10 October 2017 22 9K Report

Today, the term “molecular biology” has a rather prosaic sound. After all, there is little in contemporary biology that isn't molecular. It's hard to remember that 50 years ago, molecular biology was distinctly countercultural. Whereas biochemistry proudly traced its roots to the sober field of chemistry, molecular biology stood for pure bravado and opportunism. Its immodest goal was to understand the program of life from gene to phenotype. Has it fulfilled its promise? The operon theory of Jacob and Monod stands as one of its signal achievements, but a modern view of how the circuit actually works illustrates its limitations as well as its accomplishments.

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