Venki Ramakrishnan

I have to say, you know, I was a grad student in physics and I was trying to do condensed matter theory. And it was just so hard to make progress and do something interesting. And I used to subscribe to Scientific American. And I don't know if you remember, but in those days... all the articles were written by the primary scientists themselves, of course, with editorial help.

I have to say, you know, I was a grad student in physics and I was trying to do condensed matter theory. And it was just so hard to make progress and do something interesting. And I used to subscribe to Scientific American. And I don't know if you remember, but in those days... all the articles were written by the primary scientists themselves, of course, with editorial help.

It was really very much a first person account. It was really thrilling. But what impressed me was that every issue had big questions in biology that were being answered left and right. And I thought, well, you know, this is probably where I should be

It was really very much a first person account. It was really thrilling. But what impressed me was that every issue had big questions in biology that were being answered left and right. And I thought, well, you know, this is probably where I should be

So right after my PhD, I went to grad school again at UCSD to study biology because I felt I didn't know any biology, so I didn't want to do a postdoc right away. Right, right.

So right after my PhD, I went to grad school again at UCSD to study biology because I felt I didn't know any biology, so I didn't want to do a postdoc right away. Right, right.

Yeah, and I have to say, I thought I was in the middle of a revolution, but that revolution seems to still be going. It's been going for a long time. I would say ever since the discovery of the gene in the late 19th century, there's just been this steady onslaught of advances in biology. I liken it to how physics progressed very steadily after Galileo and Newton. and just kept on going.

Yeah, and I have to say, I thought I was in the middle of a revolution, but that revolution seems to still be going. It's been going for a long time. I would say ever since the discovery of the gene in the late 19th century, there's just been this steady onslaught of advances in biology. I liken it to how physics progressed very steadily after Galileo and Newton. and just kept on going.

And then when it was stalled, then suddenly you had quantum mechanics and relativity, and then there was another big wave. So I think biology is sort of behind physics by maybe a couple of hundred years. So it's not as mature a field as physics. And that's probably why I think physics is also harder, because it's more mature and the questions are harder.

And then when it was stalled, then suddenly you had quantum mechanics and relativity, and then there was another big wave. So I think biology is sort of behind physics by maybe a couple of hundred years. So it's not as mature a field as physics. And that's probably why I think physics is also harder, because it's more mature and the questions are harder.

That's another way of thinking about it. Yeah, that's true.

That's another way of thinking about it. Yeah, that's true.

Well, I think it started because I wrote my first popular book, which was called Gene Machine, which was about the race for the structure of the ribosome. It was meant to capture some of the frankness of the double helix, which I have to say I read as a student of physics. For the first time, it gave me some idea of the thrill of physics. you know, a biological question.

Well, I think it started because I wrote my first popular book, which was called Gene Machine, which was about the race for the structure of the ribosome. It was meant to capture some of the frankness of the double helix, which I have to say I read as a student of physics. For the first time, it gave me some idea of the thrill of physics. you know, a biological question.

And I know it's a very controversial book, but it's influenced lots of people, including Jennifer Doudna, who in the preface to her own book says that's a book that really stimulated her to become a scientist. So although it's got its, you know, downsides, you know, Jim Watson can be frank, but also unnecessarily nasty. I wanted to capture the frankness without the gratuitous nastiness.

And I know it's a very controversial book, but it's influenced lots of people, including Jennifer Doudna, who in the preface to her own book says that's a book that really stimulated her to become a scientist. So although it's got its, you know, downsides, you know, Jim Watson can be frank, but also unnecessarily nasty. I wanted to capture the frankness without the gratuitous nastiness.

And so that was my experience of writing that book. And I found I enjoyed the process of writing about a complicated subject in molecular biology for the general public. Then I thought, well, what could I write about now that would be really timely and that I would have something to say? And the thing is, as I mentioned, protein synthesis is central to aging because proteins do a lot of things.

And so that was my experience of writing that book. And I found I enjoyed the process of writing about a complicated subject in molecular biology for the general public. Then I thought, well, what could I write about now that would be really timely and that I would have something to say? And the thing is, as I mentioned, protein synthesis is central to aging because proteins do a lot of things.

And if the process gets disrupted or becomes less optimal, then it leads to aging. So I was very, very close to the field, even though I don't particularly work on aging. And aging, of course, is a big existential question. We may be the only species that's aware of mortality. Animals may know about death. They can certainly sense death.

And if the process gets disrupted or becomes less optimal, then it leads to aging. So I was very, very close to the field, even though I don't particularly work on aging. And aging, of course, is a big existential question. We may be the only species that's aware of mortality. Animals may know about death. They can certainly sense death.