00:00:30 From college newspaper cartoonist to renowned scientific artist seems quite a transition.

00:00:50 But in the 50 years since his college days, Irving Geis indeed has achieved worldwide

00:00:56 recognition for his remarkable interpretations of the submicroscopic realm of chemical and

00:01:01 biochemical processes, the realm of atoms and molecules.

00:01:06 His artwork, which he produces in his New York City apartment studio, has appeared in

00:01:10 hundreds of textbooks and journals and in such prestigious magazines as Fortune and

00:01:15 Scientific American.

00:01:17 His is a most unusual field of art.

00:01:19 I want to give the feel of the mood of the molecule or the mood of the research or its

00:01:25 significance in some way and I try to do that by color and by lighting, by giving it

00:01:30 style if you will.

00:01:32 But within that is the accurate representation of the molecule itself.

00:01:38 Irving Geis acknowledges that his technique is often compared to the surrealism of Salvador

00:01:42 Dali.

00:01:44 While there is that quality, Geis' art is carefully developed from molecular models,

00:01:48 mathematical calculations and extensive conferences with scientific experts.

00:01:54 This he's able to bring to life in accurate three-dimensional artistry such complex structures

00:01:59 as the chemistry of blood.

00:02:01 Students may be familiar with his work in collaboration with chemist-author Richard

00:02:05 Dickerson of UCLA's Molecular Biology Institute.

00:02:09 Together they've produced a series of textbooks on the principles of biochemistry.

00:02:14 With his rare talent, Irving Geis shows that it is possible to blend scientific precision

00:02:19 with artistic beauty, or as he modestly characterizes it,

00:02:24 It's a little like a good portrait.

00:02:25 That's both a likeness and still a mood.

00:02:29 So it's possible to be both accurate and fanciful at the same time.

00:02:34 Artistry in chemistry, understanding science through the art of Irving Geis.

00:02:39 On the Science Scene, I'm Alan Smith.

00:03:19 In this red hot oven at the National Bureau of Standards, research chemists are cooking

00:03:28 powdered chemicals at almost 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

00:03:32 The scientists and American Dental Association research team are producing a new kind of

00:03:37 cement for repairing teeth and bone.

00:03:40 They call it a natural cement.

00:03:42 We call it natural because the cement is biocompatible with living tissue.

00:03:47 Basically cement is a mixture of two calcium phosphates which, when combined, forms the

00:03:52 principal mineral that actually makes teeth and bone.

00:03:55 The cooked material, when cooled, finely ground, and then mixed with water, sets up fast in

00:04:00 10 to 15 minutes, much like Portland cement.

00:04:04 The research chemists are now testing it in a variety of uses.

00:04:08 The cement can be injected as filler material into the sockets left when teeth are extracted,

00:04:13 or it can be used to plug root canals.

00:04:15 As new bone, it can replace that lost from periodontal disease.

00:04:20 Or molded, it can be used to build up the shrunken jawbone of a denture wearer.

00:04:25 Since the cement maintains its shape attached to the jawbone, it's felt to be ideally suited

00:04:29 for such purposes.

00:04:31 While Dr. Chow says it may take at least another two years to complete clinical trials, and

00:04:36 five years until the cement is approved for use, he's enthused about its possibilities.

00:04:41 Besides its quick-hardening properties, unlike other materials which will require bone to

00:04:46 grow around it, this material actually becomes part of a bone.

00:04:51 Chemistry and Dentistry, producing a new kind of dental cement, a natural kind for repairing

00:04:56 teeth and bone.

00:04:57 On the Science Scene, I'm Alan Smith.

00:05:42 The Fourth of July just wouldn't have the same zip, bang, and sparkle if it weren't

00:05:51 for the inventive artistry of the professional pyrotechnicians.

00:05:56 Pyrotechnicians are people like those at Zambelli Internationale in Newcastle, Pennsylvania.

00:06:01 They both manufacture fireworks and produce fireworks displays.

00:06:05 While fireworks are fundamentally gunpowder explosions, the artistry involves choreographing

00:06:10 spectacular displays built around a variety of chemical reactions.

00:06:15 It's this combination that produces the oohs and aahs from an appreciative audience.

00:06:20 Chemical mixtures which burn readily and give off bright, distinct flame colors provide

00:06:24 a spectacular visual effect associated with fireworks.

00:06:28 Charcoal and iron give beautiful gold sparks.

00:06:30 Strontium compounds burn with a deep red flame, while barium nitrate gives a bright green color.

00:06:36 Blue, however, is the most difficult color to produce, and the search continues today

00:06:40 for a chemical mixture that will produce the deep blue flame.

00:06:44 The different effects created, both in color and form, depend on how the fireworks are made.

