biology

Nigel Unwin

Nigel Unwin is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Nigel Unwin rather than just read about it. In short: Peter Nigel Tripp Unwin FRS is a British scientist at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, where he was Head of the Neurobiology Division from 1992 until 2008. He is currently also emeritus Professor of Cell Biology at the Scripps Research Institute.

Key takeaways

Nigel Unwin belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Nigel Unwin to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Nigel Unwin from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Peter Nigel Tripp Unwin FRS is a British scientist at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, where he was Head of the Neurobiology Division from 1992 until 2008. He is currently also emeritus Professor of Cell Biology at the Scripps Research Institute.

Life Nigel Unwin was born in New Zealand. He was a Ph.D. student in the Department of Metallurgy Cambridge University from 1965 to 1968, and then took a position at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology from 1968 to 1980. He was Professor of Cell Biology at Stanford University from 1980 to 1987. In 1988 he returned to the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, taking also a joint appointment at the Scripps Research Institute.

Works Unwin N (2015), "Experiments in electron microscopy: from metals to nerves" Physica Scripta 90:048002 Zuber B, Unwin N (2013), "The structure and superorganization of acetylcholine receptor-rapsyn complexes" Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 110:10622-10627 Unwin N, Fujiyoshi Y (2012), "Gating movement of acetylcholine receptor caught by plunge-freezing" Journal of Molecular Biology 422:617-634 O'Brien J, Unwin N (2006), "Organization of spines on the dendrites of Purkinje cells" Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 103:1575-1580 Unwin N (2005), "Refined structure of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor at 4Å resolution", Journal of Molecular Biology 346:967-989 Miyazawa A, Fujiyoshi Y, Unwin N (2003), "Structure and gating mechanism of the acetylcholine receptor pore" Nature 423:949-955 Unwin N (1995), "Acetylcholine receptor channel imaged in the open state" Nature 373:37-43 Berriman J, Unwin N (1994), "Analysis of transient structures by cryo-microscopy combined with rapid mixing of spray droplets" Ultramicroscopy 56:241-252 Toyoshima C, Unwin N (1988), "Ion channel of acetylcholine receptor reconstructed from images of postsynaptic membranes" Nature 336:247-250 Toyoshima C, Unwin N (1988), "Contrast transfer for frozen-hydrated specimens: determination from pairs of defocussed images" Ultramicroscopy 25:279-292 Brisson A, Unwin P N T (1985), "Quaternary structure of the acetylcholine receptor" Nature 315:474-477 Unwin P N T, Milligan R A (1982), "A large particle associated with the perimeter of the nuclear pore complex" Journal of Cell Biology 93:63-75 Unwin P N T, Zampighi G (1980), "Structure of the junction between communicating cells" Nature 283:545-549 Unwin P N T (1977), "Three-dimensional model of membrane-bound ribosomes obtained by electron microscopy" Nature 269:118-122 Henderson R, Unwin P N T (1975), "Three-dimensional model of purple membrane obtained by electron microscopy" Nature 257:28-32 Unwin P N T, Henderson R (1975), "Molecular structure determination by electron microscopy of unstained crystalline specimens" Journal of Molecular Biology 94:425-440 Unwin P N T (1971), "Phase contrast and interference microscopy with the electron microscope" Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. Lond. B261:95-104

Honors Unwin was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 1983, and of Trinity College, Cambridge in 1987. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Microscopical Society and a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences. His awards include the Rosenstiel Award for Basic Medical Research (1991), the Louis-Jeantet Prize for Medicine (1996), the Gregori Aminoff Prize in Crystallography (1999), and the Royal Society Croonian Lecture and Medal (2000).

References

External links home page

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Nigel Unwin

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Nigel Unwin claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Nigel Unwin before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Nigel Unwin ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Nigel Unwin

In research: Nigel Unwin appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Nigel Unwin in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Nigel Unwin is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics British neuroscientists, Fellows of Trinity College, Cambridge, Fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences (United Kingdom), so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Nigel Unwin outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Nigel Unwin in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Nigel Unwin means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Nigel Unwin out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Nigel Unwin in simple terms?

Why does Nigel Unwin matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Nigel Unwin?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Nigel Unwin.