Life's Catalyst: RNA with Thomas Cech [Ep. 423]

Join my mailing list https://briankeating.com/list to win a real 4
billion year old meteorite! All .edu emails in the USA will WIN!
How did life begin? What makes us human? Why do we get sick and
grow old?  For more than half a century, we've searched for
answers to these questions in DNA. But after a series of
groundbreaking discoveries, attention has turned to RNA, the
long-overlooked molecule that is now at the heart of biology's
greatest mysteries. Here today, to shed light on this topic, is
none other than the Nobel laureate Thomas Cech. Thomas shared the
1989 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Sidney Altman for their
discovery of the catalytic properties of RNA. He discovered that
RNA could cut strands of RNA itself, suggesting that life might
have started as RNA, and found that RNA can not only transmit
instructions but also speed up the necessary reactions.  His
upcoming book, The Catalyst, promises to bring years of pioneering
research to the forefront, demonstrating how RNA holds the key to
understanding life on Earth—from its very origins to our
future.  Join us as we explore the most transformative
breakthroughs in biology and beyond on this episode of Into the
Impossible!  Key Takeaways: 00:00 Intro 01:17 What is life?
02:05 Judging a book by its cover 05:44 Does profit drive
innovation?  10:51 The RNA breakthrough  14:40 Is DNA a
one-trick pony? 24:54 Panspermia, DNA and RNA 29:25 RNA’s role in
the end of life 37:01 CRISPR  42:09 Are DNA and RNA the only
two informational molecules?  46:57 The future of
education  51:38 The greatest thing humans have ever done
53:08 What Thomas has been wrong about 54:22 Outro — Additional
resources: Get one month of Snipd Premium for free with this link:
https://get.snipd.com/Cx7S/brianSnipd Snipd lets you take Smart
Notes with AI — it’s my favorite podcast player ! ️ Learn more
about Thomas Cech: Nobel Prize:
https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/1989/cech/facts/  
Get The Catalyst on Amazon: https://a.co/d/9oaErgg ️ Follow me on
your fav platforms: ️ Twitter:
https://twitter.com/DrBrianKeating  YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/DrBrianKeating?sub_confirmation=1 
Join my mailing list: https://briankeating.com/list  ️ Check
out my blog: https://briankeating.com/cosmic-musings/  ️
Follow my podcast: https://briankeating.com/podcast Into the
Impossible with Brian Keating is a podcast dedicated to all those
who want to explore the universe within and beyond the known. Make
sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode! Learn more about
your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices