The Catalyst: RNA and the Quest to Unlock Life’s Deepest Secrets

Nobel Prize–winning biochemist Cech debuts with an entrancing primer on “the vast capabilities of RNA.” Recounting how his research in the early 1980s upended the long-held belief that RNA was a simple molecule that intermediated between DNA and proteins, Cech describes discovering that RNA can catalyze biochemical reactions and perform jobs previously thought to be the exclusive purview of enzymes, such as orchestrating the construction of proteins. The author also delves into subsequent breakthroughs, telling how in the late ’80s molecular biologist Carol Greider determined that RNA build out “chromosome ends to secure the integrity of the genome.” Surveying the real-world implications of the research, Cech discusses the scientific advances that led to the development of the messenger RNA Covid vaccines and speculates on how a form of RNA capable of shutting down genes may one day help treat neurodegenerative diseases. The biological discussions are remarkably lucid, thanks to easy-to-understand analogies. For instance, Cech illustrates how RNA’s selective omission of genetic information during protein production makes it possible to create a “wide[r] repertoire of potential proteins from the same set of genes” by noting how “You really smell nice today” and “You really smell today” use the same building blocks yet generate opposite meanings based on the exclusion of one piece. This fascinates. (June)