ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Janet Iwasa - Molecular animator


Why you should listen
While we know a lot about molecular processes, they can’t be observed directly, and scientists have to rely on simple, two-dimensional drawings to depict complex hypotheses. That is, they did until now. Janet Iwasa’s colorful and action-packed 3D animations bring scientific hypotheses to life, showing how we think molecules look, move and interact. Not only is molecular animation a powerful way to illustrate ideas and convey information to general audiences, it’s also a powerful tools for inspiring new research. However, 3D molecular animation using commercial software requires skill and time, so Iwasa has created a simpler 3D animation software tool for biologists, allowing researchers to intuitively and quickly model molecular hypotheses. In 2014, she launched the beta of her new free, open-source animation software, Molecular Flipbook, which allows biologists to create molecular animations of their own hypotheses in just 15 minutes.
More profile about the speaker
Janet Iwasa | Speaker | TED.com
TED2014

Janet Iwasa: How animations can help scientists test a hypothesis

珍妮特·埃瓦薩: 動畫如何協助科學家研究假設

Filmed:
900,546 views

3D動畫可以生動呈現科學假設。分子生物學家珍妮特·埃瓦薩介紹一種專為科學家設計而且開放原始碼的新動畫軟體。
- Molecular animator
Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:12
Take a look at this drawing畫畫.
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請大家看這張圖
00:14
Can you tell what it is?
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你知道這是什麼嗎?
00:16
I'm a molecular分子 biologist生物學家 by training訓練,
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我是一個分子生物學家
00:18
and I've seen看到 a lot of these kinds of drawings圖紙.
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我看過很多這種圖
00:21
They're usually平時 referred簡稱 to as a model模型 figure數字,
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通常是分子模型圖
00:24
a drawing畫畫 that shows節目 how we think
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用來說明
00:26
a cellular細胞的 or molecular分子 process處理 occurs發生.
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細胞或分子的分裂過程
00:29
This particular特定 drawing畫畫 is of a process處理
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這張圖是在說明
00:31
called clathrin-mediated網格蛋白介導 endocytosis內吞作用.
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一個由網格蛋白介導的胞吞作用的過程
00:35
It's a process處理 by which哪一個 a molecule分子 can get
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透過這個過程
00:38
from the outside of the cell細胞 to the inside
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一個分子可以從細胞外進入細胞內
00:40
by getting得到 captured捕獲 in a bubble泡沫 or a vesicle
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它先被一個泡囊包覆
00:43
that then gets得到 internalized內在 by the cell細胞.
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然後再被吞入細胞內
00:46
There's a problem問題 with this drawing畫畫, though雖然,
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但是 這張圖有一個問題
00:47
and it's mainly主要 in what it doesn't show顯示.
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而且從圖中看不出來
00:50
From lots of experiments實驗,
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從許多實驗
00:51
from lots of different不同 scientists科學家們,
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以及科學家的研究中
00:53
we know a lot about what these molecules分子 look like,
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我們知道這些分子長什麼樣子
00:56
how they move移動 around in the cell細胞,
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知道它們如何在細胞內移動
00:58
and that this is all taking服用 place地點
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而且這都發生在
01:00
in an incredibly令人難以置信 dynamic動態 environment環境.
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令人難以置信的動態環境中
01:03
So in collaboration合作 with a clathrin網格蛋白
expert專家 Tomas托馬斯 KirchhausenKirchhausen,
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因此 我們和網格蛋白專家
Tomas Kirchhausen合作
01:06
we decided決定 to create創建 a new kind of model模型 figure數字
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要創造一種新的分子模型圖
01:09
that showed顯示 all of that.
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來說明一切
01:11
So we start開始 outside of the cell細胞.
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我們從細胞外開始
01:12
Now we're looking inside.
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現在我們來看細胞內
01:14
Clathrin網格蛋白 are these three-legged三條腿 molecules分子
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這些三隻腳的分子是網格蛋白
01:16
that can self-assemble自組裝 into soccer-ball-like足球球樣 shapes形狀.
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它們可以自我組成像足球的形狀
01:19
Through通過 connections連接 with a membrane,
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透過與細胞膜的連結
01:21
clathrin網格蛋白 is able能夠 to deform變形 the membrane
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網格蛋白會使連結膜變形
01:23
and form形成 this sort分類 of a cup杯子
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形成這種杯子狀
01:25
that forms形式 this sort分類 of a bubble泡沫, or a vesicle,
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然後形成這種小泡
01:27
that's now capturing捕獲 some of the proteins蛋白質
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並開始吞入
01:29
that were outside of the cell細胞.
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原本在細胞外的蛋白質
01:30
Proteins蛋白質 are coming未來 in now that
basically基本上 pinch off this vesicle,
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被吞入的蛋白質
01:34
making製造 it separate分離 from the rest休息 of the membrane,
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將小泡與膜分離
01:36
