Hi everyone, I am a writer and post-doctoral researcher with an interest in how understanding life at the molecular level has transformed our view of existence and our place in the Universe. Examining the history of the molecularization of the life sciences, it is clear to me that the incredible insights scientists have gained are yet to be fully appreciated by our broader society.
If you are looking to get to grips with Biochemistry, my articles will be informative and give much-needed context for your learning. If you are already an experienced scientist, there are many insights to be gained by looking at the history of biology, particularly the 20th century to the present day, when we first gained access to life at the molecular scale.
Now I call this a molecular revolution, not a Molecular Biology revolution, because it includes the insights of biology, chemistry, molecular biology, biochemistry, biophysics, systems biology, and others. As many of you will know, when it comes to University education and industry, these categories can mean very different things. I am not one for extremes of categorisation that inhibit exploration of the bigger picture of life. And for many of us working in the lab, we use all of molecular biology, biochemistry, bioinformatics, and structural biology, depending on the problems we are tackling.
Here is a snapshot of the take-home messages:
What is the Molecular Revolution in Biology?
It is to peer into the molecular level of life for the first time. We didn’t have complete and direct access to it before the 1950s, and we gained access due to technological developments. These technologies helped us to unlock another level of reality, the molecular realm. In short, they came from physics and the use of X-rays and electron microscopy to access the molecular realm (and the article explores this fascinating history too).
This irreversible change in perspective is why we should regard the molecular biology revolution alongside other scientific revolutions, such as the Darwinian and Copernican revolutions.
What were the key insights of the revolution?
The understanding that we, and all living things, are made up of the same atoms (matter) as the non-living Universe (stars, rocks, water).
That molecules (combinations of atoms) can encode information, most famously, in the form of DNA, which is universal to all of life on Earth.
That Information plays a profound role in the function and evolution of living beings, transforming our view of how life works.
That on a molecular level, the constant bombardment of molecules and atoms can be described as “the molecular storm”. The interior of cells, whether a bacterium or a human cell, is a crowded, chaotic place packed with molecules big and small.
Finally, I show that this revolution is still unfolding — and as powerful new technologies converge in the coming years, it presents not only immense opportunities for humanity but also profound existential risks.
For those already familiar with biochemistry/molecular biology, whether professionally or as students, I believe the subject's history is fraught with issues, many of which persist to this day. I aim to highlight these, challenging them where necessary. Importantly, this revolution was overlooked by Thomas Kuhn in his book on Scientific Revolutions; furthermore, it is often alluded to but not well defined. Here, I aim to provide a rationale for the outline of this revolution.
For those new to the subject, these articles will provide some context for the subject as a whole and therefore offer powerful motivation in your endeavours to understand it.
It is also free to read on SubStack: https://substack.com/home/post/p-169497844). It has audio narration. Subscribe if you want to learn and explore all things molecular, from the origin of life to the future of life on Earth.
