When: 25 October

 

 

Where: The Royal Institution

 

 

Info:

In this Discourse, Sir Paul Nurse will consider the question ‘What is Life?’ by discussing five great ideas of biology, ranging from the ‘Cell’ to ‘the Logic of Life’. By considering these concepts a direction of travel is set towards a definition of life. Sir Paul Nurse is a geneticist and cell biologist whose discoveries have helped to explain how the cell controls its cycle of growth and division. Working in fission yeast, he showed that the cdc2 gene encodes a protein kinase, which ensures the cell is ready to copy its DNA and divide. Paul’s findings have broader significance since errors in cell growth and division may lead to cancer and other serious diseases.

The Royal Institution – What is Life? (Discourse)