Publishers Weekly
★ 04/29/2024
Nobel Prize–winning biochemist Cech debuts with an entrancing primer on “the vast capabilities of RNA.” Recounting how his research in the early 1980s upended the long-held belief that RNA was a simple molecule that intermediated between DNA and proteins, Cech describes discovering that RNA can catalyze biochemical reactions and perform jobs previously thought to be the exclusive purview of enzymes, such as orchestrating the construction of proteins. The author also delves into subsequent breakthroughs, telling how in the late ’80s molecular biologist Carol Greider determined that RNA build out “chromosome ends to secure the integrity of the genome.” Surveying the real-world implications of the research, Cech discusses the scientific advances that led to the development of the messenger RNA Covid vaccines and speculates on how a form of RNA capable of shutting down genes may one day help treat neurodegenerative diseases. The biological discussions are remarkably lucid, thanks to easy-to-understand analogies. For instance, Cech illustrates how RNA’s selective omission of genetic information during protein production makes it possible to create a “wide repertoire of potential proteins from the same set of genes” by noting how “You really smell nice today” and “You really smell today” use the same building blocks yet generate opposite meanings based on the exclusion of one piece. This fascinates. (June)
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."
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."
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. Thomas Cech’s The Catalyst is a masterful account of the RNA revolution in biology and medicine by one of its brilliant pioneers."
Walter Isaacson
"Thomas 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."
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."
