Strategic thinking
Biochemists are vying to solve protein structures. They should collaborate
SOLVING the human genome was a doddle. Although it is 3 billion units long, its shape has no bearing on its function. The harder part is to analyse the structure of the proteins that those genes (and the genes of all other creatures) encode. For this, shape matters; and to find the shape of a protein, it has to be purified and either X-rayed to destruction or run through a nuclear-magnetic resonance (NMR) machine. Or you can compare it with a protein whose structure you already know.
This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Strategic thinking”
From the June 9th 2001 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Science & technology
Can you breathe stress away?
Scientists are only beginning to understand the links between the breath and the mind
The Economist’s science and technology internship
We invite applications for the 2025 Richard Casement internship
A better understanding of Huntington’s disease brings hope
Previous research seems to have misinterpreted what is going on
Is obesity a disease?
It wasn’t. But it is now
Volunteers with Down’s syndrome could help find Alzheimer’s drugs
Those with the syndrome have more of a protein implicated in dementia
Should you start lifting weights?
You’ll stay healthier for longer if you’re strong