Biophysical Society Bulletin | March 2023

Publications

Know the Editor Les Satin University of Michigan Editor The Biophysicist

Les Satin

What have you read lately that you found really interesting or stimulating (a paper, a book, science or not science)? I am currently reading The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson , about the early 1940s and Winston Churchill . Churchill’s exem plary leadership in a time of grave crisis to Britain is such a contrast to our dysfunctional politics today and is so interest ing that it is hard for me to put down! Of course, Mr. Chur chill was also quite a character as well, so that adds to my interest. I must add that reading submitted manuscripts to The Biophysicist is also incredibly interesting to me. As a reg ular reviewer of mostly bench research, papers on biophysics education and learning are so refreshing and exciting. I would love to recruit more people to our group of regular reviewers so that they could share in this exciting process! What has been your most exciting discovery as a biophysi cist? This is a difficult question because I have had quite a few. However, one that was particularly exciting was our discovery that using dynamic clamp to study isolated beta cells showed that adding a small-voltage–dependent conductance (simu lated, mind you) to a spiking cell converted the cell to a full fledged burster, in accord with simulations carried out using a mathematical model! We were skeptical this could happen, but it did! The results appeared in Biophysical Journal (Zhang et al. 2003. The Ca 2+ dynamics of isolated mouse β -cells and islets: implications for mathematical models. Biophys J. 84:2852–2870). The simulations were done by Richard Ber tram and Arthur Sherman , by the way. Who would you like to sit next to at a dinner party (scientist or not)? Also hard! Gustav Mahler , my favorite composer. Mahler was the leading conductor of his era and composed his sympho nies (which are fantastic) only during the summer, usually in the mountains or by a lake. He was a person of his time period but also way, way ahead, and his music can speak to us rather directly even today. It would be fascinating to chat with him.

Editor’s Pick Biophysical Journal Proliferative advantage of specific aneuploid cells drives evo lution of tumor karyotypes Ivana Ban, Lucija Tomašić, Marianna Trakala, Iva M. Tolić, and Nenad Pavin “The authors explore the idea that erroneous number of chromosomes leading to perturbed cell division is the key driver of tumor evolution. These altered numbers of chromo somes arise from mistakes during division and evolve through numerous complex mechanisms, including chromosome missegregation, cell proliferation, and cell death. However, understanding the mechanisms leading to tumor evolution from healthy cells is a hot topic. Here they show, by intro ducing a “macro-karyotype model,” that perturbed number of chromosomes in tumor cells arises predominantly from faster division of cells characterized by a specific combination of chromosomes, or together with irregular cell death. This finding, strengthened by comparison of the authors’ theory with experimentally observed combinations of chromosomes in different stages of tumor development, gives a direction for future experiments in identifying the key processes underly ing tumor development.”

Version of Record Published January 17, 2023 DOI: https:/doi.org/10.1016/j.bpj.2023.01.017

March 2023

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