Wall Street Journal - Adrian Woolfson
"Lively and entertaining. . . . In [The Catalyst], the machinations of RNA emerge as a core feature of what makes us human. We appear to be at the beginning of a conceptual enlightenment in biology—an ‘age of RNA,’ as Mr. Cech calls it. Biology will never be the same."
Times Literary Supplement - Nessa Carey
"[An] impressively comprehensive work…[Cech] writes with easy charm and uses analogies helpfully and elegantly."
Sean B. Carroll
"A series of dogma-smashing and Nobel-winning discoveries about RNA has transformed our understanding of how life works and given birth to exquisite, life-saving technologies.… The Catalyst is a masterful account of the RNA revolution in biology and medicine by one of its brilliant pioneers."
David Oshinsky
"[A] superb and timely history of research into RNA."
Nature - John Mattick
"Having spent most of his career studying RNA, [Cech] has rare insights into the cast of characters and the serendipitous events that led to this understanding. His lucid, engaging and clear account will appeal to general readers and specialists alike."
Literary Hub
"For brains of a mortal frequency, RNA may have only popped into consciousness with the groundbreaking introduction of COVID-targeting mRNA vaccines and CRISPR therapies. In the telling of Nobel Prize-winning scientist Tom Cech, RNA was long the sidelined brother of DNA, with its showy double helix. Thanks to work by Cech and others, the power of RNA to impact aging and catalyze biochemical reactions is made apparent."
Kenneth Frazier
"An absorbing account of the scientific journey that led to the development of crucial RNA-based vaccine technologies and other important medical breakthroughs. Readers will come away from this fascinating book feeling more knowledgeable and empowered to make decisions about their own health."
New Scientist - Tom Leslie
"A joy, from a writer who can’t help but be as endearing as he is authoritative."
Walter Isaacson
"Thomas R. Cech led the way into what will be known as the age of RNA. When others were focused on DNA, Cech probed the mysteries of the then lesser-known, but wondrous molecule that creates the stuff of life and is a key to life’s origins. The Catalyst vividly describes the marvels of RNA and the discoveries—from vaccines to gene-editing tools—that will shape our future. I am so glad Cech wrote this book."
Jennifer Doudna
"Nobel laureate Thomas Cech takes us into the world of RNA with a story that’s as enlightening as it is fascinating. It’s a must read for anyone interested in the molecule that has shaped life itself and is driving the future of science and medicine."
Undark - C. Brandon Ogbunu
"[The Catalyst] captures the exuberance that lives in the various questions on the origins of life and what we can learn from exploring it … [A] measured treatise on the centrality of RNA in the living world."
