Animations

Featured Animations

• 187

  

  Animation

  DNA replication (basic detail)

  (01 min 07 sec) Using information from molecular research, this 3-D animation shows how DNA is replicated at the molecular level. It involves an enzyme that unwinds the DNA, and other enzymes that copy the two resulting strands.
• 49

  

  Animation

  Translation (basic detail)

  (02 min 06 sec) The ribosome is a molecular factory that translates the genetic information in RNA into a string of amino acids that becomes a protein. Inside the ribosome, the genetic code of the RNA is read three letters at a time and compared with the corresponding code on a transfer molecule. When a match occurs between the codes, the amino acid carried by the transfer molecule is added to the growing protein chain.
• 11

  

  Animation

  Gleevec Inhibits Cancer-Causing Kinase BCR-ABL

  (03 min 31 sec) The drug Gleevec binds to and inactivates BCR-ABL, a mutant kinase that causes chronic myeloid leukemia. 
• 52

  

  Animation

  Molecular Mechanism of Synaptic Function

  (01 min 09 sec) Electrical and chemical signals are used by neurons to communicate with one another at contact points called synapses.
• 77

  

  Animation

  Malaria: Human Host

  (04 min 18 sec) When a malaria-carrying mosquito bites a human host, the malaria parasite enters the bloodstream, multiplies in the liver cells, and is then released back into the bloodstream, where it infects and destroys red blood cells.
• 27

  

  Animation

  Newt Limb Regeneration

  (01 min 21 sec) Urodele amphibians—newts and salamanders—are able to regenerate fully functional limbs in response to amputation. Cells in and near the limb stump dedifferentiate to form a mass of stemlike cells that can produce all the specialized tissues of the limb, such as muscle, nerves, and blood vessels.
• 71

  

  Animation

  Anole Lizards: An Example of Speciation

  (02 min 38 sec) This animation features the anole lizards as an example of how a single species can split and multiply into many different species with distinct traits.
• 48

  

  Animation

  The Geologic Carbon Cycle

  (06 min 20 sec) CO2 emitted by volcanoes into the atmosphere is removed by a series of chemical reactions related to rock weathering.