end of this week and complete a take-home exam for another course, but more updates will be soon to follow. Directly after my exams, I will have two good friends visiting me, one of which will be running a marathon on Sunday near Neuschwanstein (I'll include a picture that I took in 2008 below of that castle), so I'm hoping to head to Füssen with him and support him on the big race day.

Hel Surfin' 2012

Well, I spent 6 days in Hel, Poland just recently and had the time of my life. I flew from Munich into Warsaw, Poland and then on to Gdansk (where part of the EM 2012 will be held beginning today), enjoying both my first time in a non-English/non-German speaking country and a delightful read of "The Andromeda Strain" by Michael Crichton during the transit. I gained so much from this trip, but above all else are definitely my new friends and my first-time windsurfing experience.

The group consisted of a very interesting mix of students: many Germans (so I got to speak plenty of German while I was there), many Polish students, many Spaniards, a group of 4 South Koreans that all study at the same Uni in Munich as me, and many more. I was the only American and the only native English-speaker.

We all slept in small campers, mostly in groups of three. Each day we all had breakfast together after being awoken by loud music and banging on our doors at about 7:45am. We then had two windsurfing lessons through the day separated by lunch, and followed by grilling all together for dinner. Everyone grew ever more fond of the sausages we ate every night. Each night was also ended with a themed party, some examples being a pajamas party, sunglasses party, European party, and so on. We also did many supplementary activities, whether program-organized or not, which included soccer, kite flying, frisbee, "Kartoffel," banana boat riding, tight-rope walking, and many more.

I happily ended the trip on the last night very early in the morning, when I and two others went to the beach to watch the sunrise and run "free" through the sand and in the water. Apparently that morning, the small black dot which we had noticed in front of the sun at one point was actually Venus (http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/last-transit-of-venus-in-21st-century-will-happen-in-june-2012), which we later found out will not happen for another century and so is the one and only time we will see that for our entire lives. I'd say that's quite a unique event to have happened at the end of an already memorable trip.

Finding Meaning in the Small Things

Rather than telling you all about my amazing quests through Europe (or just in Munich, however you'd like to say it), I think I'll again stick with giving a little insight on my experiences with a new culture. The story isn't all that interesting, but it leads to a very important idea in linguistics. I'm not an expert in linguistics, but it's just my thought through experience.

Today is again a beautiful day in Munich, so I decided to take a walk to the bakery, which is inside the same building as two grocery stores. As I left the bakery, I couldn't resist the temptation of the chocolate croissant in my hands (along with a nice milk coffee). With my first bite, the world around me seemed to blur. Nothing else was important. I remember hearing the muffled voice of a girl to my right; I snapped out of my sugar-induced daze, and turned to hear just the ending of her sentence: the word "helfen" (meaning 'to help' in English). Seeing her grocery store worker's vest and hearing this, I automatically assumed that she had asked if I needed any help. There was no conscious decision-making in the process; my reply saying no thanks just seemed to escape from my mouth and I continued on with a happy, caffeinated smile. As I walked off, I could barely make out her perplexed expression as my croissant-vision returned, as if she was thinking 'that was a really friendly way of turning me down.' When it finally clicked that she probably had been asking me for help with something, it was too late for me to turn around. Despite my guilt, my pride got the best of me and I walked on-- afraid to again address this damsel in distress.

While this is just a complete tragedy that I will forever have nightmares about, it does bring about an interesting point in linguistics. This is nothing groundbreaking, just fun to discuss. It is said that 90% of communication is non-verbal. I think this idea is also very important in understanding a language, especially in the learning years. At this point, I have no trouble understanding German when it is spoken directly to me and the level of environmental distraction is below a certain threshold. I think reaching that point requires a certain understanding that you develop when immersed in the language for a short period of time (after already being familiar with the basics of the language). It seems that at a certain level below language fluency, the use of contextual clues peaks in importance to understanding; I think (remember this is only opinion-based) that the strengthening of this environment-to-word connection is vital in getting over that final hurdle in language acquisition. When starting off a semester abroad with a language they have been learning, students become very skilled in using contextual clues to fill in gaps in vocabulary. (This is especially used in learning German, seeing as their grammar is stereotypically as mechanically organized as a lot of their society). Use of the environment and understanding of expressions/mood happens with any language at all fluency levels and completes what it means to truly communicate.

From attempting to understand Nanoscience lectures in German and Bavarian German in Kinsau, I think I had become very accustomed to not understanding everything that's said. So in this situation where I would have understood her German perfectly had I been paying attention, rather than asking her to repeat herself like I would have in English, my brain went straight to using this ability that has been overdeveloped during my first few weeks here.

I think when someone finally has built a strong enough connection between the language and the world around them, their language acquisition begins to sky rocket. When that happens for someone in a foreign language (as opposed to when learning a first language as a young child), I think that's when they begin to no longer use their mother tongue as an intermediary step in speaking this second language. What I mean by that is they no longer learn use this second language as a translated version of their first language. You eventually get to the point where you have German words bouncing around in your head that you have no English equivalent for (or can't think of when asked, because that connection has diminished). You also begin to learn new words without having to ask for a definition. Using context, the word just simply makes sense and you now know a word for which you do not at all equate to something in English. Your words start to feel less empty of emotion, less mechanical in use. The transformation is amazing to witness, and the power of the mind is infinitely impressive.