and now clathrin網格蛋白 is basically基本上 doneDONE with its job工作,
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此時網格蛋白的任務基本上已完成
蛋白質已進入細胞內
01:39
and so proteins蛋白質 are coming未來 in now —
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01:40
we've我們已經 covered覆蓋 them yellow黃色 and orange橙子
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我們用黃色和橘色表示
01:42
that are responsible主管 for taking服用
apart距離 this clathrin網格蛋白 cage.
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它們負責將網格蛋白分解
01:45
And so all of these proteins蛋白質
can get basically基本上 recycled回收
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基本上所有這些蛋白質
01:48
and used all over again.
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可以回收再利用
01:49
These processes流程 are too small to be seen看到 directly,
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這些過程太小以致於無法直接觀察
01:53
even with the best最好 microscopes顯微鏡,
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即使用最好的顯微鏡也看不到
01:55
so animations動畫 like this provide提供 a really powerful強大 way
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因此 這樣的動畫提供了一個好方法
01:57
of visualizing可視化 a hypothesis假設.
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使科學假設可視化
02:00
Here's這裡的 another另一個 illustration插圖,
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這裡還有一張圖
02:02
and this is a drawing畫畫 of how a researcher研究員 might威力 think
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這張圖說明了研究人員
02:05
that the HIVHIV virus病毒 gets得到 into and out of cells細胞.
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是如何想像HIV病毒進出細胞內外的
02:08
And again, this is a vast廣大 oversimplification簡單化
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但這是個過於簡單的說明
02:11
and doesn't begin開始 to show顯示
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並沒有表達出
02:13
what we actually其實 know about these processes流程.
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我們實際上對這些過程的了解
02:15
You might威力 be surprised詫異 to know
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你可能覺得訝異
02:17
that these simple簡單 drawings圖紙 are the only way
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這些簡單的圖竟是
02:20
that most biologists生物學家 visualize想像
their molecular分子 hypotheses假設.
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大部分生物學家
畫出分子假設的唯一方法
02:24
Why?
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為什麼?
02:25
Because creating創建 movies電影 of processes流程
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因為 依照我們認為的實際過程
02:27
as we think they actually其實 occur發生 is really hard.
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來設計這些移動是非常困難的
02:30
I spent花費 months個月 in Hollywood好萊塢
learning學習 3D animation動畫 software軟件,
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我花了幾個月
在好萊塢學習3D動畫軟體
02:34
and I spend months個月 on each animation動畫,
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每個動畫又各花費了我一段時間
02:36
and that's just time that most
researchers研究人員 can't afford給予.
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而大部分研究人員 並沒有時間去學習
02:39
The payoffs收益 can be huge巨大, though雖然.
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不過 這個報酬是可觀的
02:41
Molecular分子 animations動畫 are unparalleled空前的
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分子動畫無與倫比
02:44
in their ability能力 to convey傳達 a great deal合同 of information信息
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它可以向大眾傳達豐富的資訊
02:47
to broad廣闊 audiences觀眾 with extreme極端 accuracy準確性.
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並且準確無誤
02:51
And I'm working加工 on a new project項目 now
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我正在進行一個新的計畫
02:52
called "The Science科學 of HIVHIV"
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叫做"HIV的科學"
02:54
where I'll be animating動畫 the entire整個 life cycle週期
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我會以動畫盡可能準確地呈現出
02:56
of the HIVHIV virus病毒 as accurately準確 as possible可能
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HIV病毒的完整生命循環
02:59
and all in molecular分子 detail詳情.
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以及詳細的分子資訊
03:01
The animation動畫 will feature特徵 data數據
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這個動畫將呈現出
03:03
from thousands數千 of researchers研究人員
collected over decades幾十年,
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眾多研究人員
數十年來蒐集到的資料
03:06
data數據 on what this virus病毒 looks容貌 like,
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包括病毒長什麼樣子
03:09
how it's able能夠 to infect感染 cells細胞 in our body身體,
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它如何感染我們體內的細胞
03:13
and how therapeutics療法 are
helping幫助 to combat戰鬥 infection感染.
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以及醫學治療如何幫助我們對付感染
03:17
Over the years年份, I found發現 that animations動畫
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多年來 我發現
03:19
aren't just useful有用 for communicating通信 an idea理念,
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動畫不僅可協助溝通
03:22
but they're also really useful有用
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更有助於
03:23
for exploring探索 a hypothesis假設.
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探討假設
03:25
Biologists生物學家 for the most part部分 are
still using運用 a paper and pencil鉛筆
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生物學家大多仍在使用紙筆
03:29
to visualize想像 the processes流程 they study研究,
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畫出他們所研究的過程
03:31
and with the data數據 we have now,
that's just not good enough足夠 anymore.
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但以我們現在擁有的資料來說
這種方式不再足夠
03:34
The process處理 of creating創建 an animation動畫
