I thought to myself: What are the most important problems that society faces that I could contribute to? And it was clear that finding new sustainable sources of energy was the most important.
Frances ArnoldRead
The DNA-encoded catalytic machinery of the cell can rapidly learn to promote new chemical reactions when we provide new reagents and the appropriate incentive in the form of artificial selection.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the ability of cellular machinery to adapt and evolve rapidly given the right conditions and stimuli.
Frances Arnold emphasizes the remarkable capability of biological systems to learn and innovate in response to changes in their environment. By introducing new reagents and applying artificial selection as a form of incentive, we can prompt cellular machinery to develop novel chemical reactions, showcasing the inherent adaptability of life at a molecular level.
Themes
DnaCatalysisAdaptabilityEvolutionScience
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture about biological chemistry, one might say, 'As Frances Arnold pointed out, the DNA-encoded machinery can learn new chemical pathways through artificial selection.'
More from Frances Arnold
All quotes βI see a future in which nature gives us a helping hand. Instead of destroying the natural world, why can't we use it to solve the kinds of problems that we are facing?
Frances ArnoldRead
My whole interest is, how do you use evolution as an innovation engine? How does evolution solve new problems that life faces? And to have a system that can create a whole new chemical bond that biology hasn't done before, to me, demonstrates the power of nature to innovate.
Frances ArnoldRead
Most innovative things are not obvious to other people at the time. You have to believe in yourself. If you've got a good idea, follow it even though others tell you it's not.
Frances ArnoldRead
We've been modifying the biological world at the level of DNA for thousands of years. Somehow there is this new fear of what we already have been doing and that fear has limited our ability to provide real solutions.
Frances ArnoldRead
What I want to do is encourage women to take on this incredibly exciting and fun challenge to use their brains for the benefit of humanity but through science and technology.
Frances ArnoldRead
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Odd arrangements and funny solutions are the proof of evolution - paths that a sensible God would never tread but that a natural process, constrained by history, follows perforce.
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