This device, a goniometer, was used by Roderick MacKinnon in his discovery of the structure of ion channels – an important part of our cells. A crystal is mounted on the pin. When the goniometer is turned, the crystal is irradiated with X-rays from different angles. Patterns from rays passing the crystal provide a key to the structure of the crystal. On New Year’s Eve 1998, Roderick MacKinnon was alone in the laboratory. All of his colleagues had left to celebrate the new year. Late that night, he saw the first image of an ion channel on his computer screen.
Roderick MacKinnon donated the goniometer to the Nobel Prize Museum in 2003.
This cap, which belonged to Roderick MacKinnon, has the logo of Rockefeller University, where he worked.
Roderick MacKinnon donated the cap to the Nobel Prize Museum in 2003.
