ABOVE: © ISTOCK KOTO_FEJA
Mention the word DNA, and virtually everyone nods in understanding.
They know or think they know what DNA does. It is the molecule that carries our genes and defines who we are. But mention the word ribosome, and even most scientists will give you a blank stare. Yet life needs the ribosome. The ribosome is the machine that translates the DNA code into the proteins that are essential for life. Virtually every molecule made in every living cell was made either by the ribosome or by enzymes that were themselves made by the ribosome.
In my book, Gene Machine, I describe not only the quest to understand the ribosome, but also the human side of science: the competition and rivalry, the often quirky personalities, as well as the blunders and dead ends along the road to success. The result is a frank look at what scientists ...