I'm fairly certain I had more to say about this, but the nice weather and the wind that keeps clearing my desk of all my papers is quite distracting. So for now, I will say tschau and go on a walk in the park; maybe my thoughts will return to me later.

Classes Start Monday! What?!

Considering I haven't been in school since mid-December, it's odd to think that classes are starting here on Monday. Tomorrow I will have officially been in Deutschland for 4 weeks! Time is flying. That means I have 18 out of the total 22 weeks left before I return home to a one week break before classes start at UIUC. And somewhere during that week I'll be moving in to my apartment with Kelley!!!

Well, I've unfortunately spent a lot of time speaking English lately, but my German will pick back up come Monday. I can't be too mad about speaking English though, because it's been in order to communicate with all the great international students I've been hanging out with lately (who actually are all at LMU, not TUM). I have friends from everywhere and they can speak English so well!! It's also pretty interesting to see just how much of the American culture spreads through the world-- by this I mean mostly products of Hollywood. At some point this semester, we actually plan to have an America-themed party (the 4th of July would probably be the most appropriate time for that). My Norwegian friend Kristoffer, Tyler, and I (and whoever else would like to join) will be watching Team America: World Police this weekend, and last night we all had a discussion about the American TV shows that we watch. I'm fairly certain they've seen more South Park than I have!

The mixing of all the nationalities has been very interesting, enlightening, and a lot of fun as well. We always can find some cultural differences to talk about when we are all together, such as in politics or breakfast choices. I think it's even more interesting, though, just how similar we all are. It definitely makes language barriers seem a whole lot less significant. It also further strengthens my view that everyone should take a chance and truly experience another culture. If more people could understand stereotypes as such and understand where different stereotypes have come from specifically, use that understanding to step over cultural barriers, and truly respect other cultures for who they are, I think we would have a much happier society as a whole.

Meine zweite Woche ist schon fertig.

As of now, I have been in Germany for approximately two weeks, and everything is going fantastically. I have plenty to update here, but I will try to keep each post relatively short; therefore, I would like to only speak of my language progress over the last two weeks. The first week I was only called upon essentially as a simple translator. Three of my close friends were here from the States (one who is currently studying in Ireland) to visit and enjoy a week wandering in Munich with me. So, throughout the first week, I became the middle-man in situations such as ordering food, searching for something in a store, or asking for directions: all being relatively easy tasks. Not so often was it necessary for me to have a true conversation.

Upon arrival in Kinsau after my friends had departed, things have changed drastically. I have been staying with my host family from my 3 week high school exchange for the last week, and I have had the opportunity (due to my progressed language understanding) to get to know the family far better than last time. I made it clear that I only wished to speak German (which coincidentally wasn't much of a problem, because most of who I've been spending time with can speak little to no English), and thereafter my German has progressed rapidly. Even now I am having to edit my grammar continuously due to mix-ups with the two languages.

The last two evenings have been "Feierabende" due to two consecutive birthdays within the family and with them, I have seen the most progression. 10-15 Germans sitting at a table, having multiple conversations, addressing me only in German, most using heavy Bavarian dialect. As I more often heard the Bavarian, I became further accustomed to the slight changes in pronunciation within familiar words and became better at understanding what I already knew as German. I also started to notice a sort of language-exhaustion which  I had only heard of from Kelley when she was abroad. At the beginning of the evening I could understand almost everything, then at a certain point, my brain would start to block out any sort of language. I would even have difficulty forming an English sentence when prompted to do so or producing English equivalents for words I had been asked about. Here lies another reason for wanting to keep these posts brief; when I start typing in English,  my German sentence structure dominates. After a bit though, I become used to using English again, but if interrupted in German, I have trouble making a quick switch back.

The last of my experiences I would like to discuss is perhaps the most interesting. The last two nights I have had dreams in which I am speaking German. My dreams though have been quite different than those described to me by Kelley, which she began to experience about two months into her trip. She describes dreams in which everyone "there" is speaking German, even the people she knows cannot speak a lick of German. I have never experienced such a dream. The last two dreams I've had, a type which I've experienced before, make a clear distinction between those that understand German and those that don't. Therefore, about half of the dream is in German and half in English. The strangest part to these dreams though is that my German friends can, like in reality, can speak much better German than I, and even in my dreams, I sometimes did not understand what they were saying. I find this odd, because obviously a dream is constructed by my own though, so how then do I not understand the German that my own mind is producing? I think the only fitting answer is that my mind has constructed a category for the German that I do not understand, and is attempting to reproduce the sound of "foreign" German as if it were a real situation. Whatever the case may be, I think the status of my language proficiency is quite clear, especially upon inspection of my dreams.

I'm sorry for any language-use that may have sounded quite odd ; I must return to German-mode though, so for now...

Servus und bis später.