History of Science

The Casual Catalyst: Science Conversations and Cafes

Posted on by Michele Arduengo

There is no shortage of stories about great scientific collaborations that have taken root as the result of an excited conversation between two scientists over sandwiches and beer at a bar or a deli. One of the most famous examples of such a conversation was that between Herbert Boyer and Stanely Cohen when they attended a conference on bacterial plasmids in 1972—that very conversation led to the formation of the biotechnology as the two scientists worked together to clone specific regions of DNA (1).  

“Over hot pastrami and corned beef sandwiches, Herbert Boyer and Stanley Cohen opened the door to genetic engineering and laid the foundations for gene therapy and the biotechnology industry.”  

Steven Johnson, author of Where Do Good Ideas Come From, credits the English coffee house as being crucial to the spread of the enlightenment movement in the 17th and 18th centuries (2). He argues that coffee houses provide a space where ideas can come together and form networks. In fact, he defines the concept of “idea” not as a single entity—a grand thought that poofs into existence upon hard work—but at its simplest level, a new idea is a new network of neurons firing in sync with each other.  

Johnson further argues that the development of great new ideas not only requires a space for ideas to bump into each other, connect and form a network, but also that great ideas are rarely the product of a single “Eureka” moment. Rather, they are slowly developing, churning hunches that have very long incubation periods (2).  

Science is Ripe with “Coffee House” Discoveries

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The Central Dogma of Promega: The Story and Science Behind Our Kit Packaging Design

Posted on by Jordan Nutting

An amazing transformation is taking place, unseen and unnoticed, within the microscopic bits that make you, you.

A tightly coiled lattice unspools to reveal a sinuous DNA stand. Along its length, tendrils of RNA sprout, growing bit by genetic bit. Eventually, the signal to stop and break away arrives, yielding a new strand of RNA that faithfully transcribes the DNA strand’s genetic code. Proteins trim and splice this new growth, pruning it so it takes its final form, messenger RNA. More proteins then ferry this mRNA strand through a pore in the nuclear envelope into the open space of the cell’s cytoplasm. Ribosomes and codon-carrying tRNA alight onto the released mRNA strand, reading the instructions it has carried from the DNA in the nuclear nursery. From this trio new forms emerge, bulbous proteins shaped by their destined purpose.

And so it goes, every second of every day, in the tens of trillions of cells in your body…

…And on the tens of thousands of kit packages we deliver to customers across the globe every year.

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Decades of Discovery: How the NCI-60 Revolutionized Cancer Drug Screening

Posted on by Kendra Hanslik

The National Cancer Institute’s NCI-60 drug screening panel, comprised of 60 diverse human cancer cell lines, has been a cornerstone in advancing cancer research and drug discovery since its inception in the late 1980s. Developed in response to the need for more predictive and comprehensive preclinical models, the NCI-60 facilitates the screening of thousands of compounds annually, aiming to identify potential anti-cancer drugs across a broad spectrum of human cancers. This article traces the origins, development, and evolution of the NCI-60 panel, highlighting its significant role in advancing our understanding of cancer and therapeutic agents.  

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Knitting Needles, Balls of Yarn and the First Molecular Model

Posted on by Michele Arduengo
ball-and-stick model of a molecule

One day while reading a knitting blog I discovered in 1883 a Scottish chemist created the first “ball-and-stick” model of a molecule using knitting needles and balls of yarn. This initial ball-and-stick molecule represents the structure of sodium chloride and is constructed of knitting needles, representing the bonds, and alternating balls of blue and red yarn, representing the atoms of sodium and chloride. It was displayed as part of the International Year of Chemistry 2011 activities.

The chemist who created this model was Alexander Crum Brown, distinguished chemistry and professor at the University of Edinburgh, and one of his particular interests was the arrangements of atoms in molecules and the depiction of these structures. Those of us who spent countless hours poring our organic chemistry books and molecular model sets trying to understand nucleophilic attacks and SN1 and SN2 reactions have Alexander Crum Brown to thank. Those students who now use computer 3D modeling programs to accomplish the same studies (without the delight of chasing down the last nitrogen atom that has rolled off the desk and under the dresser) are also indebted to Dr. Brown.

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