How Geysers Power CSI
When knowledge, just for the sake of knowledge, led to amazing breakthroughs
How do we value the pursuit of knowledge? You may hear the discovery of Penicillin, GPS, Velcro, the Microwave and Vulcanized Rubber described as “accidental” discoveries. A better term may be “conditional.” We should not limit our reason for studying things just to find out why they work with an anticipated outcome. We should simply study with an open mind just to see what new knowledge will reveal itself. Some of our greatest discoveries were unintended and came from rather unique places…like geysers.
Geysers, also called hot steam vents, are generally associated in volcanic active areas. Water under the surface is boiled (100°C / 212°F) until steam builds up causing an eruption. When scientists first began to study hot steam vents, they were sure that life could not exist above 73°C / 163°F because many of the proteins present in DNA would break down at those temperatures. They were surprised to find in the geysers several strands of bacteria called thermophiles which could grow at temperatures between 50°C/122°F to 70°C/158°F and hyperthermophiles which can grow at temperatures between 80°/176°F to 110°C/230°F. Important among these bacteria was a strand discovered in 1969 by Thomas Brock and Hudson Freeze, called Thermus Aquaticus. The survival of this bacteria was made possible by a heat stabilizing enzyme called Taq DNA polymerase. In 1976, this polymerase was isolated into a purer form of DNA polymerase. In the 1980's, a scientist by the name of Kary Mullis found this DNA polymerase could be used in a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and used to replicate DNA strands. These replications were critical for testing DNA. For DNA to be analyzed, it needs to be broken down or “unzipped” to study its sequence. In order for this to be possible, you need a large sampling of DNA to unzip as it is destroyed in the process. So it is imperative to copy the DNA to ensure you have a large enough sample to analyze. It was these series of breakthroughs that made it possible for scientists to obtain from one tiny fragment of DNA a process to replicate it on a mass scale so it could be broken down and analyzed on a practical level.
Today, small samples of DNA analysis can be used for multiple different purposes.
Parental Testing: Finding out just who is the daddy.
Genealogy Testing: So people can determine exactly where their ancestry lies.
Gene Therapy: Already in use to test for genetic defects passed on from parents and present in unborn fetuses, we are just scratching the surface in this field where gene therapy is being researched to treat and cure diseases like cancer.
Forensic Science: Now one hair or trace amounts of skin cells left by criminals at a scene many be enough to discover their identity, lead to their capture, and ultimately contribute to their conviction in court.
DNA analysis plays a large part in our society today and it was all made possible by a simple enzyme found in a bacteria in Yellowstone Park in 1969. There is no doubt the researches had no idea the eventual impact their discovery would have upon society decades later. Their goal was simply to expand our understanding of the world around us. Sometimes we have to pursue knowledge just for the sake of pursuing knowledge because we never know what we will find.
Remember, Columbus didn’t set out to discover an America he didn’t even know existed. He was looking for a shorter trade route to India.
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