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
My laboratory uses evolution to design new enzymes. No one really knows how to design them - they are tremendously complicated. But we are learning how to use evolution to make new ones, just as nature does.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Frances Arnold emphasizes the complexity of designing enzymes and how evolution can be harnessed to create new ones, similar to natural processes.
In this quote, Frances Arnold discusses the intricate nature of enzyme design, highlighting that despite the challenges faced in creating these biological catalysts, researchers are beginning to leverage evolutionary principles to innovate and generate new enzymes. This reflects a broader understanding of how evolutionary processes can inform scientific advancements, drawing parallels between natural evolution and human ingenuity in the lab.
Themes
EvolutionEnzymesScienceInnovationNature
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a scientific presentation about biotechnology.
More from Frances Arnold
All quotes →I 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
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.
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
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