Ezra's Bookshelf

The Catalyst

by Thomas R. Cech · 192 pages · ~3.5 hrs

Science & TechnologyHealth & Medicine

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Thomas Cech, who won the Nobel Prize for discovering that RNA can act as a catalyst, presents RNA as the molecule at the center of biology's most important questions. For decades, RNA was seen as merely a messenger carrying genetic information from DNA to proteins. Cech shows how this view was wrong. RNA plays active roles in gene regulation, immune defense, and possibly the origin of life itself—the 'RNA world' hypothesis suggests that RNA preceded both DNA and proteins. The book traces the history of RNA research, the Nobel-winning discoveries, and current frontiers including the mRNA vaccines developed against COVID-19. Cech writes for general readers, explaining molecular biology without assuming prior knowledge. He conveys the excitement of scientific discovery while acknowledging how much remains unknown. For readers interested in biology, medicine, or the history of science, this book illuminates a molecule whose importance is only now being fully appreciated.

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