00:06:50 Once the fireworks maker chooses the colors he wants, the appropriate chemical powders

00:06:54 are compressed into small pellets called stars.

00:06:57 A Roman candle may contain several of these stars, which are shot out one at a time, while

00:07:02 a large aerial shell will contain hundreds of stars, each of which leaves a trail of

00:07:06 a brilliant color in the sky when the shell explodes.

00:07:09 Most of the effects in aerial fireworks are created by different combinations of stars

00:07:13 and what we call salutes, which are large firecrackers.

00:07:16 Today, the most elaborate fireworks displays are produced by the licensed professionals.

00:07:21 Theirs is a field that combines both science and showbiz.

00:07:25 Not only must they understand chemistry and physics, but also possess the aesthetic sense

00:07:30 necessary to create what, in effect, amounts to a full symphony of sight and sound.

00:07:37 On the Science Scene, I'm Alan Smith.

00:08:24 Scientists are preparing to screen the DNA in this man's blood cells to learn if he's

00:08:28 carrying defective genes.

00:08:30 Chemists call the DNA molecule in each of our cells the genetic code of life.

00:08:35 If any part of this complex DNA chain is flawed, it could trigger one or another hereditary

00:08:40 disorder, from diabetes to muscular dystrophy.

00:08:44 Thus, genetic screening, a relatively new biochemical technology.

00:08:49 Scientists have synthesized genetic probes, which will detect abnormal genes that represent

00:08:57 genetic diseases, or propensities toward problems which are of genetic origin.

00:09:05 Genetic screening done manually can take more than a week, but Dr. Ledley, developing a

00:09:09 computerized robotic chemical procedure, has cut the process to little more than a day.

00:09:15 He can investigate eight different gene sequences simultaneously.

00:09:19 The patient's DNA is spread in a gel onto the fingers of a plastic frame.

00:09:23 Its molecules are then separated electrically, and the material dried in a microwave oven.

00:09:28 Next, it's combined chemically with radioactively tagged gene probes.

00:09:33 If the patient's DNA contains a target gene, a probe will stick to the DNA.

00:09:39 The material is then washed, again dried, and finally scanned electronically for any

00:09:44 radioactivity.

00:09:45 If there is, it means a target gene is present, one that may be defective.

00:09:50 Dr. Ledley sees the day when the automatic gene analyzer is commonplace in the doctor's

00:09:55 office as a chemical diagnostic device.

00:09:58 And beyond that, a day when gene therapy may lead to treatments and cures for illnesses

00:10:03 now thought incurable.

00:10:05 I think the genetic therapy will be just as important, if not more important, than antibiotic

00:10:10 therapy, which of course has prevented untold millions of deaths from bacterial diseases.

00:10:17 On the Science Scene, I'm Alan Smith.

00:10:47 America's leather industry, confronted by higher costs and stringent air pollution regulations,

00:11:09 faces tough competition from overseas.

00:11:12 Foreign nations processing hides from the U.S. turn them into finished products, usually

00:11:17 for a lot less than they can be made here.

00:11:20 Now though, chemists from the Agriculture Department's Research Center in Philadelphia

00:11:24 have developed a new leather coating and curing process.

00:11:27 Said to be both cost-cutting and pollution-free, it's a method that may return the competitive

00:11:32 edge to the U.S.

00:11:34 As we see in a laboratory-scale demonstration, ultraviolet light ingrains the leather with

00:11:39 previously applied chemicals as the leather passes along a conveyor belt.

00:11:44 Unlike conventional processes, no heating ovens are required.

00:11:49 All we have to do is apply our coatings by spray or roller coating, and then shine high-intensity

00:11:55 ultraviolet light upon the surface.

00:11:59 Reaction is instantaneous, cure is effective immediately, and no solvents are involved.

00:12:04 Or release to the air.

00:12:06 The simple process that infuses the chemicals produces leather with excellent physical properties.

00:12:12 Tests for durability show the radiated leather holding up just as well as that treated conventionally.

00:12:16 Moreover, the new chemical ultraviolet light process has already been upscaled and tested

00:12:22 commercially at a leather plant in Massachusetts where these shoes were made.

00:12:26 Officials there feel the process, if broadened to include a wide range of leathers and finishes,

00:12:31 could greatly benefit the U.S. leather industry.

00:12:34 And that's what Dr. Skolnick and his team are working toward now.

00:12:38 Already though, they've accomplished their basic goals.

00:12:41 There were two aims we were out to achieve.

00:12:44 One was reduction in air pollution, and the other was to cut down on energy requirements.

00:12:50 Our process achieves both of these things.

00:12:53 A new scientific twist, chemically processing leather using ultraviolet light.

00:12:59 On the Science Scene, I'm Alan Smith.