Life's Catalyst: RNA with Thomas Cech [Ep. 423]

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How did life begin? What makes us human? Why do we get sick and grow old?

For more than half a century, we've searched for answers to these questions in DNA. But after a series of groundbreaking discoveries, attention has turned to RNA, the long-overlooked molecule that is now at the heart of biology's greatest mysteries.

Here today, to shed light on this topic, is none other than the Nobel laureate Thomas Cech. Thomas shared the 1989 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Sidney Altman for their discovery of the catalytic properties of RNA. He discovered that RNA could cut strands of RNA itself, suggesting that life might have started as RNA, and found that RNA can not only transmit instructions but also speed up the necessary reactions.

His upcoming book, The Catalyst, promises to bring years of pioneering research to the forefront, demonstrating how RNA holds the key to understanding life on Earth—from its very origins to our future.

Join us as we explore the most transformative breakthroughs in biology and beyond on this episode of Into the Impossible!

Key Takeaways:

00:00 Intro

01:17 What is life?

02:05 Judging a book by its cover

05:44 Does profit drive innovation?

10:51 The RNA breakthrough

14:40 Is DNA a one-trick pony?

24:54 Panspermia, DNA and RNA

29:25 RNA’s role in the end of life

37:01 CRISPR

42:09 Are DNA and RNA the only two informational molecules?

46:57 The future of education

51:38 The greatest thing humans have ever done

53:08 What Thomas has been wrong about

54:22 Outro

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Additional resources:

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➡️ Learn more about Thomas Cech: 💻 Nobel Prize: https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/1989/cech/facts/ 📚 Get The Catalyst on Amazon: https://a.co/d/9oaErgg

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Into the Impossible with Brian Keating is a podcast dedicated to all those who want to explore the universe within and beyond the known.

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