Decoding Ribosomes with Dr. Ada Yonath
A dialogue with the Nobel Laureate, unraveling the intricacies of Structural Biology
Despite life in earth having flourished for at least four billion years, the concept of life is still one of the greatest mysteries. Proteins are essentially the building blocks of life. They are the chemicals that are responsible for performing vital functions. A sneak-peek into this world lets us realize the diversity and complexity of bio-chemical processes. Dr. Ada E. Yonath is currently the Director of the Helen and Milton A. Kimmelman Center for Biomolecular Structure and Assembly of the Weizmann institute of Science, Israel. In 2009, Dr. Yonath received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry along with Venkatraman Ramakrishnan and Thomas A. Steitz for her studies on the structure and function of the ribosome.
Pragyan ’17 was honored to host Dr. Yonath, the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 45 years, as part of the guest lecture series. Our interview with her gave us great insights about her terrific passion for science.
When asked if there was ever a single defining moment when she decided to pursue science, she laughed. She explained that being raised in a poor family, she was not even aware of a profession in the sciences. “I was curious but there was no reason to become a scientist”, she added. Dr. Yonath feels that an inquisitive nature and the will to question things are her greatest driving forces.
In her guest lecture, Dr. Ada Yonath talked about how ribosomes, a cellular component, are like small machines that convert genetic information into proteins. “Understanding life processes means knowing the function; and knowing the function means knowing the structure”, she observed. In general crystallography is used to determine the structures of biomolecules. However the crystallization of ribosomes was a difficult task. The development of her unique method to crystallize ribosomes puts her in a distinct position in the domain of crystallography.
She also believes that being close with nature inspires her to think of creative solutions. She has mentioned in multiple interviews before that hibernating polar bears were her primary evidence for the crystallization of ribosomes. In a paper she read, she came across that the ribosomes of polar bears are stacked when they hibernate. This hinted that there certainly is a way to crystallize ribosomes. From there, an arduous path later, her ground-breaking research won her the Nobel Prize.
In light of the growing activism against chemicals, claiming they are harmful for both humans and the environment, we asked if she viewed this as a setback to Chemistry. Dr. Yonath was clear that this was because the media paid attention to only a few “chemical criminals”. She believes that there is a good as well as a bad side to all fields. “If we look around, everything we have is Chemistry”. She explained taking trinitrotoluene (TNT) as an example. TNT was initially developed to be used in mining. Later, however it was used in the preparation of explosive bombs. “There are more thieves than criminal chemists”, she commented. Such misinterpretations can be corrected if scientists are more active in explaining their research to the community.
When we inquired if there are any pressing global issues that researchers in Chemistry must focus on, she was certain that scientists in basic sciences must only focus on what interests him or her. That is the field they are most passionate about and eventually that is where they can do their best. Confining their ideas to a few select areas, according to her, is against the spirit of basic sciences.
This encounter proved to be an enriching experience not just for one’s scientific quest, but also for those seeking answers to life’s mysteries. The Nobel laureate encouraged all science enthusiasts to stay curious, determined and motivated to succeed.
