By Keona Curcher
Howard “Howy” Jacobs is an Emeritus professor of molecular biology at Tampere University, with a passion for research on mitochondria, mitochondrial disease, and cellular energy metabolism. On the 7th of March, the students and other audience members of Café Scientific at Tampereen Lyseon Lukio had the opportunity to learn about Jacobs’ research in the fruit fly, or Drosophila, as well as his career up to this point. Jacobs also offered advice to the young high school students who could be considering a future career in sciences.
Jacobs’ career; from Cambridge to Californian sunshine, to the small city of Tampere
From a young age, Jacobs has been interested in molecular biology. Jacobs decided to pursue a career as a researcher, inspired by his teachers at school, and the book “The Chemistry of Life” by Steven Rose. He started his studies in Cambridge in 1974, studying mammalian cells, and from there moved to Glasgow to complete his Ph.D. in 1977. Since then, he has studied various species, including sea squirts, mice, sea urchins, and fruit flies, in universities across the globe, at Caltech and Glasgow respectively. In 1996, Jacobs wished for a change of scenery and chose to move to Tampere, where he worked until his retirement in 2023, after which he became an Emeritus professor.
The importance of fruit flies
The main topic of Jacobs’ presentation was to briefly introduce the audience to his research project on the fruit fly, as well as explain the importance of this research. Drosophila is considered a model organism, which in biological terms, is an organism, which when studied, can provide important information on other organisms of the same class. Every group of organisms has a model, and the fruit fly can be considered the model for insects. The fruit fly is also incredibly useful as a model organism, as it can be reproduced quickly and easily, and it has been researched since the 1920s, meaning that there is plenty of existing information on them. Drosophila can also be used to help understand even human diseases, as the fruit flies develop similar diseases, such as cancer, sleep disorders, brain degeneration, and more. By observing these diseases in the flies, scientists are then able to model and compare their findings to human and mammal organisms, to help develop cures or ways to treat them.
Advice to the scientists of the future
As a final part of Jacobs’ presentation, he gave advice to the high school students in attendance. He encouraged us to challenge ourselves, step out of our comfort zone, and question what we know. Jacobs explained that although a career in science is highly demanding, it is also immensely rewarding, and reminded the students that there are other careers than that of a researcher, while still remaining in the field of science. After a long and successful career, it was inspiring to hear what Jacobs had to say about the opportunities for future scientists; what we, as students, could do in the future.