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設計動畫的過程
03:37
can act法案 as a catalyst催化劑 that allows允許 researchers研究人員
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可以促進研究人員
03:39
to crystalizecrystalize and refine提煉 their own擁有 ideas思路.
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將自己的想法具體化 並進一步精煉
03:42
One researcher研究員 I worked工作 with
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有一名我合作過的研究人員
03:44
who works作品 on the molecular分子 mechanisms機制
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她的研究是
03:46
of neurodegenerative神經退行性 diseases疾病
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神經退化性疾病的分子機制
03:48
came來了 up with experiments實驗 that were related有關
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她想出一些實驗
03:50
directly to the animation動畫 that
she and I worked工作 on together一起,
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跟我們共同創作的動畫相關
03:53
and in this way, animation動畫 can
feed飼料 back into the research研究 process處理.
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這使得動畫可以回饋在研究過程上
03:57
I believe that animation動畫 can change更改 biology生物學.
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我相信動畫可以改變生物學
04:00
It can change更改 the way that we
communicate通信 with one another另一個,
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它可以改變我們的溝通方式
04:02
how we explore探索 our data數據
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研究數據的方式
04:04
and how we teach our students學生們.
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以及教育學生的方式
04:05
But for that change更改 to happen發生,
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但是要讓這樣的改變發生
04:07
we need more researchers研究人員 creating創建 animations動畫,
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我們需要更多的研究人員去設計動畫
04:10
and toward that end結束, I brought together一起 a team球隊
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因此 我發起組成了一個團隊
04:12
of biologists生物學家, animators動畫 and programmers程序員
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包括生物學家 動畫人員以及程式人員
04:15
to create創建 a new, free自由, open-source開源 software軟件
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設計一個新的 免費的 開放原始碼的軟體
04:18
we call it Molecular分子 Flipbook翻書
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我們稱為"分子的Flipbook"
04:20
that's created創建 just for biologists生物學家
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專門讓生物學家使用
04:22
just to create創建 molecular分子 animations動畫.
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用於設計分子動畫
04:26
From our testing測試, we've我們已經 found發現
that it only takes 15 minutes分鐘
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從測試中 我們發現只需要15分鐘
04:29
for a biologist生物學家 who has never
touched感動 animation動畫 software軟件 before
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就可以使從未接觸過動畫軟體的生物學家
04:33
to create創建 her first molecular分子 animation動畫
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設計出她的第一個分子動畫
04:35
of her own擁有 hypothesis假設.
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來說明她的研究假設
04:37
We're also building建造 an online線上 database數據庫
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我們也在建置線上資料庫
04:39
where anyone任何人 can view視圖, download下載 and contribute有助於
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任何人都可以瀏覽 下載
04:42
their own擁有 animations動畫.
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以及分享他們自己的動畫
04:43
We're really excited興奮 to announce宣布
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我們很興奮地要告訴大家
04:45
that the beta公測 version of the molecular分子 animation動畫
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這個分子動畫軟體工具包的試用版
04:48
software軟件 toolkit工具包 will be available可得到 for download下載 today今天.
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在今天就可以下載使用
04:52
We are really excited興奮 to see
what biologists生物學家 will create創建 with it
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我們很期待生物學家的創作
04:55
and what new insights見解 they're able能夠 to gain獲得
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以及他們可以獲得什麼樣的新啟發
04:57
from finally最後 being存在 able能夠 to animate活躍
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而這個啟發來自於
04:58
their own擁有 model模型 figures人物.
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得以將自己的分子模型以動畫來呈現
05:00
Thank you.
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謝謝
05:02
(Applause掌聲)
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(掌聲)
Translated by Rowena Weng
Reviewed by Justine Bai

▲Back to top

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Janet Iwasa - Molecular animator


Why you should listen
While we know a lot about molecular processes, they can’t be observed directly, and scientists have to rely on simple, two-dimensional drawings to depict complex hypotheses. That is, they did until now. Janet Iwasa’s colorful and action-packed 3D animations bring scientific hypotheses to life, showing how we think molecules look, move and interact. Not only is molecular animation a powerful way to illustrate ideas and convey information to general audiences, it’s also a powerful tools for inspiring new research. However, 3D molecular animation using commercial software requires skill and time, so Iwasa has created a simpler 3D animation software tool for biologists, allowing researchers to intuitively and quickly model molecular hypotheses. In 2014, she launched the beta of her new free, open-source animation software, Molecular Flipbook, which allows biologists to create molecular animations of their own hypotheses in just 15 minutes.
More profile about the speaker
Janet Iwasa | Speaker | TED.com

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