GREATGREAT IDEASIDEAS OFOF BIOLOGYBIOLOGY
Paul Nurse KITP Public Lecture, Feb 24, 2010 THETHE CELLCELL The basic unit of life ROBERTROBERT HOOKEHOOKE’’SS MICROSCOPEMICROSCOPE
Cork Image: Past Present STEMSTEM IMAGES:IMAGES: PASTPAST ANDAND PRESENTPRESENT
Nehemiah Grew (1682) ANTONIANTONI VANVAN LEEUWENHOEKLEEUWENHOEK MICROORGANISMSMICROORGANISMS VANVAN LEEUWENHOEK?LEEUWENHOEK? THEODORTHEODOR SCHWANNSCHWANN
“We have seen that all organisms are composed of essentially like parts, namely, of cells.” (1839) RUDOLFRUDOLF VIRCHOWVIRCHOW
“Every animal appears as a sum of vital units, each of which bears in itself the complete characteristics of life.” (1858) CELLCELL
Rockefeller Nobel Prize Winners in Cell Biology
George E. Palade (1974) Christian de Duve (1974) Albert Claude (1974) Günter Blobel (1999) MAMMALIANMAMMALIAN EMBRYOEMBRYO SPERMSPERM ANDAND EGGEGG THETHE CELLCELL The basic unit of life Underpins all reproduction and development Stem cells THETHE GENEGENE Basis of heredity GREGORGREGOR MENDELMENDEL MENDELMENDEL’’SS GARDENGARDEN PEASPEAS PEASPEAS 1919TH CENTURYCENTURY CHROMOSOMESCHROMOSOMES EDOUARDEDOUARD VANVAN BENEDENBENEDEN’’SS NEMATODENEMATODE CHROMOSOMESCHROMOSOMES PNEUMOCOCCUSPNEUMOCOCCUS
Avery, MacLeod and McCarty, Rockefeller University (1944) DNADNA MOLECULEMOLECULE CENTRALCENTRAL DOGMADOGMA THETHE GENEGENE Basis of heredity Genotype to phenotype Implications for what we are EVOLUTIONEVOLUTION BYBY NATURALNATURAL SELECTIONSELECTION Life evolves Mechanism of natural selection ERASMUSERASMUS ANDAND CHARLESCHARLES DARWINDARWIN TREETREE OFOF LIFELIFE FINCHFINCH’’SS BEAKSBEAKS CELLCELL REPRODUCTIONREPRODUCTION ANDAND NATURALNATURAL SELECTIONSELECTION CHARLESCHARLES DARWINDARWIN
“...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being evolved.” EVOLUTIONEVOLUTION BYBY NATURALNATURAL SELECTIONSELECTION All life evolves and is related by descent Natural selection major mechanism Kin selection relevant to altruism and morality Should be stewards for our “relatives” LIFELIFE ASAS CHEMISTRYCHEMISTRY Chemistry and physics are mechanistic basis of life ANTOINEANTOINE LAVOISIERLAVOISIER LAVOISIERLAVOISIER LOUISLOUIS PASTEURPASTEUR MOLECULARMOLECULAR STRUCTURESTRUCTURE MODELMODEL OFOF ENZYMEENZYME ACTIONACTION METABOLISMMETABOLISM MAPMAP CELLCELL WITHWITH COMPARTMENTSCOMPARTMENTS LIFELIFE ASAS CHEMISTRYCHEMISTRY Provide good mechanistic explanation of life Basis for understanding many diseases Central to medicine and pharmaceutical industry BIOLOGYBIOLOGY ASAS ANAN ORGANIZEDORGANIZED SYSTEMSYSTEM Developing idea DOUBLEDOUBLE HELIXHELIX GOVERNORGOVERNOR FROMFROM AA STEAMSTEAM ENGINEENGINE SIMPLE EXAMPLES FOR LOGICAL CIRCUITS: NEGATIVE AND POSITIVE FEEDBACK
- Negative Feedback Loop
+ Positive Feedback Loop ELECTRONICELECTRONIC CIRCUITCIRCUIT AIRPLANEAIRPLANE ROUTEROUTE HUBSHUBS NETWORKSNETWORKS ANDAND PATHWAYSPATHWAYS
Linear Pathway
Complex Networks NETWORKSNETWORKS ANDAND PATHWAYSPATHWAYS NETWORKSNETWORKS ANDAND PATHWAYSPATHWAYS MORSEMORSE CODECODE
“The Works of Shakespeare” PHAGE CHEMICAL WAVES FOLLOWING THE TURING EQUATION
dtq = D∆q + R(q) JOHNJOHN HARRISONHARRISON’’SS CLOCKSCLOCKS THETHE GREATGREAT IDEASIDEAS OFOF BIOLOGYBIOLOGY The cell The gene Evolution by natural selection Life as chemistry Biology as an organized system