Potential script:

Deuterium (D) is the isotope of hydrogen containing 1 neutron.  It exists in all the water we normally–about one out of every 6,000 hydrogens is deuterium.  Immediately after “heavy water” was purified in the early 1930’s, its dramatic effect on living systems was demonstrated by Gilbert Lewis and others.  Most higher organisms (such as tobacco seeds) die in pure heavy water.  In his 1934 Science paper summarizing some of this work, Lewis hypothesized that trace deuterium,though,  may be essential for some plants or animals and that it should be studied by using deuterium-depleted water.  Despite this fascinating prediction from one of the most brilliant scientists of the early 20th century, there exists almost no published research on this question!  Even worse, the internet is dominated by claims that drinking deuterium-depleted water can cure cancer and other ailments, with almost no reliable research to back up the claims. It’s an open and fascinating question: have cells evolved to use naturally-occurring deuterium?  Are we yet to discover fascinating cellular mechanisms that rely on deuterium?

 

By using the model organisms yeast and E. coli, I hope to uncover basic mechanisms that may be affected by deuterium, and hopefully I can dispel the internet rumors. What’s more I’ll be doing all this research openly so contributors to my project can see the results of my experiments in real time. Not only this, but by sharing my methods and protocols other scientists will be able to build on my experiments.

Video sequence:

1. open on water dripping out of electronic pipette
2. show slideshow of plants growing in d2o
3. show footage of anthony preparing e coli/yeast for incubation
4. footage of anthony using microscope
5. footage of yeast/ecoli in microscope
6. end with kochlab science that sizzles video