Editorial :
The
BBC broadcaster and highly esteemed David Attenborough has repeatedly expressed
that “I dont know any child thats not fascinated with the natural world”, a
comment practically invariably followed by his believe that such fascination
sadly wanes out as we grow up. I partially disagree in that it is not only
children who are fascinated
by the natural
world. In fact, Davids documentaries about the natural world are yet to stop
captivating audiences of all ages. To
highlight my – only partial - disagreement I will share with you a little of my
own experiences in this respect. For example at social gatherings, dinner
parties and the likes, when the persons next to me ask me “what do you do?” and
I boringly respond that Im a molecular biologist - if they do not immediately
rush to the toilet to never coming back – there is a short silence followed by
the “one-needs-to-be-a genius- to-do-science” comment. Yet, after a while,
and/or a few drinks, I find that most grownups are still captivated by nature,
whether it is the environment or astronomy although rather by biology and
biomedicine. My wife (hardly ever) complains that I seem to divert nearly any conversation
into the scientific field, something that I do not necessarily agree with but I
would be open to experimentation
with controls on that adjudgement. To the extent that I feel it is rather the
other way around: people are naturally
curious about the natural world and
themselves and thus they divert me,
unwillingly but not resisting, and so to explain some of the most exciting,
like Davids documentaries, wonders of biochemistry
and molecular
biology. Moreover, they (particularly children) often ask good questions,
such as “why do we have to
die?”, “why we age?”, or “why do we get sick?” Indeed,
down at the molecular
level, living organisms are not less enthralling, and, in many ways,
mysterious than the majestic blue whale, the incredible sound imitating talent
of the lyrebird, the clever cracking nuts chimps, or the way that some species
of orchids lure and cheat on bees or wasps who (unsuccessfully) try to mate
with them – these orchids have figured out how to fiddle the exchange of
expensive nectar for assisted
reproduction (AR) and instead they exchange virtual sex for AR. In the
last century we have unravel to understand the biological
systems in more detail than anybody in the previous billions of years of
life on this planet. And yet there are many questions to be answered. In fact,
what happened about 3.5 billion years (give or take a few million years) that
gave rise to the first living
organism(s) on Earth is by far the largest mystery of all. And although we,
by now, know the components of living organisms, we are still far from starting
life from scratch. This is due to the complexity of living organisms, whom have
had thousands of millions of years to get things right through the astounding
process of evolution. Nevertheless,
despite the perplexing complexity of living organisms, life scientists are not
abated, au contraire, there is no better times to understand living organisms as
now. Just like the natural world documentaries, it all began with explorers visiting remote or
unknown places, often bringing back samples
as trophies
to be studied in zoos or natural history
museums, or simply decorating palaces. These approaches eventually moved to the
natural world itself to study it in
situ. likewise,
biochemistry has moved from trying to understand biological reactions out of
the cell, in bubbling test tubes as depicted in films, which reminds the wasp
and the orchid story (above), to try to understand them in
situ – in actual living cells or organisms.
Not satisfied with this, biochemists and molecular biologists are learning the
way to manipulate such reactions in living organisms in an unprecedented
manner. The emerging fields of synthetic and systems biology are living proof
that we are on the verge of controlling organisms at. will, for example to produce medicines or
materials for the benefit of our societies and humankind at large. One of
the fascinations of studying biological systems at the molecular level is that
the barriers of species
play significantly lesser roles. We can
take one enzyme from one cell - as a gene or the gene product - and transfer it
to another one, whether these cells have been originated from a plant,
bacterium, diatom, elephant(a
long-gone mammoth, even), or human is not quite as important as to understand
and manipulate their functions. Already, we are beginning to control gene
expression, to activate protein-protein interactions or even behaviour by
light (a whole new field called optogenetic),
use RNA
as enzymes, use a protein
that glows like star (sensor) when an specific event occurs inside the cell, to
mention but a very few, and all this by activating (or inactivating) cell
components with ease as apps in an iPhone. Indeed,
following the development of super-computers and high resolution microscopy, a
small compound entering the binding pocket
of a receptor can be seen, and thus improve them compounds design
by bioinformatics
analyses e.g. creating better and safer medication.
Modelling disease conditions using cells, organoids and animal models, soon 3D
printing of mini-organs too, let us to understand ourselves rapidly and
effectively. And do not forget too, the reversal of differentiated adult cells
into stem like cells, which has major impact to replenish and repair damaged or
ageing
tissues. My
main interest, besides hoping to one day clone a dinosaur, is into the deeper
understanding of how cells work, and knowing this, to programme them so they
create whatever we want them to. Imagine algae-powered
cars, bacteria generating electricity, viruses
that attack our worst enemies - nasty slimy bacteria, or pets that live as long
as us… and what about us living still longer?. These are not the delusions of
biologists under the influence of natural ingredients – biochemical
- such as those in coffee or cacao they are areas of scientific research that
are quickly becoming reality. You will find more information regarding such
topics if you periodically
read this journal and the remarkable commentaries by its editors. Molecular level, Species, Living organisms, DNA, RNAScience Can Still Captivate Us All
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